Video to DVD FAQ
Is it best to convert my video tapes to MPEG 2 files or DVDs?
We highly recommend converting video to MPEG files because it won't be long before DVDs become obsolete. None of the new laptops have DVD drives now, and duplicated DVDs are unreliable. This is the reason we stopped converting to DVDs several years ago. Another excellent reason is that MPEG can be played on most smart televisions and are easily edited.
What is the audio & video quality of the transfers?
The quality of video conversion is really based on your original material. If your original is a VHS or 8mm tape, then you will get VHS or 8mm quality. If your original is from a HI-8 or Mini DV, you will get high resolution video & digital quality sound.
What size USB or portable hard drive would I need?
We will supply a 32 GB for $20, a 64 GB for $30, a 128 GB for $40, or a 1 TB portable hard drive for $120 which includes copying your files to the appropriate sized drive, and for backing up your files for at least a month to give you time to make sure they have copied okay.
You may send your own USB, however, as we would copy the files directly to your USB a backup would not be available.
As a rough guide you would need the following sizes for full 3 hour VHS tapes:
Up to 2 three hour tapes a 16 gig USB
Up to 4 three hour tapes a 32 gig USB
Up to 7 three hour tapes a 64 gig USB
Up to 15 three hour tapes a 128gig USB
For the larger quantities send a portable hard drive. As a guide each hour of video is about 2.8 GBs.
PLEASE NOTE: We are PC based so when sending drives to us please send us ones that are formatted for PC. If sending a MAC hard drive please ensure it is formatted for both MAC and PC.
If I can't pick them up how much will the courier charge be to return my videos.
Auckland for packaging and sending via tracked courier the charge is $10. Rest of North Island 1 or 2 tapes $10, three to ten $15.20, South Island $25. There is a $5 additional charge for rural delivery. There could be an additional charge if weight is over 10KG. We use tracked Couriers for return delivery and always return your tapes so you can check them before disposal. We will email you the tracking link so you can check on your delivery.
Reasons why we do no longer send files via the Cloud
We convert dozens of tapes every week and it would be virtually impossible for us to keep track of individual clients tapes once uploaded to the Cloud, and we also would have no idea as to whether they had been downloaded or not. Another important reason is that it is in your best interest to get your tapes back so you can check they have converted okay. Also as most tapes have a lot of information on the label we number your tapes and if you don't get the tapes back you won't know what is on the relevant file.
Can I view the MPEG file on my PC or smart TV?
Yes you can play the files directly from the USB or hard drive on either your computer or on most smart TVs. For safety's sake you should definitely back up your files just in case anything goes wrong with the USB or the portable hard drive.
Can I edit the MPEG 2 files on my computer?
Yes, MPEG 2 files are digital so if you have the appropriate software you can edit the files. Check out some editing software suggestions at the bottom of this page.
How long does it take to get to get the job done?
If the conversion is for a business and is urgently required we can usually do them the same day, otherwise they are usually done within a few days, although 10 or more may take a week or two depending on our work load.
What format can my video tape be?
We can transfer most common tape formats to MPEG files such as VHS tapes, Mini DV tapes, HI-8 tapes, Digital 8 tapes. etc.
Can you convert NTSC VHS tapes?
Yes we can convert both PAL and NTSC VHS video tapes.
Can you make transfers from a tape recorded at the slow speed?
Yes, however the faster the speed your tape was recorded at, the better the quality.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
What format is best for you to use for editing the video files that we supply you?
Today’s computer age gives most people the opportunity to edit their own video tapes using digital technologies. However, before they can do so the tapes have to be converted to a digital format. There are many video file formats available, each with different features and benefits. The three most popular video file formats are AVI, MP4 and MPEG, also called "container" formats.
Containers are a collections of files containing all the components of a video such as video, audio, subtitles and chapter information. Each container format supports different video and audio formats and compression types giving each format benefits and disadvantages.
The following is a brief description of each of these formats:
AVI
Microsoft's AVI format is an uncompressed video format, which retains the original quality of the video, however, because there is no compression the file size of the AVI format can be extremely large. The AVI file format supports a wide range of video and audio formats in variable frame and bit rates. This makes it an ideal format for storing and editing video, but because the large size it is not suitable for distributing the video via the Internet or even on physical media.
MP4
Also known as MPEG-4 was developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group. MP4 supports compression, subtitles, multiple data types and streaming. Due to the trade-off between video quality and having a much smaller file size, MP4s are frequently used to distribute video via the Internet. It is supported by most video editors and allows the use of lossless compression codecs, so the entire workflow can be managed in MP4 format.
MPEG
The MPEG video file format uses MPEG-1 or MPEG-2. It is commonly used to distribute video on DVDs, etc. Adam Design converts videos to the MPEG 2 format. MPEG 2 produces impeccable quality that is superior to MPEG-4. MPEG-2 is the industry standard and capable of handling video streams from local sources like DVDs and broadcast applications. So it is best to edit the MPEG-2 files we supply you with in suitable editing software. After you have edited your files you can play them on most smart TVs or computer. If you want to send the files to friends via the Internet or to save them to YouTube or use them for streaming then you should convert the finished MPEG digital file to the MP4 format as they are much smaller files than MPEG 2. However, make sure that you keep the original MPEG 2 file.
Here are some suitable editing software ideas: Click the green link to download.
Avidemux Free Video Editor (We have had feedback from clients saying that this software was quite good)
VSDC Free Video Editor
Handbrake (If using MAC imovies convert the MPEG 2 files to MP4 files using the free Handbrake software so you can import the MP4 files to imovies) Keep the original MPEG 2 files as they are higher quality than MP4 files.
Windows Movie Maker (Free trial available here)
Lightworks (A fee applies)
Adobe Premiere (A professional software package, expensive. Free trial available)
We highly recommend converting video to MPEG files because it won't be long before DVDs become obsolete. None of the new laptops have DVD drives now, and duplicated DVDs are unreliable. This is the reason we stopped converting to DVDs several years ago. Another excellent reason is that MPEG can be played on most smart televisions and are easily edited.
What is the audio & video quality of the transfers?
The quality of video conversion is really based on your original material. If your original is a VHS or 8mm tape, then you will get VHS or 8mm quality. If your original is from a HI-8 or Mini DV, you will get high resolution video & digital quality sound.
What size USB or portable hard drive would I need?
We will supply a 32 GB for $20, a 64 GB for $30, a 128 GB for $40, or a 1 TB portable hard drive for $120 which includes copying your files to the appropriate sized drive, and for backing up your files for at least a month to give you time to make sure they have copied okay.
You may send your own USB, however, as we would copy the files directly to your USB a backup would not be available.
As a rough guide you would need the following sizes for full 3 hour VHS tapes:
Up to 2 three hour tapes a 16 gig USB
Up to 4 three hour tapes a 32 gig USB
Up to 7 three hour tapes a 64 gig USB
Up to 15 three hour tapes a 128gig USB
For the larger quantities send a portable hard drive. As a guide each hour of video is about 2.8 GBs.
PLEASE NOTE: We are PC based so when sending drives to us please send us ones that are formatted for PC. If sending a MAC hard drive please ensure it is formatted for both MAC and PC.
If I can't pick them up how much will the courier charge be to return my videos.
Auckland for packaging and sending via tracked courier the charge is $10. Rest of North Island 1 or 2 tapes $10, three to ten $15.20, South Island $25. There is a $5 additional charge for rural delivery. There could be an additional charge if weight is over 10KG. We use tracked Couriers for return delivery and always return your tapes so you can check them before disposal. We will email you the tracking link so you can check on your delivery.
Reasons why we do no longer send files via the Cloud
We convert dozens of tapes every week and it would be virtually impossible for us to keep track of individual clients tapes once uploaded to the Cloud, and we also would have no idea as to whether they had been downloaded or not. Another important reason is that it is in your best interest to get your tapes back so you can check they have converted okay. Also as most tapes have a lot of information on the label we number your tapes and if you don't get the tapes back you won't know what is on the relevant file.
Can I view the MPEG file on my PC or smart TV?
Yes you can play the files directly from the USB or hard drive on either your computer or on most smart TVs. For safety's sake you should definitely back up your files just in case anything goes wrong with the USB or the portable hard drive.
Can I edit the MPEG 2 files on my computer?
Yes, MPEG 2 files are digital so if you have the appropriate software you can edit the files. Check out some editing software suggestions at the bottom of this page.
How long does it take to get to get the job done?
If the conversion is for a business and is urgently required we can usually do them the same day, otherwise they are usually done within a few days, although 10 or more may take a week or two depending on our work load.
What format can my video tape be?
We can transfer most common tape formats to MPEG files such as VHS tapes, Mini DV tapes, HI-8 tapes, Digital 8 tapes. etc.
Can you convert NTSC VHS tapes?
Yes we can convert both PAL and NTSC VHS video tapes.
Can you make transfers from a tape recorded at the slow speed?
Yes, however the faster the speed your tape was recorded at, the better the quality.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
What format is best for you to use for editing the video files that we supply you?
Today’s computer age gives most people the opportunity to edit their own video tapes using digital technologies. However, before they can do so the tapes have to be converted to a digital format. There are many video file formats available, each with different features and benefits. The three most popular video file formats are AVI, MP4 and MPEG, also called "container" formats.
Containers are a collections of files containing all the components of a video such as video, audio, subtitles and chapter information. Each container format supports different video and audio formats and compression types giving each format benefits and disadvantages.
The following is a brief description of each of these formats:
AVI
Microsoft's AVI format is an uncompressed video format, which retains the original quality of the video, however, because there is no compression the file size of the AVI format can be extremely large. The AVI file format supports a wide range of video and audio formats in variable frame and bit rates. This makes it an ideal format for storing and editing video, but because the large size it is not suitable for distributing the video via the Internet or even on physical media.
MP4
Also known as MPEG-4 was developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group. MP4 supports compression, subtitles, multiple data types and streaming. Due to the trade-off between video quality and having a much smaller file size, MP4s are frequently used to distribute video via the Internet. It is supported by most video editors and allows the use of lossless compression codecs, so the entire workflow can be managed in MP4 format.
MPEG
The MPEG video file format uses MPEG-1 or MPEG-2. It is commonly used to distribute video on DVDs, etc. Adam Design converts videos to the MPEG 2 format. MPEG 2 produces impeccable quality that is superior to MPEG-4. MPEG-2 is the industry standard and capable of handling video streams from local sources like DVDs and broadcast applications. So it is best to edit the MPEG-2 files we supply you with in suitable editing software. After you have edited your files you can play them on most smart TVs or computer. If you want to send the files to friends via the Internet or to save them to YouTube or use them for streaming then you should convert the finished MPEG digital file to the MP4 format as they are much smaller files than MPEG 2. However, make sure that you keep the original MPEG 2 file.
Here are some suitable editing software ideas: Click the green link to download.
Avidemux Free Video Editor (We have had feedback from clients saying that this software was quite good)
VSDC Free Video Editor
Handbrake (If using MAC imovies convert the MPEG 2 files to MP4 files using the free Handbrake software so you can import the MP4 files to imovies) Keep the original MPEG 2 files as they are higher quality than MP4 files.
Windows Movie Maker (Free trial available here)
Lightworks (A fee applies)
Adobe Premiere (A professional software package, expensive. Free trial available)
Adam Design and Video Conversion Auckland, 33 Vinistra Road, Huapai, Kumeu, West Auckland 0810.
Phone 09 412 2314
Phone 09 412 2314