Holiday Head Start: Digitizing VHS

decorative teal background with words makerspace and digital lab

Supplies Needed:

  • Home VHS tapes
  • USB Drive (Minimum 32 GB) or External Hard Drive

Supplies Provided:

  • VCR
  • CyberLink PowerDirector Software

Appointment:

Call or email to schedule an appointment for Digitizing VHS

Call: 330-722-2681

Email: makerspace@mcdl.info

Note: Appointments are scheduled in 3-hour blocks. VHS Tapes convert in real time (no high-speed transfer).

With an appointment help is always available!

Step by Step Instructions:

  1. Check in for your appointment to be directed to a station in the Digital Lab.
  2. Double click the blue Cyberlink PowerDirector icon.
  3. Switch to “Capture” mode by clicking File > Capture.
  4. Click the Change Folder button near the bottom of the screen to save your videos directly to your storage device.
  5. In the pop-up box, select your drive and click OK.
  6. Load your VHS tape into the VCR connected to your Digital Lab station. You will play, pause, stop, rewind, and fast forward using the buttons on the VCR.
  7. Press ▶ PLAY on the VCR and immediately return to the computer to start your recording.
    • In Cyberlink, click the Record Button (red circle) on the right side of the screen below the preview box to begin capturing your video. Note: When the Record Button is flashing, CyberLink is recording whatever you see in the preview box on screen.
    • When you’ve reached the end of your video, click the Record Button again to end the recording.
    • When you end the recording, a pop-up box will prompt you to name your digitized video. Enter a title and click OK.
    • Repeat steps 1-9 as needed.