Need some audio, video and Wii help!

[conorsmom2000]

Okay, I hate sounding so out of touch, but I'm wondering if anyone can help me with a few things! :confused:


First, we got Conor the Wii for Christmas. I'll be honest - I didn't know much about it, and I didn't realize the Wii should be hooked up to the internet. I knew it could be, but I didn't know that that's how it got updates. Now the computer and Wii will be in two different rooms so I'm guessing the best bet is a wireless router? I do have one and I believe it's a good one, I just didn't have it set up correctly, so someone got on my network and I took it down. Will I need this set up again for the Wii?
Second, I came across my old mini-tape recorder yesterday. In it, there is a tape I made of Conor when he was 2 years old - I used to make tapes of him to play for my Mom when she was in ICU. The recording is adorable - he's telling my Mom various stories (he must say "hi grandma!" 20 times) and he sings "Happy Together" by the Turtles for her (with about 15 false starts!!) Is there anyway (or any place that does this) to get it from the tape on to a CD? I want to save this and I worry about something happening to the tape. But, I have no idea if there is any way to do what I'm asking!
Third - we have many video tapes of Conor, which I believe I can take someplace to have put onto a DVD. But what about the little video cassetts that you actually record on? We have many of those, right out of the camcorder, that we never put onto VHS tapes - can those easily be converted to DVD's?
Sorry for all the questions - these are just things I want to get done for safe keeping, but I'm not sure if they can be done, or how to go about doing it!

Thanks for any help! :mickey:

[DizneyRox]

1. I'm not sure if you need wireless with the Wii, but if you can get away with a wired network, then that's the way to go. I have a wireless network after much hesitation, but if it's securely setup, then you shouldn't have any trouble. Wii DOES support WPA encryption and that's what I would use if I were to setup a wireless network. WEP IS NOT something I would ever recommend to even my worst enemy.

2. Yes, you need a casette player and a sound card on your computer. The casette player is probably the hardest part of the whole process.

3. Yes, anything can be converted to DVD for price.

3. See #2

[magicofdisney]

I'm thinking you don't have one, but if you have a DVD recorder, you'll only need to hook your camcorder up via AV cables to record those videos to a DVD (if it's a digital camcorder-all the better). You can get DVD recorders relatively inexpensively now a days; probably less than $100.

There are many gadgets you can buy as well that allow you to hook up audio and/or video to your computer to record/save the item to CD or DVD (depending on if your computer has a CD/DVD burner).

Good luck in your quest. I'm in the process of transferring older camcorder material to DVD. It's slow because we have so many tapes. But I'd be crushed if we lost that material. Tapes have a 10 yr shelf life, on average. I got lucky with my wedding tape. It's 17yrs old but it's been kept in cool, dark places all these years.

[conorsmom2000]

1. I'm not sure if you need wireless with the Wii, but if you can get away with a wired network, then that's the way to go. I have a wireless network after much hesitation, but if it's securely setup, then you shouldn't have any trouble. Wii DOES support WPA encryption and that's what I would use if I were to setup a wireless network. WEP IS NOT something I would ever recommend to even my worst enemy.

Thanks - I don't think it has to be wireless, but the Wii will be in the living room at one end of the house and the computer (and modem) are in the office, at the other end of the house - they are about 25 feet away from each other so I'm not sure if we could do it wired.....I'd definitely rather do wired as I have no other reason (right now) to set up the wireless router again, so if I could get away with not doing it, I'd be happy!


I'm thinking you don't have one, but if you have a DVD recorder, you'll only need to hook your camcorder up via AV cables to record those videos to a DVD (if it's a digital camcorder-all the better). You can get DVD recorders relatively inexpensively now a days; probably less than $100.

There are many gadgets you can buy as well that allow you to hook up audio and/or video to your computer to record/save the item to CD or DVD (depending on if your computer has a CD/DVD burner).

:blush: No, you're right - we don't have a DVD recorder. We'd never bothered to get one as we have a DVD player and a DVR through cable. But, to be honest, our DVD player is acting funny and it might be worth it to invest in a DVD recorder - it seems like the most reasonable way to get the video cassettes onto DVD's! :thumbsup:

Now, anyone have tips on buying a DVD Recorder? :blush:

[Cinderelley]

Just so you know - you don't HAVE to hook the Wii up to the internet. It just adds more fun to it if you do.

[Magic Smiles]

To get the video from the tapes to your computer you can buy Pinnacle Studio Movie Box. I think that there are also other brands available also. You plug your video camera into the box and the box into your computer and transfer the video onto you computer. You can then make a DVD from your computer if you chose to. I have not used it yet, but my son saves video clips from his XBox 360 and transfers them to the internet through this box. It also comes with software.
Or as others have said you can buy a DVD recorder. We have a Toshiba VCR DVD recorder combo. It works great. It is a few years old so I am sure that they have even better ones out there now.
Our Wii is not hooked into the internet and it is still lots of fun. Our XBox 360 is hooked into the internet, but we chose to run the cable down the hallway into the router. The wireless piece that we would of had to buy for the XBox 360 was too pricey. If we are having company, we can just unplug the XBox 360 cable and wrap it up.

[ElenitaB]

Jen, we don't have our Wii hooked up to the internet at all. I have seen it update when putting in a new game so it can get all it needs straight from the programming of your games (gee... maybe that's why they're so expensive? :confused:)

Don't give it a second thought! And have fun playing the games with Conor! (I've been known to play tennis on my own sometimes too :blush:)

[tyandskyesmom]

Tyler got his Wii last year for Christmas and we have never had it hooked up to the internet.

[AuntDJ]

We also do NOT have our WII hooked up to the internet and we do not seem to have any issues.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE our wii and I am not a kid. We love the bowling game and I just saw a news story of how the WII in general is good exercise...so I say play away!

[BrerGnat]

Your son is young enough still that you don't really need to hook up the Wii to the internet.

The system will update without being online. New updates come along with new games, if needed.

The online capabilities will be lost on a young kid. All it is is a News channel, weather channel, internet channel (which is slower than molasses in winter, no matter your connection type), a little "voting" channel for silly polls and a Mii share channel (where you can view and share Mii's--the little icons you create for people). The other thing is the Wii shop channel which lets you purchase and download classic Nintendo and Sega games, but if there is no "nostalgic" reason for your son to do so, he probably won't be interested in those arcANE games that we used to play as kids. ;) Although, your husband and yourself may get a kick out of it. :D

I would hold off on the online capabilities just now. Perhaps in a couple years, he will be old enough to really want to explore those other things the Wii has to offer. IMO, the online capabilities are really cool for teenagers and adults, much more so than for the young kids.

[Jasper]

We got our Wii Last Christmas as well and don't normally have it hooked up to the internet. I am somewhat **** about leaving things hooked up to the internet on a regular basis. Plus since the Wii is used primarily by my 11 year old I don't let it stay on the internet because he is not allowed on the internet when he is unsupervised.

Our computer/telephone (High speed is not available in our area so we are still on dial up) connections are in a different room from the computer so we have the same problem with being hooked up to the internet. Since the Wii is so small and light I just pick it up and go into the computer room whenever we want to run an update.

As for the updates, it hasn't made much difference. So far the updates haven't really done much to change the way the system is used so it has not been a big deal. Plus as another poster has already mentioned some of the games (don't know if all of them do it) actually do some updating for you.

Really, about the only thing you are missing by not being hooked up to the internet is the ability to play with other people outside your home. And again, that is not something we want our 11 year old doing.

[conorsmom2000]

Thank you, thank you!! As you can tell, I don't know much about the Wii at all, other than what I hear about it, and I was under the impression it had to be hooked up the internet for updates - that's the only reason we'd want it hooked up, Con is too little for the other features. But, I'm very happy to hear that it doesn't have to be at all!! That makes things simple!

But, is there anything else I need to know?? Any accessories or hardware that we do need? We've already ordered an extra controller (I'm assuming 2 is enough...) As far as games go, the Super Mario one's seem to be at the top of Con's list - we'll probably get him the Super Paper Mario one and I'll suggest to one of his Aunts & Uncles the Mario & Sonic Olympic Games (I need to look into that one though and see how difficult it is!)



Don't give it a second thought! And have fun playing the games with Conor! (I've been known to play tennis on my own sometimes too :blush:)

I'm actually excited about it! :secret: We all tried it at the Nintendo store in the city and had a blast! I know what my family will be all be doing after dinner on Christmas! :D

[ElenitaB]

Mario Party is one of our favorites, as well as Wii Play. I picked up Carnival for Santa to bring, and we'll see what else makes it under the tree.

[BrerGnat]

Jen,

I'd skip Super Paper Mario for Conor. It's a role playing game, and is a bit advanced. My husband is currently playing it and it is too complicated for ME!!! I get lost just watching him play...I can't imagine how kids play it.

We have Super Mario Galaxy and I'm currently the one playing it, and I LOVE it!!! It's a good game for kids because it can be easy or complicated depending on how determined your child is to go "whole hog". You can complete the game rather easily, but for a real challenge, complete it FULLY (collect all 120 stars). It's a blast so far!

Another game we love is Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz. It's very simple to play, but it's challenging. It's also a pretty funny game to watch. It's a monkey rolling around in a ball collecting bananas. It can be had at a low price, so it's a good bargain. Plus, there are mini games included, which are fun for multiple players.

I've heard good things about the Olympics game as well, although I think Conor (and you and your DH) will be very happy with the included Sports game for a long time.

Finally, there are two Cars games out (Pixar Cars). The first one is really fun...it's a racing game but much more. The new one that just came out has gotten great reviews for kids, so if Conor is into Cars, these would be great options.

I would purchase an additional Nunchuck controller as well. The Wii system comes with a Wii controller and a nunchuck. The Nunchuck is the little one with the joystick on it; it costs $20.

[Cinderelley]

I don't know how old Connor is, but it sounds like he is pretty young. If you play the Wii with him (which it sounds like you will do) and if he is into superheroes, you might want to consider the Marvel Comics game - I think it's called Marvel Alliance. I have a nephew who is four that LOVES spiderman and plays this game with my DS15. It started out with DS playing and DN's character as the computer. As DN has learned the controls better, he has picked up on how to play the 2nd player with a little help from my DS. Now they have a great time playing together.

Also, I don't know if you know this, but you can play Gamecube games on the Wii if you have the old Gamecube controllers. There is a much wider selection of games for young ones that way. If you want to PM me about things Connor likes, how old he is, etc., I can ask my DSs for their suggestions. They are very good at suggesting age appropriate games.

[BrerGnat]

Also, I don't know if you know this, but you can play Gamecube games on the Wii if you have the old Gamecube controllers. There is a much wider selection of games for young ones that way.

VERY TRUE!!! I forgot about this point. There are some great games for the Gamecube and they are very cheap nowadays, especially at places like Costco. You can pick up a Gamecube controller pretty cheap as well.

Of course, much of the fun of the Wii is using the Wiimote and the motion sensing capabilities. :)

[conorsmom2000]

Also, I don't know if you know this, but you can play Gamecube games on the Wii if you have the old Gamecube controllers. There is a much wider selection of games for young ones that way. If you want to PM me about things Connor likes, how old he is, etc., I can ask my DSs for their suggestions. They are very good at suggesting age appropriate games.

Okay, I really hate soundling like I've been living under a rock, :blush: but I'm not sure what you mean by "old" gamecube controllers. One of my siblings gave Conor a used gamecube about 6 months ago (it was about 6 months old, I think) but I can't remember if we had to buy controllers for it. I think it may have had one, then we bought a wireless one for it - but, I'm not sure if they are considered "old".

I did remember hearing that he can play the gamecube games on the Wii - isn't there something he can do with the DS as well? Or am I thinking of stuff with his Pokemon games...?? :confused:

Conor is 7, soon to be 8, but an advanced reader, etc. He's not into superhero's or Cars, but more the Mario stuff, Pokemon, etc. He's definitely a puzzle/game kid - he's been playing things like Uno and Monopoly like a pro since he was 4!

I truly appreciate all the help with this!! :mickey:

[Cinderelley]

I did remember hearing that he can play the gamecube games on the Wii - isn't there something he can do with the DS as well? Or am I thinking of stuff with his Pokemon games...?? :confused:

Conor is 7, soon to be 8, but an advanced reader, etc. He's not into superhero's or Cars, but more the Mario stuff, Pokemon, etc. He's definitely a puzzle/game kid - he's been playing things like Uno and Monopoly like a pro since he was 4!

I truly appreciate all the help with this!! :mickey:

DS15 recommends Mario Party, Monkey Ball, Legend of Zelda games, and Donkey Konga. I'm sure he'll think of more when he's off the phone with his girlfriend. :D

I would start with the older Legend of Zelda games first. You can get a disc with several of the games on it. If he likes solving problems, he'll probably really enjoy the Legend of Zelda games once get used to them.

Super Smash Bros. is another great game for the whole family to enjoy. We've had it for years and we still all get together to play it. The "old" gamecube controllers I was referring to were just the controllers that you use with the gamecube. I just called them old because they aren't the "new" Wii ones. :D

Yes, the Wii & the DS can interact. I store my Pokemon from my DS onto my son's Wii when I start new games on my DS.

[PirateLover]

I would also suggest some of the older Zelda games (The Zelda GameCube Collection includes Legend of Zelda I and II from NES, and Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask from N64) and dissuade you from Paper Mario until later. I know Connor is really advanced but RPGs are a little different than your typical game. If he breezes through the other games, you can always pick it up used later on . But I think there are plenty of surefire games to try first. Mario Party is a fun family/party game. I also think the Sonic/Mario Olympic game looks great as well!
Carnival games is OK, but I wouldn't buy it. We rented it. Mario Galaxy is guaranteed to take up hours of time and as a previous poster has said, Wii Sports is great and will also be tons of fun.

[conorsmom2000]

I store my Pokemon from my DS onto my son's Wii when I start new games on my DS.
See? Now you're speaking a whole other language that I don't understand!! :funny: But, Conor would understand and that's all that matters! :D Actually, one of the Wii games that Conor did ask for is Pokemon Battle Revolution - I think that somehow has something to do with his Pokemon Diamond DS game.....I think...maybe... :blush: :confused: Please thank your DS for his help!


I would also suggest some of the older Zelda games (The Zelda GameCube Collection includes Legend of Zelda I and II from NES, and Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask from N64) and dissuade you from Paper Mario until later. I know Connor is really advanced but RPGs are a little different than your typical game. If he breezes through the other games, you can always pick it up used later on . But I think there are plenty of surefire games to try first. Mario Party is a fun family/party game. I also think the Sonic/Mario Olympic game looks great as well!
Carnival games is OK, but I wouldn't buy it. We rented it. Mario Galaxy is guaranteed to take up hours of time and as a previous poster has said, Wii Sports is great and will also be tons of fun.

Thanks to all of you for the advice! Since I don't really understand how RPG's work, I'll trust you guys and hold off on Paper Mario for now. While Con is pretty advanced, he has a low frustration tolerance and I'd rather not start off on the wrong foot with a game that gets him upset!

He has a Mario Party on his list but it's for the DS. Oh, wait, he does have Mario Party 8 for the Wii - I've heard of that one as my cousin has played it. The Olympics one and the Galaxy one both look good too. The Monkey Ball looks fun and I'll definitely check out the Legend of Zelda too. Conor has 12 Aunts and Uncles, which is why I appreciate all the suggestions!

Marianne, I was looking at the HP and the Order of the Phoenix game for the Wii for myself! :blush: But, I'll be honest, Mike got me the PoA game when we got the PS2 and I just couldn't figure out the controller! Way too many buttons for me! The then 6 year old, of course, had no trouble playing it! :D I'm hoping the Wii has an easier learning curve for us old folks! :old:

[princessgirls]

Hi Jen,

I don't know about games for Conor, but that Dancing with the Stars Wii interactive looks really fun!!

Maybe Mike can put that under the tree for you?


Happy Thanksgiving!
Julie:mickey:

[PirateLover]

Marianne, I was looking at the HP and the Order of the Phoenix game for the Wii for myself! :blush: But, I'll be honest, Mike got me the PoA game when we got the PS2 and I just couldn't figure out the controller! Way too many buttons for me! The then 6 year old, of course, had no trouble playing it! :D I'm hoping the Wii has an easier learning curve for us old folks! :old:

I completely forgot about that one! I kept wanting to rent it but never got the chance. The Wii definitely is easier to get a grasp on. That was one of it's key selling points, that it could be played by children and grandparents (and everyone in between). I've heard that the Harry Potter OotP game is much better than the ones for other systems. :thumbsup:

[Cinderelley]

See? Now you're speaking a whole other language that I don't understand!! :funny: But, Conor would understand and that's all that matters! :D Actually, one of the Wii games that Conor did ask for is Pokemon Battle Revolution - I think that somehow has something to do with his Pokemon Diamond DS game.....I think...maybe... :blush: :confused: Please thank your DS for his help!



Yes, on the Pokemon Diamond DS game (that's the one I have) you build your Pokemon's levels by battling with them. You get to choose one Pokemon out of 3 at the beginning of the game, and never get a chance to get the other two. So, I've transferred that one Pokemon that I built up and beat the game with to my Pokemon game on the Wii. Now, I can restart my Pokemon Diamond DS game to get one of the other three Pokemon without losing the one I spent so much time building up.

I hope that helps.

[JessicaRabbit]

Hey Jen:

Sorry I'm so late in responding to this - I don't know if you are all set with Wii help or not but I thought I'd throw in some suggestions from my kiddos (we got them a Wii last Christmas and they LOVE it).

First of all we have never hooked it up to the internet - I knew that we could - but our computer is in the den and the big tv is in the playroom and we're not moving either one. So far the kids have never said anything about wanting to hook it up to the computer - they have a ton of fun with it without doing that.

Also, the kids said you don't need the gamecube controllers if you don't want to get them - they are just useful if you have a lot of old gamecube games you want to play on the Wii. They did say that the Wii comes with a controller but that you should purchase at least one additional one so Con's friends can play if they come for a visit (or you and Mike !).

All three kids recommend Wii Sports (I got it as a package with our Wii system - I'm not sure if they still do that or not). Jessie loves the tennis, Nate the baseball and Emma loves the bowling.

When I asked which game the kids liked best for the Wii all three said "Rayman Raving Rabbids" (rated E) - even Nate (who prefers the "teen" games) said it was his favorite. I asked them if it was frustrating to play and they all said no. Jessica also recommends Mario Party 8 and Super Mario Galaxy. Emma, a Pokemon fan, recommended Pokemon Battle Revolution, but she said if Conor has either Pokemon Diamond or Pokemon Pearl for the DS the Wii Battle Revolution game is even better (apparently you can wirelessly transfer info from the DS to the Wii that will help you have better characters on the Wii game - it sounded technical to me but Emma said "you have to play the games to understand this Mom" so I'm figuring our game-saavy kids know what all that means!).

Hope that helped some - give me a shout if you want me to ask the kids any specific questions about games or the Wii in general - I'm sure they will know the answer! (unlike their video-game challenged Mom)

[conorsmom2000]

Hi , but that Dancing with the Stars Wii interactive looks really fun!!

Maybe Mike can put that under the tree for you?


Julie, I was looking at that one - it does look like fun!! And I'll be honest, since it seems like I'll admit anything here on I'COT, :blush: I was secretly hoping Conor would ask for the High School Musical one that comes with the microphone - I would love that one! :funny:


(unlike their video-game challenged Mom)

Thanks Sue - but I think I've proven with this thread that I'm the most video-game challenged Mom out there!! :funny:

Most of the one's that your kids suggested are on Conor's list - I'll have to look up the Rayman's Raving Rabbits though. And we do plan to get an extra remote as well as an extra nunchuck controller.

But, for my next clueless question...:blush: Do we need to purchase a memory card for the Will, like we do for our other systems?

Thanks again everyone!!! :thumbsup:

[PirateLover]

Jen, the Wii has an internal memory. The only thing you would need a memory card for is if Con wanted to take his game info and play on someone else's console.
**forgot to add that if you get Gamecube games, you will need the Gamecube memory card. If he has one from his old system it works in the Wii, you just stick it in the top.

[Cinderelley]

DS also recommended Guitar Hero if Connor is into music and Bust-a-Move. Bust-a-Move is kind've like Tetris, if you played that long ago.

[Momof2boys]

I just learned a ton reading this post ! Thanks everyone.

I just got a Wii for the boys on Thanksgiving morning - and didn't know it could/should be hooked up to the internet.

If I'm reading right, if I want to purchase the "classic" games, I can take the Wii into the study & download it onto there and that saves it to it's internal memory ? ? Or does it have to stay plugged in to play it ?

I'm looking at the Carnival Games & Playground game for the boys - I'll have to do some research on these other ones. Thanks !

[BrerGnat]

If I'm reading right, if I want to purchase the "classic" games, I can take the Wii into the study & download it onto there and that saves it to it's internal memory ? ? Or does it have to stay plugged in to play it ?



When you download games into the Wii, you purchase them with Wii points. You just use a credit card and purchase blocks of points. Points cost $1 per 100 points. Most classic NES games are 500 points ($5). Once you purchase and download them, you own them and they are stored in the Wii's internal memory. You can access the games anytime; you don't have to have an internet connection.

However, MANY games require the "classic controller" which needs to be purchased separately. It's $19.99. If you think you'll be indulging in some of these games, the classic controller is a necessity. New Virtual Console games are released every Monday.

When you download the games, you have to also have the Wii hooked up to a television. You access and download through the actual console, not your computer (although, you will have to hook the Wii up to the internet somehow).

Hope this helps!

[DisneyDudet]

If only I could find a Wii :(