How long do DVDs last compared to Videotapes?
The DVD-video format has a minimum life expectancy of at least 100 years. Some people in the DVD Transfer industry claim that a DVD will only last 2 to 5 years. I transferred my own Family Movie Film to DVD-R back in December of 2000 and it still plays, looks and sounds GREAT! While it is true that the MPEG2 video format used for DVD does not look as good or as sharp as an original MiniDV Master Videotape, I have seen way too many MiniDV Videotapes that customers brought/sent that had been "Eaten" and destroyed in their MiniDV Camcorder. Also, MiniDV Videotapes are still a Magnetic Medium and will fade away. Unlike videotapes, DVDs are not recorded as a magnetic medium but rather by using a tiny laser, burning microscopic pits into the recording surface that lies underneath a protective clear coating. Most videotapes of any format will not
be playable 20 years after first being recorded. The earlier your Home Videotapes get transferred to DVD-Video, the better quality the original video images/sound are likely to be.
A videotape wears out a little every time it is played. A DVD can
be played over and over without wearing it out at all because, while playing, nothing actually ever touches the playable part of a DVD except the light from the laser. According to the DVD Industry, 100-year-old DVD-Video will play
as well as a newly recorded DVD. Every time a copy of a videotape is made, the next generation has a loss of quality. Copying a non-copyright protected DVD will result in a perfect copy. DVD users should take care to never touch or scratch the underside of a DVD. If lint, dirt, hair or dust accumulate on the underside of a DVD, just use canned air to spray it clean. DVD player laser lens cleaners are readily available (for @ $8 to $13) at most electronic equipment stores and ought to be used anytime a DVD player seems to have any trouble playing a DVD.
Why are videotapes such a poor video storage medium?
Because they are designed as a magnetic storage medium, videotapes degrade from the moment they are made. There is little, if any protection for the tape itself except inside it's own videotape cassette and cardboard or plastic cover. Many environmental conditions affect the microscopic magnetic particles bound to the very thin plastic tape. Heat and humidity causes those magnetic particles to loosen and fall off, carrying the video and sound data that is encoded onto those magnetic particles with them. All or much of that magnetically encoded video data can be lost instantly by close exposure to any magnetic fields produced by almost any component in an entertainment center. Some of the strongest sources of electrical / magnetic fields are created by VCRs, TVs, speakers, and stereo components, all near where videotapes are commonly stored. To put things in perspective, the Earth we live on is one giant magnet!
Do your old videotapes clog the play heads of your VCR? That means more and more tiny particles are coming off and your priceless memories on videotape are fading fast. Obviously, the sooner you transfer your Home Videos to DVD the better chance you have of preserving them for future generations in their best quality.
Besides longevity, are there more benefits of DVD?
Yes, interactivity is a major benefit. Like its cousin, the Compact Disc,
the DVD format allows the user to select where on the disc he wants to go.
It then "jumps" to that point on the disc instantly until the user makes another
selection.
Our service can provide these titled "Menu Buttons" so you can identify
different events and "jump" to your selection as easily as changing channels on your TV. Videotapes lack this feature because they run linear, from beginning to end.
How many events can I fit on a DVD and what about Titles?
Each DVD can hold up to two hours of footage from your HOME VIDEOS. For a small $4 fee each, (in addition to the first titled menu button that is included free) we can separate your video events using interactive titled "Menu Buttons". Potentially, the dozens of interactive menu button choices available make DVD much more user friendly. This way, your DVD can play right on through from beginning to end or you can just instantly pick and choose which video segments you want to watch from the Main Menu. You could have several events from one
videotape or several events from different videotapes on your DVD. Just list your
"Menu Button" titles on the Video to DVD Order Form .
The first "Menu Button" title is included free with this offer. Additional Menu Buttons can be listed on the Extra Menu Buttons Order Form.
There is a $4 charge to pause the recording to add footage from another videotape or to jump to another place on the same videotape (editing).
Why can't my video be put on a CD (compact disc)?
CDs (compact discs) only hold up to 700 megabytes of data. DVDs hold up to 4.7 gigabytes of data, or more than 6 1/2 times as much as a CD. Video can be transferred to a CD but it needs to be so compressed that the quality really suffers. The time required to prepare video to burn to CD is longer than the time needed to transfer video to DVD. The cost of a blank DVD is only a few cents more than the cost of a blank CD. DVD players that double as CD players for computers as well as for home entertainment are relatively low cost these days. There really is no logical reason to transfer video to CD today when the low-cost benefits of DVD are available.
What about videotape recorded at different speeds?
If your videotape got recorded in LP (Long Play) or EP (Extended Play) mode it has already lost some quality. A videotape recorded in LP or EP mode means it moved past the VCR recording heads more slowly than in SP (Standard Play) mode. The slower a videotape moves past the recording heads of a VCR the less video/audio data can be recorded on the given area on the tape, meaning lesser quality. Recording 4 or 6 hours of video on a standard length videotape means better economy but lesser quality recording. Except for rare circumstances, all DVDs are recorded in SP mode for best quality. However, if you have priceless video recorded in EP or LP modes, taking up more than 2 hours in length, we can transfer it to DVD using the same mode to fit it all on one DVD disc. The price is $5 per extra hour or part of an hour.
How long does it take to get them back?
The service time is 2 to 3 weeks, not guaranteed. We return any and all materials that are shipped with your videos.
What videotape formats can be transferred?
We can only transfer videotapes recorded in the NTSC video system (no PAL or SECAM). NTSC is the system used by most all camcorders and VCRs in the USA. The videotape formats we can transfer from are: VHS, Super VHS, VHS-C, Video 8, Hi-8, Digital 8, Mini DV and Betamax (these are videotape formats, not film formats) We do, however, transfer 16mm and 8mm film to DVD at the rate of 10 cents a linear foot. One 3" diameter 8mm movie reel is 50 feet of film, so it would cost $5.00 to transfer it. See our Home Movie Transfer Page.
What about Copyrighted Videos?
DVD transfers are only available for home videos. If you or some family member or friend shot the video footage then you obviously own the copyright to it.
If you do not own the copyright for your videotape you may be able to obtain permission to copy it by contacting the people that own the copyright. If you do not own the copyright or cannot obtain a copyright release (permission to copy it) to send with your videotapes, we cannot transfer it to DVD.
