[GrahamAJones]

Sorry, a flub I didn't catch, from the middle of the last post (corrected text in blue):
- Quality: The quality is high enough at good settings that I have no problem pulling footage from DVDs to edit later. And DV is incredibly lossy... keep in mind that DV is also a very compressed format, and MPEG2 at high bit rates is not that much worse than DV.
- Graham Jones.

[alp]

Thanks very much--the article you referred me to was exactly what I needed. I used DVDxDV http://www.dvdxdv.com/ which did the job simply and easily for $25. Thanks again for helping me over a frustrating hurdle.

[DawnG]

I've been reading these posts and am a bit confused on the best method for converting video. I would appreciate advice on the best process for my situation:
I have several VHS-C tapes that I want to put on my Mac to edit and burn onto DVD. What process do you recommend that I follow? (I have access to a DV Camera which I'm told I can use for the transfer.)
Thanks!

[Chris Breen]

I'll stick my nose in and say that for many people the "best answer" is what they can put up with and afford. In your case, since you have access to a DV camcorder, give it a try and see how you like the results. If you don't like those results, then you move up to something more expensive.
You'll likely get great results by having a pro do the transfer for you. If you find it within your budget, this may make sense particularly if you don't intend to do this for more than a few tapes.
A VHS-to-DV machine doesn't make a lot of sense if you need to edit the thing as you'll have to extract the video from a disc to edit it. No fun.
Graham's suggestion of EyeTV makes sense if you're going to do some quick cuts -- lop off the beginning and end and cut out some stuff in between. The EyeTV software can handle that. But it won't do transitions, effects, or titles so you need heartier software such as iMovie.
And if you do, then I'd suggest a box for capturing your video -- the Canopus or Datavideo boxes (or some others mentioned throughout the thread). Again, what you can afford.
Sorry if this just sounds like a rehash and you're still confused, but you're really the only person who can say what will ultimately work for your sense of aesthetics and budget.

[DawnG]

Chris,
Thanks for the clarification. That helps tremendously. I will try the DV camcorder and see how things look. I had been thinking about purchasing a DVD/VCR Combo unit that would allow me to copy from VHS to DVD, but now I see why that's not the best option for my project.
Thank you!

[daystartech]

An easy to use device that keeps perfect sync at under $90 is the XLR8 XtraView USB. It uses a simple click and record interfact to capture full screen real-time RAW, JPeg or any QuickTime supported format via USB 2.0.
See: http://xlr8.com/videocapture/