How to Connect your Computer (PC/Mac) to your VCR

How to connect your computer to your VCR or analog Camcorder to record audio/video from your computer to the VCR or to the Computer from the VCR or other audio/video source.

Computer OUT to VCR IN - VCR OUT to Computer IN

Computer OUT to VCR IN:
(record your computer with your VCR, or other audio/visual recording medium)

There are two different signals to be considered when connecting your computer to your VCR. There is the video signal and the audio signal. The video signal is a bit tricky, if you don't have a video card with a video output. To get video output you will need to use a VGA to video converter box. These are available with a number of different features, such as PAL compatibility, S-Video output or Component Video output.
PC to TV Converters

You can possibly get better video quality with "S-Video" or "Component Video" rather than the usual included "composite" video cable, since S-Video (often called Y/C video or S-VHS) separates the video into separate color and brightness signals for increased video fidelity, and Component Video seperates the signal into three parts.

S-video cables
Component Video cables

The audio signal will be taken from your audio "line out" connector on the back of your computer, or if there is none, then the "speaker" output will usually work just as well. Most of these audio outputs use a connector called a "3.5mm stereo mini phone plug" (or 1/8" mini phone plug) which is "standard" although some more proffesionally oriented sound cards have "RCA" jacks. If you don't know what yours has, it is almost definately a mini phone plug. So, to connect the computers output to the VCR input, you use a 3.5mm mini phone plug to Rca cable or an adapter together with a RCA jack stereo cable which goes to the audio input of your VCR.

Here are the parts you need: 3.5mm to RCA Cables
Or you'll need an adapter cable and a stereo cable. 3.5mm plug to RCA jack adapters
RCA jack stereo cables

VCR OUT to Computer IN:
(record from VCR to your computer)

VCR or Camcorder with analog output to their computer in order to "record" their video to their computers hard drive for editing or to make Video CD's, DVD's or to put on the web. What you need will depend on the "size" and quality of the video you are going to need, and what the videos will be used for. If you just want to "capture" a 352x288 pixel sized video (a small screen on your desktop like you would see on Internet video clips) then a Video to USB adapter will be fine. This will not be good for editing and recording back to your VCR or Camcorder, for doing this you need to capture "full screen video". If you want to capture "full screen" (usually considered 640x480 pixels which is basically the same as American "NTSC" standard Television) then you will need something that can handle quite a bit more "bandwidth" (larger quantity of data per second) than USB can handle.
For an analog video capture card we have Video Capture PCI Cards and USB connected A/V Interfaces

If you have a surround sound receiver, you can either connect through the capture card or connect directly to the receiver. To connect the audio input of your computer, you should use the "line" input of your sound card. You use a 3.5mm mini stereo phone plug to RCA jack adapter with a RCA jack stereo cable which goes to the audio output of your VCR or other audio source.
Here are the parts you need if you are using your internal audio card:
3.5mm stereo mini phone plug to RCA Cables

Or you'll need an adapter cable and a stereo cable.
3.5mm stereo mini phone plug to RCA jack adapters
RCA jack stereo cable

If you are using a Pro or Semi-Pro Analog Audio/Video Capture card that captures both audio and video and uses different connectors, then it would depend on your specific model which audio or video adapter, if any, you would need. Basically, if the signals are the same, you just need to match up the connectors. A VCR will always use stereo (two) RCA jacks for audio and a singal RCA (yellow color coded) jack for composite video. Some Pro or Semi-Pro Models use S-Video jacks or BNC jacks for composite video.