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Transferring VHS videos into digital format

posted on May 13, 2020 by in Uncategorized

This will probably not be needed by the younger generation!

I have lots of VHS videos from the early nineties that I recorded of my kids as toddlers.

Having them on VHS tapes is not the most convenient or easiest way to view them.

So we wanted to be able to see them on an Ipad and Iphone and then store them on the Itunes cloud ( you can use any online cloud based storage for this)

I also wanted to be able to share them with my now grown up kids on Whatsapp or by text message.

And by updating them to digital format it makes storing safer so there was less risk of losing them.

First off I read a lot of reviews on how to do this.

Some made it sound almost impossible with various download of drivers required.

I went off to Ebay and bought a cheap USB to  Video DVR / Scart lead convertor (less than £15)

When I received the converter it came with some manuals and a mini driver cd.

I realised I didn’t have a mini cd player on my PC.

So I had to go looking online for the drivers to allow the Video DVR link to be added as a device on my Laptop. ( I have done this on an Apple Mac too – if you seach on Ebay you will find a Mac compatible version )

It then took hours of trying to find a Windows 10 driver  — Forget this bit – I didn’t need any other driver. see here

I used a sample copy of Coral Video  then connected the DVR link to the VHS player and lo and behold I could see the video on my Coral editor.

Using Coral Editor

I played the video whilst using Coral to capture the clip   I kept the clips to under 4 minutes  this keeps the file size under 75 mb  which I found was a working shareable size over Whatsapp

Then once I had the file saved I choose to save my video as Iphone compatible MPEG

 

And then I added to my Icloud drive 

 

 

 

From there I can access from my Ipad and then share over Imessage or from my phone so I can use Whatsapp.

Hope this helps anyone out there with a similar desire to copy their VHS videos. 

Apple iWatch Golf Apps are great

posted on April 24, 2020 by in Golf

Watch golf App

Apple Iwatch Golf Apps

Good value Apple Iwatch Golf Apps

Apple Iwatch Golf Apps on the course

Apple Iwatch Golf Apps – When I first looked at the Apple Iwatch  I was a bit sceptical, thinking of it as a gimmick Iphone add- on with an expensive step counter and a few other added features for the geeks.

But since my kids clubbed together and bought me one for Christmas.. well my Iwatch has massively grown on me, and once I discovered the Apple Iwatch Golf Apps I was hooked !

First off the app to ping my phone  when I had misplaced it was super handy and then the exercise analysis app bullied me into shape.  I forgot to take the watch off one night and it buzzed me at 3 in the morning to tell me to stand up. Oh and the Ebay app came in handy to keep up with my prospective golf club purchases and the text messages on my Iwatch without having to actually lift it out of my coat pocket was a handy feature.

Then the AHA moment came – Golf GPS – as a super keen golfer it was one of the things I looked in the iWatch Apps. I wasn’t expecting much to be honest but when I went to the iTunes App store and typed in golf -The Kid in a candy store feeling happened pretty quick.

Apple Iwatch on the course

Apple IWatch Golf Apps

In the App store there are quite a few free Apple Iwatch golf apps with  GPS and Golf scoring apps plus a few golf Tuition analysis Apps available for free. (more later on these tuition apps)

Iwatch Golf Apps

Apple Iwatch Golf apps

This seemed perfect however when I briefly googled the watch to get an idea on which one to download and its value for golf,  The reviews were olden basically nothing was setting the world on fire, plus battery life seemed like a big concern – so maybe the Apple Iwatch was not ready for golf or so it initially seemed until I ignored the reviews and actually tried out a few of the Apps.

I first downloaded PROTOS Caddy from the Apple App store   (funnily golf apps for the Iwatch don’t even get a mention in the advertising blurb!)

Protos Caddy

protoslogo

This is the one I have used most. Its a free GPS system with most Worldwide golf courses on it. I play at Monifieth Scotland.

Monifieth has two courses and both come up when I use the “search nearby” function on my phone. There is an advert that pops up on the Iphone screen when you load up to look for courses, it selects these based on your GPS location. So you must have your location services activated.

Then its simply a case of ensuring your Iwatch is connected (paired) to your Iphone and then opening the Protus app on your Iwatch.

I have found the yardages to be pretty accurate and because of the ease of use I have even stopped using my Bushnell Laser!  The I-watch is just so much simpler. I play off a low single figure handicap and find the Iwatch golf Apps accurate enough to let me trust the figures given. I have paced the yardages out on the green to from the yardage zero point, this allows me to keep a simple chart of the iWatch zero point and where it is on every green.

Then its just a case of estimating where the pin is in relation to the yardage given by the Iwatch – front back central. And then hit the ball!

The only thing I found frustrating with the Protos system was if you are moving around the course missing out holes or going back in the round to replay due to the course being busy, or as in my case where the course layout changed and the hole had to be manually sought out. The Iwatch only offers previous or next hole. This is a small inconvenience to be honest and as its a FREE Golf App not something to dwell on.

My opinion is that the IWatch golf apps feature is the best bit about having an iWatch !

Treat yourself to an Iwatch today you won’t regret it especially as the other devices Eg Bushnell Watches costwise are not much cheaper than the Iwatch Sport, and the Apple device offers so much more!

Whats your opinion?  Tell me in comments below.

 

protos

Iwatch Protus Caddy App