Copy VHS to Mini DV

I have a Panansonic Camcorder. I have recently wanted to copy old VHS videos to the Camcorder so that I can eventually put them on DVD by transfering the Mini DV footage to Premier.

On the camcorder I have:-

AV out
S-Video
USB
DV

I bought an S-video to scart because I thought S-Video was a line in, but I realise this is not the case.

These sockets are all "line outs" and that is the problem. However, isn't "DV" capable of Line in or Out?

If so, is there such a think as DV to scart? I think I have just dreamed this up to save me buying a new camcorder or dig-an converter.

But if any one knows if it is possible to get one of these "cables" I would very much appreciate it!

Trufla

[BillJohnson]

Not possible unless you can get a camcorder with an SVHS input (some Canon camcorders for example). If you want to transfer to DVD the simplest way is to get a DVD recorder as they are fairly cheap now and should allow you to record straight from video to DVD. If you want to edit in Premier you will have to go from video to mini-DV so you will either have to buy or borrow a suitable camcorder or get a converter such as a Pinnacle Dazzle.

Bill Johnson

Dazzle seems cheap, I'll give it that, but I have had bad experiences with pinnacle software! Not to say that I think all pinnacle products are bad....just once bitten, you know!

I checked out reviews which were not very good.

What about Miglia's Directors Cut? Have you had any exeperience of that?

[MarkE19]

The easiest way to get analogue video such as a VHS tape onto the PC is with a camcorder that has AV-in. However the majority of UK cams do not have AV-in enabled. DV-in on a camcorder is only any good for getting the video off the PC and back out to a VCR etc, or recording to a DV tape as it is a digital only connection.

So as it looks like your camcorder does not have AV-in enabled so what are your options?

If your cam is a few years old then there is a 'possability' that you can buy a widget to get the AV-in enabled, but this is not possible on all cams and certainly none of the newer models. Do a search on the forum for 'widget' to find a few sites that sell them and see if your cam is listed.
Buy a cheap TV capture card or a USB2.0 capture device. these are fairly cheap, but the results are not the best. Peple that have tried them often report lip sync errors and poor video quality - even worse than the origional VHS recordings.
The better option than the USB capture device is the firewire capture device such as the Canopus ADVC boxes, but these cost from around £150 up depending on the model. They will however give the best possible quality capture.

Good luck and let us know what you go for, or simply ask if you have any more questions.

Mark.