The basic rule for transferring video onto your computer is to capture it at a size that's equal to or greater than the resolution of the media from which you're copying. Also, you should never use any frame rate less than the NTSC video standard of 29.97 frames per second. The best choice is to capture to a resolution that's exactly the same as what you'll use in the output format (VCD, SVCD, or DVD). Otherwise your software will have to spend a lot of time adjusting your captured video to fit. Never capture raw video if you're unsure of the resolution or the type of compression you want to use; raw files are huge, and you'll just have to encode them later anyway.

Thankfully, most software takes the guesswork out of the process and simply offers to capture for VCD, SVCD, or DVD; but just in case, we've listed the most common tape formats and their resolutions below. You don't have to worry about matching the 525 (480 for the actual picture) vertical-line resolution of an NTSC TV, because anything that knows how to play back a VCD, an SVCD, or a DVD will take care of the conversion automatically.

FORMAT	LINES	POSSIBLE OUTPUT
VHS and VHS-C	240 lines	VCD, SVCD, DVD
8mm	270 lines	VCD, SVCD, DVD
SVHS	420 lines	SVCD, DVD
Betamax and Betamax Hi-Fi	240 lines, 290 lines	SVCD, DVD
Hi8	400 lines	SVCD, DVD