Getting VHS to imovie

You will need a VHS tape player, a device to convert the analog signals to digital, and a cable.

1) I use the ElGato EyeTV Hybrid for this. It connects to the VHS deck by RCA plugs (composite) and connects to the MAC via USB.

2) Other people swear by the converters sold by Canopus/Grass Valley. These connect via Firewire so make sure your Mac has a Firewire port.

3) Some DV camcorders have what is called analog passthrough capability. You can attach the composite cables to the DV camcorder and convert/passthru the signal via Firewire. Not all cameras can do this so read the specs carefully.

4) There are commercial services that will convert these for you as well.

step #1

you need a digitizer, some hardware which is able to transform the analogue-video ('cinch connectors') into bits&bytes (usb connector)

widely recommended are devices from company elgato; they offer diff. tools, aside 'pure' digitizers, they have a 'hybrid stick', which is foremost a TVreceiver, but via its UHF-input, you could connect to your UHF-output of your VHSplayer! … a lil' more expensive than the digitizer-only model, but it makes your Mac a TV and a recorder 😉

step #2

connect all wires, press play on VHS, press 'record' in your recording software; some digitizers offer their own apps, but your Macs built in QuicktimeX.player records too.

this is a real-time process - 1h VHS = 1h recording ....

step #3

no step three, import digitized files into iMovie and edit!

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note: there are 'tons' of cheapo sticks, offering video-digitizing for <8$ -

a) in most cases don't work with MacOS

b) and if they do, they use the UVC-standard to connect to Mac - which results in super-low quality (esp. frame rate)

Are these the same videos you had put on DVD that you are asking about in your other post?

If so it will be better and cheaper to just use the DVD's you had made at costco. You will not have to buy any additional hardware and the software is free. And the quality should be better geting the video off the DVD.

regards

Hi - you may have acquired something to do the job by now, but if not Amazon has the Sony DCRTRV80 MiniDV handicam second hand for $99. It is an excellent camera by the way, (tape-based of course) but it has the pass-through capability referred to by another poster. This works well. Not sure how that price compares with the other options suggested.