Converting laserdiscs to DVD?

Looks like it has been about three years since there was a thread initiated here on the forum about the best and/or easiest way to convert laserdisc movies to DVD-R. I’m about to take a run at this and am wondering what the recommended hardware and software is these days.

 

Probably the easiest way would be to plug the LD player into a DVD recorder.

I assumed Macrovision might be an issue but when I looked it up LDs don't have it.
How to Rip Laserdisc - Anarchivism

 

That’s what I did. Every one came out fine.

 

That would be the easiest, but wow, DVD recorders are expensive these days. Not sure I'm prepared to drop that much money just to convert a handful of films.

 

I have a Panasonic HDD/BD/DVD recorder and it allows you to record to the HDD, edit things to your liking, then burn everything to the disc of your choice (from a list of compatible discs).

A few years ago, I wanted to make MP4 files of a lot of stuff. For that, I burned the files to a DVD-RAM disc and transferred the (large) file from the disc to my computer’s SSD (thereby allowing me to erase the DVD-RAM disc and fill it up again).

Handbrake was then used to convert the 2-hour long video files into individual MP4 files (I was ripping old WB cartoons).

(It’s also a lot easier to connect my tablet (or phone) to my TV and watch the MP4 files that way than dealing with a bunch of DVD-R discs cluttering up the place.)

 

I’ve settled on a new method of transferring laserdiscs and VHS to digital using a freestanding device that’s not connected to the computer and thus doesn’t have all the potential issues associated with drivers, processing speed, synch problems, etc. The one I am using is the ClearClick Video 2 Digital device. Results have been spectacular so far and it’s so much easier to use than any of the computer-based software programs I’ve tried. Runs about $160, which is more than I wanted to spend but I’m glad I did now.

 

No hardware/software recommendations to make, but I would suggest that if you're transferring a widescreen movie you're better off buying the DVD if available, unless you've found a device that will capture in WS. The blowups I had to do from LD looked like crap.

 

Yeah. It doesn’t work to zoom in on the picture. The picture goes to hell. But I’m only transferring stuff that is not available on dvd.

 

What Codec does it record video in? I find a lot of capture cards still capture analogue video in MPEG2

 

So...just how many people might you know in Des Moines, who would be willing to go in on one with you, and pass it around...?

 

What types of video files can this convert the video to? I have the complete Family Dog series on LD and I want to rip it to a media streaming device.

 

I have one of those and it made my life of transferring things significantly easier!

 

Okay, I just ordered one based on your recommendations.