DVD to VHS Converters

Do you have a bunch of VHS tapes that you’ve been slowly replacing with DVDs over the past few years? Or perhaps you’ve simply decided not to spend the money to replace them but just try to keep that VHS player humming along?

One cost-effective alternative is to get a VHS to DVD converter and do it yourself.

It will pay for itself if you have about 10 or more VHS tapes.

You may have spotted some of these or other similar products on electronics blogs, we’ve decided to put together a list of top choices for you. Here are 4 such products:

#4. Plextor ConvertX Digital Video Converter - The ConvertX allows you to record your VHS tapes, and other video outputs, into DivX or MPEG-4 before burning it to DVD. The ConvertX box plugs into your computer and also comes bundled with software. Its built-in compression software allows you to store 2 hours of video on a CD, or 10 hours on a DVD. Costs about $55.

#3. CopyThis! Digital Video Enhancer - The CopyThis is a small box that copies your VHS tapes as well as gives you the the opportunity to enhance them as you go along. The enhancement features include noise reduction to improve picture quality as well as turningthe movies into black and white for a vintage effect! Unfortunately, CopyThis does not make this product any more, but you may be able to find a second-hand unit.

#2. Honestech’s VHS to DVD 3.0 Deluxe - While named VHS to DVD, it can also convert many analog inputs into digital. The included software is quite simple to use and has 2 modes: advanced and beginner. In beginner mode, a few mouse clicks will get you started converting VHS tape to a DVD.

There are advanced features like video editing. It’s easy to get started with VHS to DVD and it’s a good value for the money. VHS to DVD costs approx $50. You can read a detailed review of VHS to DVD 3.0 Deluxe here.

#1. Panasonic DMR-EZxxx VHS & DVD Recorders - Panasonic is one of the vendors that decided to simply bridge both formats by having a device that plays (and records)both! As it has slots for both, it also allows to record from one format to the other (although we’re not quite sure why you’d want to downgrade your DVDs). As opposed to the other 3 units, this does not have a software component, and it does playback as well, including for example, JPG files from an SD card. This unit also has a HDMI connector and can can upscale to 1080p. We’ve decided to rank this #1 for its slew of features, but unfortunately it does have a price tag to match (about $170).

You can find the Plextor, Honestech and Panasonic products easily on your shopping for gadgets hunts.