analog vhs capture software for xp

Hi,
I have several vhs tapes which I would like to burn to dvds.
I have an older Sony vaio laptop with XP home as OS.
It has about 450 meg ram and 70 gig HD.
I have an RCA to USB cord to go from the VCR to my laptop, however none of the software I have or have downloaded even recognizes the VCR.
Appreciate any suggestions as I really don't have the money to purchase a 'video capture device'.
Thanks
B

 

Not really clear on your RAM, since that is not a true number. Really only thing you would need is a USB capture device like one of these http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Compute...-Editing-Cards/abcat0507004.c?id=abcat0507004 which comes with the software.

Really you are not going to get a good quality recording out of older VHS material that if it has been sitting on a shelf in a non-controlled environment, you may find that it will be really poor quality.

 

Hi,
I had to look to be sure; 448 mbyte of ram and 70 gig hd
I'm not sure what a 'usb capture device' is exactly.
Is it the cd/software? I have the RCA/USB cord already to connect the VCR to the laptop.
As for the converting/editing I already have a free program from MGs.
Please explain as what I see from your BB link is a program/Dazzle?
I have now found something online called CPS (a cd) which includes the same cable I already have.
Thanks
Bruce

 

Again, the Ram you are giving is not your true available RAM. You are getting that info from whoever knows, but that is not what is really installed.

If you click on Run in the Start button, and type in 'msinfo32' without the quote, what does it state in "Installed Physical Memory (RAM)?

As for the USB Capture device, and the Dazzle, you should really click on the devices I linked to in the Bestbuy.com link, and it tells you what they are for. As for the program you downloaded from the file repository here, you still need a capture device, so that it will take the video & sound from the VCR, to allow you to save in a file, then you can edit the saved file to delete stuff you do not want.

One is not going to work with the other, and just having the software, you still need a hardware device to get it onto your computer, as I mentioned above.

 

My guess is the ram is the reading from computer properties.

512 -64mb onboard video = 448mb.

 

Which means the OP is really skating on not being able to do anything for video editing.

 

In device manager you should see a capture device, and your capture software should have an option to select 'composite' under capture devices. The PC will not recognize a "vcr".
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-live/movie-maker-get-started
or
Try Lightworks from www.lwks.com/

 

Total Physical Memory 512 MB
Available Physical Memory 42.05 GB
Total Virtual 2 GB
This is the only info I see which is similiar to what you requested.
My confusion has been that in reading about many different 'capture devices' their details appear to be directed at digital, not analog.
So the bottom line is I must pay $50 and up to buy a 'capture device' and then my free software will download and store and let me convert analog to digital?
Thanks
Bruce

 

Thanks and I'll try this too.
B

 

A little more than 42 GB.

 

I was given this laptop and another by a friend if I could fix them so I have nothing in it. I'll look into the cost of a larger ram.

BTW, I just borrowed a 60 gig external HD to use.

Thanks