I have 2000 old VHS tapes in my garage and I don't know what to do with them

Re:I have 2000 old VHS tapes in my garage and I don't know w... by cj on Thursday September 26, 2024 @06:01PM (#41663978)

Side note: any recommendations for digitization services for ~80 mini DV tapes?

Currently planning to try out LegacyBox, but the reviews are mixed.

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Re:I have 2000 old VHS tapes in my garage and I don't know w... by DaveChurchill on Thursday September 26, 2024 @06:12PM (#41664063)

Get a FireWire cable and rip the data straight from a dvcam to get the raw video files. Then compress with desired settings

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Re:I have 2000 old VHS tapes in my garage and I don't know w... by cj on Thursday September 26, 2024 @06:19PM (#41664131)

Ah actually they’re 8mm cassette tapes and vhs-c. From 20-40 years ago

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Re:I have 2000 old VHS tapes in my garage and I don't know w... by Clamchop on Thursday September 26, 2024 @07:23PM (#41664643)

The advice for video 8 when I did this was to buy a quality camcorder for the desired format (note, there's Video 8, Hi 8, and Digital 8, all using the same cassette form factor), in good condition, and capture the S-video output. Results were surprisingly good.
VHS-C can be played in a normal VCR, with an adapter cassette, but the process will otherwise be the same. Excellent VCRs in good condition had gotten expensive last time I checked, though.
When I did it, vhsdecode didn't exist and I know nothing about that, but I'm completely satisfied with the results I achieved.

if they're digital 8, then of course ideally you would get a digital capture.

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Re:I have 2000 old VHS tapes in my garage and I don't know w... by actionfromafar on Thursday September 26, 2024 @06:41PM (#41664307)

Cheap? Get one of those chinese composite video to SD card mp4 rippers.

Perfect? A linux PC with 400 dollars RF capture card plus vhsdecode software.

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Re:I have 2000 old VHS tapes in my garage and I don't know w... by interestica on Thursday September 26, 2024 @07:01PM (#41664475)

If you're in Ontario or Quebec I can help you out.

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Re:I have 2000 old VHS tapes in my garage and I don't know w... by qingcharles on Thursday September 26, 2024 @10:29PM (#41665698)

Try and use this system if you have the resources:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41664109

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