This document was developed by SERVE for the SouthEast Initiatives Regional Technology in Education Consortium (SEIRTEC) and is based on work sponsored wholly or in part by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), under grant number R302A000011-01A, CFDA 84.302A. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U. S. Department of Education, or any other agency of the United States government.

1. Save the digital product on a VCD 

or DVD for viewing 

of quality images without continuous degradation and for easier 

storage. 

2. Incorporate clips 

into PowerPoint® presentations or use 

on a website.

3. Add transitions and 

menus with video software and save 

as a DVD file.

4. Capture frames for 

still shots to use in 

print documents.

1. Decide the primary use for the digital file before beginning

the transfer from analog to digital. Are you going to use the

video in a PowerPoint® presentation, put it on a website, enhance or edit it

before returning it to analog format, or simply archive it in a digital format?

2. Check to make sure you have ample computer hard drive storage, processor speed, and 

RAM. For each minute of MPEG-1 video, you need 16MB of disk space (at 2mbps), and 

for each minute of MPEG-2, you need 31MB to 46MB (at 1mbps to 6mbps).

3. Determine what codecs you have on your computer. Codec stands for compression/

decompression. A codec is either a software application or a piece of hardware that 

compresses the file and then decompresses it for playback. Of the two types, software 

codecs are the least expensive. Many digital-video packages have built-in codecs. Freeware software codecs can also be downloaded from the Web. A disadvantage to software codecs is that they are CPU-intensive and slow to compress files. Hardware codecs 

are more expensive than software ones but deliver high-quality video. However, they 

require viewers to have the same codec to play the video.

Source: Ulead Learning Center—Digital Video—Video Media (www.ulead.com/learning.htm) and Apple Computer 

(www.apple.com/Quicktime and www.apple.com/mpeg4)

1. Analog tapes degrade every time you play them. The adage “every time you use, you lose” refers to the loss of visual image 

and audio loss each time an analog tape is played. 

2. In the near future, equipment to play analog VHS tapes will be difficult to purchase or have repaired. DVD players are quickly 

replacing videocassette players/VCRs. 

3. Digital media have improved image permanence and audio quality.

4. Digital media can be shared with others across the Internet.

5. Storage devices for digital media are typically smaller in size than that of analog videotapes and thus easier to store.

Output Target/Use from Analog VHS Tape

VHS/SVHS

 Capture to 

M-JPEG to edit 

and replay and 

store on VHS tape

VCD/Web

 Capture to MPEG-1 for 

VCD storage

 Capture to M-JPEG and render to MPEG-1 

or Quicktime MPEG-4 for Web use

DVD

 Capture to 

M-JPEG and render to MPEG-2 for 

DVD storage

Cable (IEEE 1394 

[e.g., FirewireTM, 

i-LinkTM, IEEE 

1394] or USB) 

to connect 

digital video 

converter to 

computer 

port 

(IEEE 1394

or USB port)

Digital video converter

(external device)

VHS Player or analog 

camcorder

VHS player

Digital camcorder with 

analog input and IEEE 

1394 port

IEEE 1394 connector and card

Computer with ample processor speed, RAM, 

and hard disk space, as well as installed USB or 

IEEE 1394 port or a free slot for IEEE 1394 card. 

Video capture card or video capture feature on 

computer’s display 

adaptor. Examples: 

Open Host Controller Interface 

(OHCI) card, IEEE 

1394 capture card, 

i-LinkTM (Sony), and 

FirewireTM (Apple). 

Software to edit and 

enhance the video 

and output to digital 

format

RCA cable (3 connectors, red for right 

audio, white for left audio, yellow for video 

channel) to connect the analog device to 

the video converter