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- guardian.co.uk, Saturday September 6 2008 00.01 BST
- The Guardian, Saturday September 6 2008
Is there an easy way to transfer video cassettes to CD or DVD? I'd like a gadget that's easy and simple to use.
The bell has been tolling for the humble video cassette for some time now, but it's simple to buy a gizmo that can shift your old home movies and back catalogue films on to disc. Which option you choose, however, is largely dependent on how much money you've got to spend and how much time you want to take.
The most straightforward way is to buy a DVD recorder; a gizmo that combines a traditional player with the sort of burner you'd find on a computer. Pick one that lets you plug in a video recorder - at the basic end of the range, the Lite-On LVW-5045 goes for less than £50 - and simply record straight on to DVD.
If you're feeling flush, though, go for a combination recorder, such as the £159 Daewoo DF4501P, which houses both a VCR and a DVD and can transfer tapes with one press of a button. Another option is to buy a video capture card for a computer. If you've already got a DVD burner in your PC, this could prove far cheaper. There's a good blow-by-blow guide on how to do it on the How To Do Things website: see icanhaz.com/vcrtodvd.
