How to Transfer a Karaoke Laser Disk
A laser disk provides a higher resolution image than a VHS tape but requires a laser disk player in order to be viewed. You can convert a karaoke-themed laser disk to a digital file that can be stored on a computer's hard drive -- converted for use on a mobile player or turned into a DVD at a later time. An analog-to-digital converter will be needed to transfer the signals from the laser disk to the computer. Such a converter is available from electronics stores and works in an intuitive fashion that precludes any knowledge of how an analog signal is turned into a digital file.
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Things You'll Need
- Laser disk player
- S-Video cable
- Audio cable
- Analog-to-digital converter
- Installation disk
Instructions
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Place the laser disk player next to the computer. Plug the laser disk player's power cord into a wall outlet for power. Insert the karaoke-themed laser disk, side one facing up, into the front-loading slot on the laser disk player.
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Insert one end of an S-Video cable into the S-Video output on the back of the laser disk player. Insert the other end of the S-Video cable into the S-Video input on the analog-to-digital converter. Insert the red and white RCA plugs at one end of the audio cable into the red and white RCA output connections on the back of the laser disk player. Insert the red and white RCA plugs at the other end of the audio cable into the red and white RCA input connections on the analog-to-digital converter.k
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Insert the USB plug attached to the analog-to-digital converter into a free USB port on the computer.
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Insert the installation disk that comes with the analog-to-digital converter into the front-loading slot of the computer. If there is no slot, eject the disk tray, place the disk on the tray and close it.
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Double-click the icon of the disk when it appears on the desktop. Double-click the installation program inside the window that appears on the desktop. Follow the menu commands to install the program on the computer's hard drive. Restart the computer when you are done.
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Launch the analog-to-digital program by selecting it from the "Start" > "All Applications." Follow the installation commands to select the S-Video input and the stereo audio inputs from the analog-to-digital converter and where to save the file made from the laser disk -- for example, to the desktop. Click on a "Closed Captions" check box if there is one present. Click the "Done" button to return to the program's main screen.
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Press the "Play" button on the laser disk player. Click the "Record" button on the program's main screen. Click the "Pause" button when side one of the laser disk has finished playing. Eject the laser disk and reinsert it with side two facing up. Press the "Play" button. Press the "Pause" button again on the program's main screen to continue recording the disk.
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Press the "Stop" button on the program's main screen when the disk has finished playing. Eject the disk from the laser player. Remove the cables connecting the laser player to the analog-to-digital converter and from the USB port of the computer.
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Select "Save" from the "File" drop-down menu at the top of the program's main screen. Name the file that will be saved in the "Name" text field at the top of the window that appears. Click the "Save" button at the bottom of the window to save the file to the designated location on the hard drive.
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Tips & Warnings
A TV tuner card in a PC can be used instead of an analog-to-digital converter.
