

If you don’t have a lot of time at present, you might want to set aside a day in the near future to convert all of your tapes to digital files. This process happens in real-time, so it might take a while. It’s time to start converting that giant stack of VHS tapes. So, now you’ve got your capture card, VCR, and tapes set up.
#How to convert vhs to digital software software
Capture cards come with their own software CD or a download link, but you can use OBS Studio if yours doesn’t. Download recording software: When the VCR video is fed into your computer, it has to be recorded in real-time by software.A capture card that supports s-video gives you the highest quality digital transfers (s-video puts out a better picture than RCA). As a side note, don’t buy a VHS converter-they’re just overpriced capture cards. Buy a capture card: This sends your VCR’s video and audio signals to your computer via USB.Your computer needs a way to receive and decode the video signal from your VCR. Now that your tapes are ready to be converted, it’s time to set up your computer with a capture card and some software. The video might look a little funny, though. If you plan to throw away the VCR and tapes after they’re digitized, you can skip cleaning. You can either clean the tapes by hand or build an automated tape cleaner. Don’t stick moldy tapes in your VCR, though, or you’ll end up with a mold-infested VCR. Yuck! Moldy tape: This is not uncommon for old VHS tapes.Tangled or broken tape: To fix this, you open up the tape with a screwdriver and repair it manually.If the whole thing’s bent, you’re probably out of luck. If it’s only a small area, gently straighten it with a microfiber cloth (paper towels leave behind fibers). You can wind the tape by turning one of the sprockets with your finger and assess the extent of the damage. Crunchy or bent tape: This isn’t usually a huge issue.
#How to convert vhs to digital software how to
Here are some common problems you might encounter and how to fix them:

To do this, run a cheap tape head cleaner through the VCR once or twice.

The 25 years of dust that’s accumulated on its tape heads can ruin the picture.

Some companies, like Kodak, will convert your VHS tapes to digital for you, but they charge about $35 per tape. And it shouldn’t cost you much more than $30 to complete this project ($15 if you already own a working VCR). Once you’ve got everything together, tape conversion is a breeze. You just need some tapes, a VCR, and a capture card.
