There are endless possibilities with the DVD. Apart from its wider use in storing large amounts of high-quality data, it also serves as a medium for storing data for long-term use. It is perhaps this need that drives people to transfer the contents from a fragile VHS tape to DVDs. DVDs are optical storage media with a huge capacity. This means that the contents from several VHS tapes can be transferred effectively inside a single DVD, thereby reducing clutter and confusion.

Transferring the contents of a VHS cassette to DVD, usually a movie, is fairly easy. The analog VHS movie is first transferred to the computer. Inside a computer, the movie can be edited and enhanced. Once the tweaking to perfection is over, the movie can be easily burnt to a DVD.

To begin transferring the VHS video, one needs to capture the movie to the computer by using a special video-editing program that uses an analog-to-DVD converter. The analog-to-DVD converter converts the analog data into digital form. Although a time-consuming method, the process provides the flexibility to edit the video as much as one wants. It enables the addition of transitions, special effects, music, and other items. Once the VHS video is captured on the computer as an MPEG-2, one can easily burn a DVD by using DVD burning software and a DVD recorder.

There are several video editing software programs available on the market. To get the best software, one should analyze the software in terms of the software features and its strengths and weaknesses. High-ranked video editing software is usually strong in the three areas of capturing, editing, and burning. For people who are not particularly interested in transitions, sound effects, voice-overs, and animations, there are several lower-ranked products that can do the job of VHS to DVD transfer. The choice lies with the individual.