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Help in converting old VCR tapes into digital format


how122255

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I have a bag full of old VCR-C tapes.  These are small VCR-C tapes that go into a full size VCR tape adapter.  I have the full size adapter so they should play in any VCR that uses the American standard of recording.  I have read that VCR's from Asia/Europe use a different type of coding and won't play VCR tapes that were recorded using an American VCR machine.  I have also read that there is a inexpensive cable that will convert a playing VCR tape into a digital format.  I think if someone had a old VCR camera that also might be a way of getting the tapes to play back. My problem is that I live full time in Thailand and have no plans to return to the USA.  I don't have any people in the USA that could help me either.  I was thinking that if I locate a USA type  VCR in Thailand I might try to just use my cell phone and record the images from the TV playback. I'm guessing the picture quality won't be very good.  I have maybe 20-30 hours of tapes but many are just hour long tapes of my children's basketball games where he is running up and back and I certainly don't need all of that transferred.  There is videos of Christmas and family's gatherings that I would really like to have.  I don't mind spend a decent amount of money to do this.  Possibly someone is returning to the USA and could do this for me for a price ??   or maybe someone knows a friend in the USA who could do this and I could mail the VCR tapes over to him.  Has anyone heard of any Thai company that could do this ??  The transferred digital format could be put on a hard drive or memory cards.  Again, I would gladly pay a good price to have this done.  If you have any other suggestions please let me know.  Thanks for any help or info

Edited by how122255
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You will absolutely be able to find someone to convert VHS-c to digital format, just get it done professionally. They’ll know how to handle PAL/NTSC (regional variations). It won’t be expensive. Possibility that your tapes may also have some mold inside but cross that bridge if you come to it, it’s not a huge deal. 

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4 minutes ago, Arnie85 said:

You will absolutely be able to find someone to convert VHS-c to digital format, just get it done professionally. They’ll know how to handle PAL/NTSC (regional variations). It won’t be expensive. Possibility that your tapes may also have some mold inside but cross that bridge if you come to it, it’s not a huge deal. 

This sound good-promising   BUT  where  and by what professional company. Thanks for you info. 

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There's a Youtube video (<= link) that shows how you can do this. I did something similar about 10 years back, obivously with a different device than what the guy in the video is suggesting, and the results back then were usable, but hardly top quality. You can buy USB video-capture cards as cheap as THB 150 or so, but whether they're any good I couldn't tell you. You'd still need a VCR or a camera to play back the tape, though.

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7 minutes ago, Fumbduck said:

You'd still need a VCR or a camera to play back the tape, though.

That's the BIG problem...  Thanks for your info

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A quick Google search found this guy --> https://www.facebook.com/JACKA2J/ near Bangkok. I don't know pricing though.

With it being tapes of your kids (irreplaceable) I think I'd go in person to talk with the shop before leaving the tapes with them to do the job. 

It should be reasonably easy to find a shop in the US to do the conversion for you, but also I think it would be much more expensive. Perhaps less expensive than having a second hand NTSC VCR shipped over here for you to use to transfer the tapes yourself. 

 

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48 minutes ago, Garzan said:

A quick Google search found this guy --> https://www.facebook.com/JACKA2J/ near Bangkok. I don't know pricing though.

With it being tapes of your kids (irreplaceable) I think I'd go in person to talk with the shop before leaving the tapes with them to do the job. 

It should be reasonably easy to find a shop in the US to do the conversion for you, but also I think it would be much more expensive. Perhaps less expensive than having a second hand NTSC VCR shipped over here for you to use to transfer the tapes yourself. 

 

Thanks !!!   I just wrote to him to get some info and prices. 

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I'd order the VCR eqpt from Amazon USA.

Just record the clips with your mobile phone (using a tripod) it directly from your TV screen

You wouldn't really any lose resolution as you are converting from analog to digital 

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I just sent some tapes to the Facebook man that GARZAN  found.  He charges 200 baht per hour.  I sent a few as a test trial.   Thanks Garzan

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