How can I convert my foreign Secam vhs tapes to NTSC US version?

Question

Hi,
I have some foreign VHS tapes, (birthdays, baptism, wedding etc) that are Secam, and I am looking to convert them to USA version which is NTSC.
I did some research, I guess I can buy a vcr for around $200-300 but I also saw some other digital converters on amazon.
I don't mind a company that I can pay to do the conversion for me.
I would prefer to convert them straight to dvd, but if i have to convert to VHS first, that is fine with me too.

Can someone please help me out and tell me what are my options and where to buy them from.
Everything I have are USA version, Vcr, Dvd player and TV as I live in USA now. Only the tapes are foreign.

Thank you.

Answer 1

You have an expensive problem to solve.





Indeed, one option is a professional conversion service.

This is not cheap.







To do it yourself, you will need...



A SECAM VCR.



The output of that machine would have to be connected to

the input of an electronic format converter,

but it needs to be better than any of those you have seen on Amazon.



The output of the converter would then be connected to the input of

an NTSC VCR, DVD recorder, or capture device used with a konfuzer.



Whew!







Or...



You could get a "worldwide" VCR such as the Samsung SV-5000W

(about $1185 new, or $390 and up used, through Amazon).



>> Panasonic and one or two other manufacturers have marketed similar products.



No separate converter would be needed because the VCR does it internally.



This type of machine can feed any other video recorder

or capture device you have or can borrow.



This is the method I would use.



>> Be careful: A "multi-system" VCR absolutely DOES NOT

convert signals like a "worldwide" one does!









[Answer provided from the U.S. via Y!A Canada

to circumvent the new, unusable version.]

Answer 2

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Answer 3

there is very little SECAM equipment in America, unlike PAL. the first problem is SECAM is 25 frames per second and NTSC is 30. Most televisions sold in north America are not made to handle 25 fps. However computer video can view any frame rate, so if you are willing to watch on a computer instead of television, you might have better results. computers are more adept at PAL, i would have your SECAM tapes converted to PAL DVDs for the best quality and then watch on computer. if you are near a major media center, like LA, NYC or Chicago, you should be able to find video conversion services.

Answer 4

There are professional transfer services that can do this and it'll be a lot cheaper than having to buy the equipment yourself for a small number of tapes.



They'll convert them straight to DVD too.



You can find them in the yellow pages, or try using Yelp to see if there are any close by. Otherwise you'll have to mail the tapes to you and they'll mail the tapes and DVDs back.

Answer 5

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