The Elgato software lets you set an aspect ratio-4:3 or 16:9, while Easy VHS to DVD Capture doesn’t. The Elgato product doesn’t include quality settings. High quality bumps up the video bit rate to 6 Mbps and the audio rate to 384 kbps.
The video is converted to another format when you export it (to AIC when you open it in iMovie and MPEG-4 when you send it to QuickTime). Standard quality is MPEG-2 video at a bit rate of 4 Mbps, recording 48kHz audio at 224 kbps. The Roxio software lets you choose Standard or High Quality settings. The specific variations between them are these: Both are capable of copying commercial VHS tapes, even those that are copy-protected. Once you finish capturing the video, each provides you with options for exporting it.
Each walks you through the steps for digitizing the video-making sure you have both a video and audio signal and providing you with a large red Record button for starting the capture.
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Jack the converter into a free USB 2.0 port, string either an S-Video or Composite video cable between your VHS or camcorder and the converter, do the same with the RCA cables, and launch the software. The Roxio package lacks this largely-unnecessary-in-the-U.S. The Elgato converter bears a longer cable than the Roxio unit and also includes a Composite-to-SCART adapter (SCART is a variety of AV connector commonly found in Europe). Each is easy to use and, other than price, the main difference between them is the greater number of options offered by the Elgato package.īoth tools include a USB converter that has a male USB connector on one end and Composite video, S-Video, and RCA audio inputs on the other. Two products can help you do just that: Roxio’s $80 Easy VHS to DVD and Elgato’s $100 Video Capture. If some of them hold memories that you’d like to continue to carry with you, you should digitize them and store copies on more reliable media. Like all taped-based media, these tapes are slowly deteriorating. Many people of a certain age have-hidden away among a lifetime of possessions-a large carton brimming with VHS tapes.