Can I put my video tapes from my video camera on my computer without having to go buy anything?

Question

I want to know if I can put the video that I record onto those little tapes onto my computer without having to buy any cords or connecters or whatever...I don't want to buy anything; I just want to know if I can transfer from tape to computer without buying anything. If not, can you please explain why? Thanks:)

Answer 1

Short answer: no you can't, since you're asking this question, I'm presuming you've already been through the accessories and manual that came with your camera and those are not available.

Unless your video camera has a "digital out" port, you'll need a card in your computer to convert the analog signal to digital.

Tapes are analog. Consider the different between walking up a hill and walking up steps - this is the difference between analog and digital. Tapes record in subtle gradations that must be converted to digital data to be stored in a format you can use on a computer.

I use the Turtle Beach VideoAdvantage video card for my old analog videocam. $89, comes with software you need.