VCRs are becoming harder and harder to find, but your VHS collection isn't getting any smaller. If you're wondering if you can transfer those old movies to DVD legally and without a computer, you're probably in luck---if, that is, you're willing to spend some money and stay within your fair-use rights. While there are some cases in which you cannot legally do this, most tapes can be recorded without any problem.
Devices
There are a number of devices on the market that feature both a VHS player and a DVD player, as well as a DVD burner. If the device has a DVD recorder, it can record a VHS tape and burn the video to a DVD you can then play in any DVD player. There are a number of such devices on the market; check the Resources section for a list.
Operating these machines is usually as simple as inserting the blank DVD, starting the VHS and hitting "record," but this may differ by model. Consult the operating manual of whatever device you buy.
Legality
OK, so it's possible--but is it legal? In most cases, yes. The fair-use clause in U.S. copyright law gives consumers certain rights. For example, it's this clause that gives you the right to rip a CD you've purchased to your computer and put it on your iPod. This clause does not give you the right to rip a CD to your computer and then sell the CD; it also does not give you the right to create multiple copies. In the same vein, you have the right to back up a video to DVD for personal archival purposes, provided you keep the original tape. You do not have the right to make DVDs to sell or to give to friends.
DMCA
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DCMA, made it illegal to bypass copy protection, even in otherwise legal situations, such as backing up VHS tapes for archival purposes. Many VHS tapes are protected by technology known as Macrovision; if a VHS you own is protected this way it's technically illegal to make a DVD copy.
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