I’ve been trying to find good methods for creating digital versions of videos, including old tapes and DVDs. I was browsing in a Bed, Bath and Beyond, and saw a little video to SD card device for $80. I figured I’d give it a try, and I’m quite happy with the results. I have a small laptop that has a DVD player on its dock, but not on the computer itself. That means I’m stuck without movies on a plane. Also, my old VCR and camera tapes are getting on in years, and I’d like to get rid of them. DVDs are also dependent on media and are not “fault tolerant”. The VuPoint Digital Video Converter works great. It’s a very simple device – video and audio in, video and audio out (essentially a pass through), a button to record or play videos, and a slot for up to a 32G SD card, up to class 6 speeds.
I’m recording old videos onto the SD cards and then moving them onto my home Buffalo LinkStation 2TB RAID 1 fault tolerant network storage – also a great deal for about $350. The resolution is regular TV, and the audio is stereo – no HD or Dolby Surround here – but you don’t have that on your VCR tapes, either. It’s a simple and effective way to get your videos onto a digital medium that is easy to backup and recover without loss.
