Dear VideoEditingForums users,

I am fairly new to video editing. I have an Analogue Panasonic camera which does not record on DV (only VHS).

With a DV camcorder they have a fast connection to transfer the video to pc (am i right?).... does this mean with Analogue i have a long wait?

I have read on some articles that i will require a capture device which will convert analogue to digital which then goes in to a pc using the Printer serial port. How long will i have to wait for a 4 hour video?

Also, is there any way to make the speeds of transferring a video as quick as a digital device would?

I will need a new hard drive, as i only have 20gb.... please also remember i only have an ordinary pc at the moment and am willing to transfer it to a studio.

So please give me a step by step guide.....

Regards
Unknown.

I don;t intend to give you a point a click recipe for your analgue transfer for two reasons.

1) It's been disscussed many many times before in these forums, sa have a serach; and
2) Depending on your kit the recipe will be different anyway

but to put some of you fears to bed...

You will need ana analogue to digital converter. Typically these do not plug into the serial port on a PC but into a USB port. I recommend USB2.

Once you have done this then the transfer time is the same as if it were a digital transfer.

In short, transfer/captures occur in real time from your camera no matter whether it is digital or analogue. You press 'play' on your camera and (effectively) 'record' on you PC. So your 4 hour tape will take exactly 4 hours to capture.

The 'high speed' issue is that capturing video, whether analogue or digital need a high speed connection, full stop.

Be warned though, the captured file will not (usually) be compressed and so will be VERY large. Typically, it will be about 1Gb of disk space for five minutes of video. So your 4 hour tape will need 48Gb of space on a hard drive.

thank you.