How to Convert DVD Home Movies to VHS

If you want to share DVD home movies with relatives who don't have DVD players, an easy way to do it is to convert them to VHS. The chances are good that at the very least someone will have access to an old VCR, and therefore will be able to watch your home movies. While you can take your movies to an audio/video service and have this transfer professionally done, that costs money. There is an easier way to do it using only equipment you have lying around the house, and it won't cost you a dime.

Step 1

Connect a VCR to your television set. You can do this using standard red, white and yellow audio and video cables. Simply plug these cables into the appropriate outputs on the back of the VCR, and plug them into one of the free inputs on the back (or front, depending on the model) of your television.

Step 2

Connect a DVD player to your television set. You can do this the same way you connected the VCR, using red, white and yellow audio and video cables. There will be an output on the back of the DVD player that these cables plug into. Plug the other end into a free input on your television.

Step 3

Put a blank VHS tape into the VCR. Make sure it is rewound to the beginning of the tape.

Step 4

Put your DVD home movies in the DVD player. Press the "Play" button to make sure that everything is hooked up correctly.

Step 5

Press "Record" on your VCR as you watch your home movies. The VCR will record your home movies while they are playing on screen. Simply let your home movies DVD play from beginning to end, and then press "Stop" on the VCR. Rewind the tape to the beginning and you now have a VHS copy of your DVD.

About the Author

Stephen Lilley is a freelance writer who hopes to one day make a career writing for film and television. His articles have appeared on a variety of websites. Lilley holds a Bachelor of Arts in film and video production from the University of Toledo in Ohio.

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