Sound Advice: Transferring VHS movies is now easier than ever

Q: I have quite a number of home movies recorded on VHS and VHS-C camcorder tapes. I would like to transfer them to a USB drive so I can show them on a computer and transfer them to other family members' computers. Years ago I purchased a device that used a converter box and software. It was difficult to use, so I gave up on it. Can you recommend an easier way to transfer my home movies to a digital format?

A: Transferring your camcorder videos to digital is very easy these days, with a simple, compact and affordable device.

The ClearClick Video2Digital Converter 2.0 sells for under $160 and makes converting your videos a snap. It is found online from Walmart and Amazon. The device is a bit smaller than one of your VHS tapes and has a color screen and a control panel on the front. There are yellow-white-red RCA video and audio connectors on the top to connect your camcorder or VHS output. Press play on the device playing the tape, press record on the ClearClick and it will record your videos in standard definition to an SD memory card or a USB flash drive. It is a far cry from any of the old software-hardware packages that often ended up discarded by frustrated consumers.

The ClearClick will not record copy-protected VHS movies but will work with content recorded on your home VCR. It also is limited to standard definition and is not compatible with high-definition sources.

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