Transferring a Presentation to Videotape

While not normally considered an optimal presentation method, sometimes VHS video is the only format that will do for a presentation, for one reason or another.

If you have a video card with TV/Video out capability, the process is very straightforward. Hook the video card to the VCR with a compatible cable (S-video if possible because it's the highest quality), press Record on the VCR, and start the presentation on the PC. It doesn't get much easier than that.

If you don't have a video card like that, consider buying one; they're not that expensive and you will save yourself a tremendous amount of grief and headache. Otherwise you will need to buy a scan converter, which is an external box that converts between PC and TV/VCR, and a decent one of these will cost more than the video card with TV/Video out.

Note 

If you are determined not to buy a video card with TV/Video out, see the tutorial produced by Austin Myers at http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/recordvhs.htm, which provides much more thorough coverage of the topic.

But wait-you'll want to do some testing before recording your presentation to VHS in its entirety. TV screens, especially the old-time picture tube types (not so much with the newer plasma ones), show colors and shapes differently than PC monitors do, and what looks good on a PC may not look so good on a TV. Before doing the final recording, hook up a TV to the VCR and do a test recording. You might decide you need to adjust some colors or change the slide dimensions.