Six of the best to update your analogue

7:00am Saturday 3rd May 2008

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IT'S a job I'm afraid that cannot be put off too much longer - that dust-gathering collection of analogue music and moving imagery needs to be switched to digital.

By Peter Jenkinson, PA Features

VINYL purists will be outraged but why not consider your conversion of the mighty plastic discs to an MP3 format as a safety net?

Not only will this 21st century conversion free up space in your home but the almost magical alteration of your old videos, cassettes, 33s, 45s and even 78s will be a fun-filled trip down memory lane.

Retro Box - USB Cassette Deck - £99.95 from www.iwantoneofthose.com

A decade ago this chunky-looking tape deck would have been the centrepiece to any home hi-fi, but thankfully this one has more than one trick up its sleeve. Dig out all your old tapes and switch them to MP3 or burn directly to CD and relive those memories as you convert all those old compilations.

Techies Turntable - Instant Ripper - £39.95 from www.iwantoneofthose.com

One more job for your old hi-fi before you consign it to the electrical graveyard - hook it up to this little ripper and then connect to your PC. This instant music ripper starts recording from the analogue audio source to digital audio formats of all the most popular varieties and can even filter out music imperfections as you go - this is thankfully optional.

Computer Imaging - Digital Film Scanner - £89.99 from www.iwantoneofthose.com

Most of us have a collection of images and a stack of negatives from the time of 35mm film - will they ever experience the joy of digital imaging?

Scan them through this machine and convert them into JPEGs to share with friends, make photo albums, mugs, t-shirts, canvases for your walls - then enjoy tear-inducing moments of laughter as you recall the fashion sense and haircuts of yesteryear.

PC Not Necessary - USB Turntable with iPod Dock - £129.95 at www.firebox.com

Transfer vinyl directly to your iPod without a clumsy computer with this brand new product with an integrated dock. Pop your player atop this retro spinner and record as you go. It couldn't be any easier even if you asked someone else to do it. Hook it up to a PC however and you can switch around tracks in play lists, proving that vinyl can still be lots of fun.

To the Tower - Plus Deck Cassette Converter - £79.95 at www.firebox.com

Anyone who has a burgeoning collection of cassettes will recognise BASF Chrome, C60s, C90s and Cr02. If you have a hankering to get these over to MP3, integrate this in your PC tower, plug your tapes inside and convert them in an instant.

Film Cast - iRecorder - £94.95 from http://boxhappyblog.typepad.com/gift_ideas/the-irecorder.html

You don't need a degree in computing to transfer programmes from your TV source on to your portable video gizmo. One end of the iRecorder plugs directly into the source (analogue TV, cable, set top box, satellite receiver box, DVD or your camcorder), the other into your iPod or other device, so you can fill it up for the morning commute.