Do I need a DVD / VCR Combo in order to put my vhs to dvd?

Question

I have a dvd/ vcr combo (not a recorder) and I would like to get the dvd recorder so I can put all my tapes onto dvd. Do I have to get another combo player or can I do it with my current vcr and a new dvd recorder somehow? Also- can I backup my kids' movies legally? I must have 50 Pooh vhs and would like to have backups because my boys love them. No intentions of resale, of course. What's the best (and cheap too) one I can get? How do I set it up if I don't get a dvd combo?

Answer 1

Hi Vintage0,

You can feed the output of your combo player into the input of your new recorder. That will work for any tapes that aren't prerecorded.

I embarked on a project to transfer my VHS tapes to DVD and I had some problems. First I found most of my VHS tapes had copy protection and could not be copied. I went to Best Buy and bought a "Simo T120 GoDVD" which you put in-line between your VHS player and your DVD recorder. It removes the copy-guard and "enhances" the video. It was, I think, $59.95.

Remember to start with your VHS quality is passable but certainly far below a DVD. Now the copy process degrades it further. Don't get me wrong - my copies are certainly watchable.

The other thing that wore me down was you have to copy in real time. A two hour movie takes two hours to copy. I learned to set it up before I went out and just let the tape and DVD run out. If a movie is over two hours you have to use the four hour mode on the DVD recorder. That reduces the quality slightly.

That is my experience. I still have some tapes I haven't copied but my stack is greatly reduced.

Back to the Simo - I can't testify how much the video enhancer feature actually did because I didn't compare two copies of the same thing. The quality I got was acceptable so I just tolerated it.

Good luck with your project.

Norm

Answer 2

You don't need a combo, just run your antenna to the VCR inlet and the outcable from the VHS to the incable of the DVD recorder and then on to the tv.  (You'll still be able to watch tv that way)

BUT...if they are purchased tapes I think you'll find them copy write protected.  Only home recorded tapes will copy.