How to Transfer Your VHS Home Movies to Your Computer

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If you are like me, you grew up in the golden age of the VHS.  Awesome, bulky, but nearly indestructible video tapes.  They are so kid proof. Well, unless they figure out how to press those two tiny buttons and unravel all the tape. But, you don’t have to worry about them getting scratched.  Sure the video quality is low, but what good is high def if it is littered with skips, you know what I’m sayin’? 

Anyway, you probably also had a dad that followed you around with a monstrous camera housing a video tape to capture all the precious moments of your childhood and all the awkward moments of your adolescence.  And you probably have a box full of these video tapes that you worry will one day wear out and all those memories will no longer be available to share with the next generation.  This cannot be.  It must not be.  And fortunately, it doesn’t have to be.  

The easy way to transfer VHS home movies to your computer.

I was delighted when I recently stumbled upon this tutorial on how to transfer VHS home movies to your computer because I had no idea how to do it or if it could even be done without some high level equipment.  It looks pretty simple.  I can’t wait to try it. Check it out!

CNET How To - Transfer VHS tapes to your computer

I found the Elgato Video Transfer device he uses here on Amazon.

So, there you go.  Now you can rest in peace knowing that your children will be able to pass onto their children that awesome footage of you crying on Santa’s lap and throwing down your best toddler dance moves at your aunt’s wedding. All your most embarrassing teenage moments will be preserved for the next generation to enjoy.  Do you have a new appreciation for what your parents went through to document your life without the benefit of a handheld device to do it all for them?  I think there is still a shoe box full of undeveloped film in my parents closet that they never found the time or money to develop actually, bless their hearts.  Yay for advancements in technology to make life easier for lazy picture takers like myself! If it weren’t for the phone camera, my children would have an undocumented childhood.  And that would be a tragedy because they are stinking cute.  Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to go transfer some VHS’s so they will know just where they got all that cuteness. 😉