Video Capture Software Comes Bundled with Video Capture Device
When you buy a VHS to Digital converter, you don’t have to worry about what software you’ll be using to capture VHS footage into your computer.
VHS to DVD or digital converters come with video capture software bundled. It is usually included as a CD-ROM.
For example, for the Easycap analog video converter, Honestech VHS to DVD software is bundled with the device.
The software bundled will usually have no problem, working with the device. They’re usually tested by the manufacturers before being offered to consumers.
If your video capture software isn’t in the form of a CD, you’ll be asked to download it from the manufacturer’s website.
Issues with Bundled VHS to Digital Converter Software
For some reason, you may not be able to use the software program that comes with your video capture device.
For example, some programs may capture video with large file sizes. Recently, a user complained in a forum that a bundled software program. An hour and a half of captured video took up about 122GB of disk space.
Also, you may not be able to use your VHS to digital converter software because it is an older version. It may not work with the current version of your operating system. Maybe your video capture program was designed to work with Windows XP or Vista. It may not work with Windows 10 or 11.
Free VHS to Digital Video Capture Software Programs
There are some paid versions of VHS to digital converter software out there.
However, if you’re not prepared for a paid version then you can get hold of a free VHS to the digital converter software program.
These programs will work just fine when capturing and digitizing video from an analog source like tape players or camcorders.
Use as Free VHS to MP4 Software for Windows
If you wish to capture VHS footage as MP4, these software programs will work, too. You can then edit the footage within the program or do it with another video editing program.
Use as VHS to DVD Software
These video capture software programs also double as free VHS to DVD software for Windows 7 and Windows 10.
Some like VirtualDub will even work with Windows 98/ME/NT4/2000/XP and Vista.
No problem if you can’t burn directly burn your captured VHS footage to DVD through the free software.
Just use a free DVD burner program to burn the captured VHS file to DVD.
VirtualDub
VirtualDub is an open-source video processing program for Windows that has been available since 2000.
It is available for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.
Apart from its video processing capabilities, it allows for video capture. Video captured is stored in the AVI format.
VirtualDub has the capability of detecting your video capture device. Once that’s done, all you have to do is tweak some capture settings and you’ll be good to go.
Watch the video below for guidance on how to use this free VHS to digital software.
Download VirtualDub.
OBS Studio
OBS Studio is well-known in the video production fraternity when it comes to live streaming.
However, only a few know that it doubles as VHS to digital converter software. Yes, it can capture analog video digitized through a video capture device.
This is a leading free VHS to Digital software program that works well with Windows 10.
In case you can’t get your VHS to digital converter software to work with your version of Windows, OBS Studio is a safe bet.
If you’re new to this software, you’ll need a little time to familiarise yourself with it.
When it comes to video capture, you would have to capture video and audio separately.
OBS allows you to capture your VHS footage in MP4. It makes it playable across many devices, including smartphones, tablets, and HDTVs.
Watch the video below for detailed instructions on how to convert VHS to digital with this free software.
VLC Media Player
If you don’t want to install software on your computer, you may use the VLC player as a free VHS to digital converter software program. Especially if you already have VLC Media Player installed on your software.
The VLC Media Player is not only used to play almost any type of media file thrown at it but also can be used as a free VHS to digital converter software program.
VLC Media Player will be useful as a VHS to digital capture software program if you want to digitize a single VHS tape or a portion of it. It saves you the trouble of installing software that takes up disk space and computing resources.
It’s not going to be as straightforward as using a dedicated VHS to digital software program. However, it can get the job done if you set it up. You may need to try out different settings until you get a satisfying result.
Check out the video below for guidance on how to convert VHS to digital with free software.
In case VLC isn’t able to detect your video capture device, you can try the fix as shown in the video below,
You’ve taken a look at some free VHS to digital converter software programs. Choose the one that best suits your requirement.
You may also want to take a look at transferring VHS to a PC without a capture device.
Video Guide
Check out this video for a quick recap of what you’ve learned.
