Many companies offer
video
to DVD service, but fewer offer an option for transferring
an analog video cassette to computer digital video files. Among
the companies that do offer to convert
to MOV or AVI,
transfer quality can vary widely. Ask
a video service what equipment they use for their conversions.
If they won't give details, be warned: they
might be using consumer-grade equipment!
We're
proud to compare our professional equipment
and experienced process to that of any other service! Not only
is our video hardware beyond a consumer's ability to purchase,
even most video services have not invested in video equipment
to the degree we have.
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The VCR used for a conversion is the most essential
factor to extracting a tape's quality. We have an wide
collection of top playback decks by a variety of manufacturers,
since matching a a deck to a given tape is key to the best
conversion.
For VHS tapes, we mainly work with VCRs from JVC's HR-S9000
and W-VHS lines.
These decks' "Digipure" processing includes
a video stabilizer and fabulous noise reduction. We also use
Panasonic's studio-grade AG-1980, which is particularly suited
for tracking EP and LP tapes. Our studio is also stocked with
high-level decks for transferring from video camera to computer,
including Video8/8mm, Hi8, and Digital8; Mini DV and DVCAM; and
Betamax.
Next, we use extra hardware to pull even more quality
from your tapes. The most important of these is the time
base corrector (TBC), which processes the frames in a video signal
in order to fix timing errors. By doing this, a time-base corrector
can fix jitter, audio-visual sync, and moving lines. It is an
necessary piece of equipment for digitizing worn or
aging videotapes.
Video then goes into a processing amplifier,
hardware that can fix a picture's contrast, color,
and hue. Finally, your video runs through
a detailer, which sharpens and defines the video picture by boosting
the high frequencies of the signal. We believe the
benefits gained from these extra processors are worth it for
our clients' conversions!
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The next step is getting the analog video
to computer files. Timeless DVD primarily
uses the Grass Valley / Canopus professional video converter.
The Canopus is an award-winning digital converter that
provides the industry's best picture quality preservation. Unlike
many other devices, they produce zero noise when we video
convert to AVI or MOV.
We choose the computer and program for the capture based
on the file format the client prefers. For an AVI file, we connect
the video converter to a Windows computer and capture via Adobe
Premiere Pro. For MOV or Quicktime, we use a studio
Mac and Final Cut Pro. Both Premiere and Final Cut Pro are professional-level
video programs.
If you have asked for your video files to be provided on data
DVDs (as opposed to video on hard drive), we will then author
your files to Taiyo Yuden discs, which are widely
recognized as the best DVD blank media available. The discs are
printed with a Primera Bravo, a dedicated disc printer.
Why are we revealing so many details about how our video
to digital process is done? Because the video hardware and methods
we use are far beyond the ability of many people – and even most
video companies. By revealing our secrets, we show you that we
have the ideal experience required to convert your video tapes!
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