After years of holding out, my wife and I gave in and bought a DVD player late last year. Part of my hesitation in joining the high-tech crowd was that we had spent good money building up a collection of VHS movies and didn't want to rebuild it in a new format. I finally gave in because I knew how quickly VHS tapes can deteriorate -- and besides, I liked all the cool features I saw on my friends' DVD players.

Having become a DVD convert, I am trying hard not to be come a DVD snob -- someone who looks down on users of VHS tapes. VHS and other analog video formats have their advantages: they are much cheaper, easier to use and ubiquitous. But the problem of tape deterioration suggests that many of us would welcome the relatively new service of converting videotapes (VHS as well as camcorder tapes -- a.k.a. home movies) to DVDs.

There are two companies that do this on a national scale -- YesVideo and LifeClips -- and both are similar, except for the price.

Here's how they work: Going through their respective sites, you order online and mail the company your tapes and after a couple of weeks, you get the DVD (and your original tapes, of course). Certain stores also accept your tapes as agents for these companies.

The costs are $29.95 for two hours of videotape conversion at LifeClips and $89.95 at YesVideo ($69.95 for an hour). YesVideo includes a free CD-ROM of your video that you can play on your PC, in addition to your new DVD.

It doesn't make sense to transfer box-office movies this way (it's cheaper to just buy a DVD of the same title), but it is worth exploring sfor your home movies. Until, of course, a better format comes along.

Once you try one of these services, let me know. Happy watching.

Resources:
LifeClips:
http://www.lifeclips.com

YesVideo:
http://www.yesvideo.com

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