How 2 Convert Analog to Digital

[protesto]

When it comes to store audio and videos, there is no doubt that the digiatl discs have great advantages over the old magnetic (analog) recordings.

INTRO

For music lovers, with great hearing, I must emphasize that the old analog format, tapes and vynil discs, do have an advantage, which is:

The bandwith of analog recordings, is 20 Hz to 100 Khz, while the digital bandwidth is limited to 40Hz to 22 Khz, roughly 1/5 of the old analogs. Lots of people did complain about this fact when CDs were fiirst introduced on the mid 1980s.

Although only musical geniuses can hear notes above 23 Khz (such as Mozart, Stravinsky, etc.), and it goes down with age to about a maxium of 16 to 17 Khz on average, our sesnses can "hear" those notes which our ears can not. Amazing isn't it?

With video (animated pictures) it is another story. The old VHS were recorded on a 8-bit format, while the digital format is recorded on 16-bit, which makes for a far clear and crispear image quality.

You win some, and you loose some.

VIDEO

Connection of a VHS player/recorder or camera to a pc is easy, although there are 4 types of cabling available: RCA, S-Video, Composite Video and the old TV antenna wire.

The type of cabling will depend on the type of card which you will use to input the VHS output (video and audio) signal into the pc. If you are using a video camera check with the manual first. On this tutorial we will be using a VHS player.

CODE]REQUIREMENTS & CONSIDERATIONS for VHS to DVD

Hardware:

1 - VHS Player

2 - TV tuner card

3 - DVD burner

Software:

1 - Recording software package that comes bundled with your TV tuner card

2 - Sonic MyDVD

3 - DVD Shrink

Earlier models of TV tuner cards were not MPEG compatible. They could only record on the AVI format. Sonic MyDVD can encode both formats into DVD format.

If you are going to buy a new tv tuner card, make sure that it records to MPEG-2 and that it is a stereo one which also has a FM radio receiver.

Sonic MyDVD is not freeware or shareware. DVD Shrink is freeware. The reason that we are going to use DVD Shrink is that 1 hour of Video encoded with Sonic MyDVD will result on probably over 4.7GB. Therefore we will use it to encode only and we will use DVD Shrink to burn the resulting DVD.

BEFORE STARTING TO RECORD INTO THE PC

1 - Make sure that your TV tuner card is properly installed and configured. That is, you should be able to start your tv software and watch all the tv channels available in your area on your PC monitor.

2 - Re-wire the Tv antenna wire. Plug the tV antenna cable into your VHS player's input. Plug anoter TV antenna wire into the output of your VHS player and plug the other end into the PC TV tuner card's antenna input.

3 - Start your PC's TV tuner software and do an auto scnning of all TV channels, so that it picks up all the channels available from your VHS player, including the VHS players own channel, used to play and record to and from the TV. On my VHS player its channel 36, although it changes from maker to maker and country to country.

4 - Next insert a VHS tape into the VHS player and press the play button on it. On your PC tV tuner software make sure that you can see and hear the video from the VHS tape. If not read the Help files that come with the software for extra help.

5 - Next use your TV tuner software to record the VHS tape into your harddrive. It should ask you for a folder and a file name. Make sure that you record it into an easy to remember location, such as the My Videos folder.

6 - Record 1 or 2 minutes of video and audio and then stop. Close tour TV tuner software and fire up your DVD player (WinDVD, PowerDVD, etc) to play the recorded file. If everything went ok, you should be able to view and hear it.

If you can view the video, but can not hear the audio, you must set your PCs sound recording input from that of the microphone (default) to the Line-In, since TV tuners use Line-In for audio.

Control Panel >> Sound and Audio Device >> Audio >> Sound Recording Volume

Select the Line-In fader for recording and set its volume to the maximum.

7 - Repeat step 6. If you can view and hear the resulting recorded file, then your PC is properly configured to record from your VHS player.

RECORD, ENCODE & BURN YOUR DVD

1 - Record the VHS tape to your hard drive. Once the recording is complete close the TV tuner software.

2 - Start up Sonic MyDVD and start a new project. On the left handside, there is an icon named "Get Movies". Click on it. Choose the file that you recorded and press OK.

3 - Once the whole file is inserted in your project a new icon will appear on the main window of Sonic MyDVD.

4 - Click on "Click here to change text" and type a descriptive name of your project.

5 - Next click on the Tools Menu and choose Make DVD Folder (Tools >> Make DVD Folder). Sonic will prompt you to save your project first and then will prompt you for the location of the DVD Folder. Follow the prompts and click OK. Make sure to remember in which folder did you create your DCD Folder.

6 - Depending on the size of the file and your PCs power and RAM, it probably take some time. You can see its progress on the progress bar. So fire p the kettle and make yourself a cuppa of coffee or tea.

7 - Once the encoded is complete you can preview the final DVD file. Just click the play button on Sonic MyDVD and then click on the movie icon above the name of your file on the main window.

8 - Close Sonic MyDVD. If it asks you to saves changes, clicl Ok and then exit.

9 - Start up DVD Shrink. Ckick on the File Menu and choose Open (not Open Disc). Choose the location of the folder where Sonic DVD placed your DVD file, the VS_VIDEO folder and press OK.

10 - Your DVD file will be displayed. Leave the compression Settings in Automatic.

11 - Insert a blank DVD disck on your DVD burner and close it.

12 - Click on the File Menu of DVD Shrink and choose Backup. That is it. DVD Shrink will analyse your file and then will burn it. The resulting DVD disc can be played on any home DVD player or on your PC, whichever you prefer.

AUDIO

There are 2 audio analog mediums: tapes and vynils. The PC hardware/software requiremnts are the same, however you must consider an important fact: the output of turntables is via the old phono jacks, while the output of cassestte decks is via the more recent RCA jacks.

While you can plug a cassette deck via RCA into a sound card, you can not plug an turntable phono jack into a sound card, you must plug it into a pre-amplifier and then plug the pre-amplifier output into a sound card. That is why most of the newer turntables made after the late 1990s do come with inbuilt pre amplifiers already. Remenber that.

For the remainder of this tutorial, the term "audio device" refers to all kinds of analog devices that send sound output through stereo RCA type cables (1 left & 1 right); tape decks, cassette decks, turntables, etc.

Most motherboards have 6 separete audio channels (5.1 channel surrond sound). The "supreme" leaders on audio cards for PCs is Creative. It produces specialized audio cards for PCs which can transform a PC into audiophiles delight.

To obtain execellent digital versions of the old High-Fidelity Stereo Sound, you need the to have a SoundBlaster 5.1 (6 channels) or the newer Audigy series 7.1 (8 channels).

The top versions of those PC cards feature a front-plate the fits in 1 of the CD/DVD front bays of any pc with a spare bay. It offers extra connections for 1/4" stereo jack Headphone and Microphone, SPDIF in/out, Midi in/out, Mini Disc, Infra Red Remote Control and 2-wire RCA stereo.

The standard versions do not came with that front plate. therefore only have back connections. The RCA connection is only the 1 pin variety. You will have to buy a 2 into 1 RCA-Stero cable, to connect from a standard analog stereo audio device.

It also comes bundled with Steinberg WaveLab which you will need do the actual recording inot the harddrive. For best results, the front-plate version with the 2-wire RCA-Stereo jacks is highly recommended.

REQUIREMENTS & CONSIDERATIONS for AUDIO to CD

Hardware:

1 - Cassette Player or Turntable (with pre-amplifier)

2 - CD burner

Software:

1 - Steinberg WaveLab or similar

2 - Burning Software (Nero, Roxio, etc)

1 -First of all, connect 1 end of the RCA Stereo cable into the output(s) of your analog audio device, and the other end into the sound card's recording input(s).

2 - Select the PC's sound recording input from that of the microphone (default) to the Auxilary, and set its recording volume.

Control Panel >> Sound and Audio Device >> Audio >> Sound Recording Volume

3- Start Steinberg WaveLab (or similar Wave software). Be sure to ajust its recording properties to the maxium available.

4 - Start a new wave file and give it a name. Click on the record button and then press the play in your analog audio device.

5 - When the recording is complete, use your Wave program to split the tunes, and remove any unwanted silence. Save each track individually. Use the song names as titles.

6 - Close the Wave software. Start your CD/DVD burner software.

8 - Use your burner software to burn the tracks into a blank CD in the *.wav file.

9 - Congratulations, you have an high-quality digital version of your analog sources, ready to store.

[Liquid]

One part I disagree with is how you hook the VCR up. One of the goals would be to acheive highest quality possible.. Normal cable wire is not good enough. Almost all TV-Tuners have RCA inputs, it would greatly increase the quality and you would actually get true stereo sound. Other wise the guide is pretty sweet. Thanks!

[mojomonkee]

very in-depth guide and helpful to many i'm sure. alternatively, you could just use a vcr with s-video out to a set-top dvd burner with s-video in. then all you have to do is put the tape in, hit play, and hit record on the dvd burner. done.

[IK47]

so, you can use this to pirate VHS movies?

[cal2002]

If you are trying to pirate VHS movies you have issues.

[todd]

  IK .:. 47 said:

so, you can use this to pirate VHS movies?

584977317[/snapback]

uhh.. you could use two vcr's to pirate vhs movies :rolleyes:

[VG11489]

Uh you cant pirate VHS's even if you can connect your VCR since the VHS's have macrovision protection (only purchesed ones not home movies or something like that) only way is to have I think it was govideo or something silimar to take off the macrovision so the computer can record.