How can I convert VCR/VHS video to digital.

If you don't have too many of them I'd send them off to a professional digital conversion outfit. Otherwise once you're done you'll end up with useless equipment.

It you have a lot of them it may be more cost effective to get a converter. Go to Amazon.com and search for "video to digital converter". They'll range in price from $9 to $170. Do your due diligence and make sure what you get willl work with your VCR machine. You'll have to play each tape thru at viewing speed for each conversion. Will take a while, like 2 hrs per tape. A 2hr video will be 2-3 GB in size so make sure you have enough space on your MacBook Air for them. Also if you plan on using iCloud Drive to store your videos in iCloud be aware that you'll need the same space on your boot drive as iCloud Drive is only a syncing service and not off computer storage.

Common Name - Pixel Size - File Size for 1 hour of video:

1080p - 1920 x 1080 - 1.2 – 1.4GB

2K 2048 x 1080 - 2.8 – 3GB

4K - 3840 x 2160 - 20 – 22GB

You'll need a VCR that can play the tapes, and a capture device that can be connected to the VCR to capture the video output, and send it as a digital stream to the Mac.

On the Mac, you'll need software that can read that digital stream and save it as a file.

For the Capture card, you'll need something like this:

click here ➜ Capture Card, USB Video Capture Card Device - Amazon.com

You'll need a USB-A to USB-C adapter too.

click here ➜ Ugreen USB-A to USB-C adapter - Amazon.com

As for Software, you may be able to do this with Quicktime.

witzend2000 wrote:

I will check those links Some seem to say OS will take care of reading input.

That would be QuickTime. Built-in to the Mac and should be able to save the video recording.

But yes, as Toad points out, this will be a real-time endeavor. Play video, start recording on the Mac snd walk a way for the length of the video while it does its thing.

You need a video capture device that will work with macOS, or send them off to a service to digitize for you.

Don't think there's much of a point to capturing the VHS output in 2K or 4K, even 1080p is a bit much, but may be the only option.

VHS maxes out at 480p I think.