The obvious one is a DVD burner drive. The only issue here is whether to save a few bucks and buy a single mode burner (i.e. only burns either DVD-R or DVD+R) or go for the more expensive DVD-+R burner. I've used Pioneer DVD-R burners to burn data only DVD disks for the last year with very good results. Others where I work use the same drive to author DVD video disks with good success.
The other choice would be to use a simple CD-R/W drive and make the videos in VCDs instead of DVDs. If you're not familiar with VCDs, that's not surpising. They have a had a very popular usage in other parts of the world but never caught on here in the US. They are basically an MPEG-1 encoded video disk (DVD uses MPEG-2). The quality of the video is less than a DVD but about the same as VHS. You can typically get an hour or so over video on a single CD-R. I've made numerous VCDs for my kids of their favorite cartoons to use on our portable DVD player.
I've seen the combo VHS DVD writers you're talking about. They certainly make the process of copying a tape quick and easy. I've actually thought about getting one to do the same tape to DVD transfer. I could do it while the kids watch the tape (kill 2 birds with 1 stone).
Scott
Larry Cook wrote:
I'd love to transfer my family home videos from VHS to DVD. The services I've seen charge $20-$50 for transferring a 2 hour tape to DVD. Since I've got 15-20 tapes, I figure I might as well invest the money in my own equipment.
Can anyone give me their experiences with doing this on Linux and what h/w and s/w is needed? Or point me to any good material on the topic?
Or am I better off just buying a standalone (as in stereo home entertainment component) DVD-player/recorder? They seem to start at around $400.
Thanks, Larry _______________________________________________ gnhlug-discuss mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss
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