Videotapes to DVD
Convert your videotapes to DVD!
- $12.95/tape
- 2 hours 6 min audio/video maximum per DVD
- Includes your custom 4-line title printed directly on disc surface (i.e. no sticky labels)
- Includes a clear jewel case (sample image here)
- Includes static/blank/blue screen removal |?|
- Includes 5 minute chapters |?|
- Various upgrades available (Click here to learn more )
- Technical Informaton:
- Video format - MPEG-2
- Compression method - 2-pass VBR
- Video bitrate ~ 4500 kbps (approx. 2 hrs of video per DVD)
- Audio format - AC3 a.k.a Dolby Digital
- Audio bitrate - 224 kbps
- VHS / VHS-C / SVHS / Video8 (aka Sony 8mm) / Hi8 / Digital8 / MiniDV tapes accepted. PAL and SECAM not supported.
- Film and slides are not supported.
Common Questions
- How many tapes can I put on each DVD?
Unlike other transfer services, we do not impose an artificial limit on the number of tapes allowed per DVD. You can choose to put 1 tape on each DVD or you can choose to combine multiple short tapes on the same DVD - it doesn't matter to us (there is no price difference.) However, there is a time limit per DVD (see below.)
- How much video (time) can be put on each DVD?
Due to the limited storage capacity of DVD discs (~ 4.5 GB) and the large file sizes of video, the total duration of any DVD cannot exceed 2 hours 6 min per DVD. If a tape (or group of tapes if you are combining multiple tapes on the same DVD) exceeds 2 hours 6 min, the video will be continued on a 2nd DVD (or 3rd, if necessary) and titled "Your Title Part 2", "Your Title Part 3", etc. There is no additional charge for the "...Part 2" or "...Part 3" DVD's. However, if you have requested additional DVD copies of the tape (or tapes) in question, you will be charged for the additional copies of the 2nd (or 3rd) parts.
- How do I tell you how to arrange my tapes on each DVD?
You will tell us how to specifically arrange your tapes by completing the "Videotape to DVD" setup form, which is accessible from the shopping cart (the setup form will appear after you have added tapes to your cart.) For example, let's say you have 4 tapes. You could get each tape on a separate DVD for a total of 4 DVD's, or, if the tapes are short (less than 2 hours 6 min total), you can get all 4 tapes combined on the same DVD. Or you could choose some other configuration in between (2 tapes on the 1st DVD, 1 on the 2nd and 3rd, etc...). How you specifically choose to arrange your tapes is up to you (as long as you do not exceed 2 hours 6 min total.) Since we charge per tape (not per DVD) there is no price difference.
- What upgrades are available with each DVD?
- DVD case - A DVD case (add
$1.00 ) gives you greater disc protection (more durable than a jewel case) and
includes space to write notes about the DVD content (i.e. what the video depicts) in greater detail than a title alone
can provide. To see a sample front and back image click here. We use
industry standard Amaray cases, shown here.
- Chapter Menu - A chapter menu (add
$2.00
) provides 30 second previews of each chapter (chapters are automatically created
at 5 minute intervals) and automatically appears when inserting your DVD. To see a reduced quality, 10 second
sample, choose one of the following formats: WMV |
MPG
- Printed Content Summary - A printed content summary (add $0.50 ) is simply a description of a DVD's contents, in your own words, that is printed to the back of your DVD case for a clean, professional look. A printed content summary requires a DVD case (not available with the default jewel case). To see a sample front and back image, click here
- DVD case - A DVD case (add
$1.00 ) gives you greater disc protection (more durable than a jewel case) and
includes space to write notes about the DVD content (i.e. what the video depicts) in greater detail than a title alone
can provide. To see a sample front and back image click here. We use
industry standard Amaray cases, shown here.
- How much do additional DVD copies cost?
Copies packaged in a jewel case are only $5.00 each. Copies packaged in a DVD case are only $6.00 each.
Technical Questions
- What DVD format do you use?
We use DVD-R discs, which are compatible with approximately 96% of existing DVD players. If your DVD player does not support DVD-R discs, DVD+R discs are available upon request.
- What brand of DVD's do you use? How do you burn your DVD's?
We are proud to exclusively use Taiyo Yuden blank DVD's. Taiyo Yuden is recognized as one of the best (if not THE best) manufacturer of high quality DVD blanks. DVD burns are performed with a Primera Bravo Pro Disc Publisher at no higher than 8x speed. The combination of high quality DVD blanks plus high quality burning equipment plus low burn speeds equals DVD's that should, with proper care, last for decades.
- What will the quality of my DVD's be? What will the resolution of my DVD be?
The video quality of your finished DVD should be nearly visually identical to the original tape in its current condition. Due to our superior equipment, you may notice some improvements - a reduction in video noise, color noise, and timing errors - but beyond that your DVD will look virtually identical to your source tape. So, if your tape looks good, the DVD will look good. Likewise, if your tape is in poor condition, the DVD will reflect the quality of the original tape. Generally speaking, the older the tape the more likely it is to have reduced quality. Also, it is worth noting that VHS tapes recorded in EP or LP modes (i.e. modes that allow longer recording times) are often in poor condition, sometimes after only a few years. If your tape is in extremely poor condition, you may want to consider sending it to a company that specializes in video restoration. However, video restoration can be expensive ($50/hour is not unusual) and improvements may not be as dramatic as one might expect, usually confined to color correction.
Our DVD's are created at a screen resolution of 720 x 480. Having said that, there is nothing magical about putting video on a DVD that makes the video better (beware of other transfer services that imply this...) See here for a more technical discussion.
For answers to more questions please see our help page.
