Looking for a step by step guide to organize home video tapes
 

I have a working library of pictures and music both are of over 40Gs. I categorized them and I can browse and pull out any one of them in any instant. I also have a working library for my movies and I think it is working well.

Yet, I do NOT have any system for my home videos. They are all in raw tapes that I video taped over the last 10 yrs and put it aside. I have about 60+ home video tapes. Each one is about 2 hrs. I have no idea what are those, and certainly I cannot pull out any one of those. It got to the point, I just dont want to use camcorder any more. Now I am preparing for a China trip and my wife is asking to pull out the camcorder... It is worse than pulling teeth. I wonder if anyone feel proud about your home videos, NOT movies, category system and would like to share. Free software or paid software or shareware does not matter, I just want those )@($& tapes categorized, so that i know where to retrieve them when need. I do not even know, whether I should all digitalize them and store it or just store in its raw format. Bottomline, I have no idea how to deal with video tapes organization.

TIA,

bun

Re: Looking for a step by step guide to organize home video tapes
 

Date + Event name or location does wonders
December 1996 Christmas
September 1999 Graduation Day
January 1995 Vacation in New York
etc
Hope it works!

Re: Looking for a step by step guide to organize home video tapes
 

You wrote directly on the tape or you give them a sequential numeral? I tried that in the past, does not quite work out. A tape sometimes may have more than one events, so, ....

Time+event is what I am using for the photo database, and it certainly works fine.

Excel or just MSWord and type them in? Would you recommend to digitalize them and store them like movies? I think that is easier to manage than raw tapes. If so, what GOOD software is easy to use? TIA,

bun

Re: Looking for a step by step guide to organize home video tapes
 

I txfr my tapes to my pc, then edit them with Adobe Premiere Elements. Once I've editted them, I create scene menus, then burn to DVD. I then put the scene listing on the inside of the DVD case. Make 2 backups, and presto.... organized home movies that people may actually want to watch.