Your Home Videos Are in Danger

Video Format Conversions

Sunray Video can convert most video formats to a format that will fit your needs. DVCAM, MiniDV, DVD, VHS, 8mm, Hi8, Betacam, HDV, AVI, QuickTime, and Flash are some of the formats we specialize in transferring.

The television broadcasting standard used throughout North America along with several other countries around the world is referred to as NTSC. The television broadcast system used in most European countries is referred to as PAL. We can convert PAL to NTSC and vice versa in DVD, MiniDV, DVCAM, and VHS. Refer to the "Foreign Video Conversion" section below for more information.

Conversion Formats

Here are some of the formats we can convert to and from:

DVCAM (NTSC or PAL)	Betacam/Betacam SP (NTSC only)
MiniDV (NTSC or PAL)	Flash
HDV (NTSC or PAL)	MPEG1/MPEG2
VHS / SuperVHS (NTSC, PAL, or Secam)	Windows Media
8mm / Hi8 / Digital8 (NTSC or PAL)	AVI & Quick Time
DVD (NTSC or PAL) & CDRom	Real

We can also convert PowerPoint presentations to DVD and video.

Pricing for some of these conversions are listed below. If you don't see a price for what you need, give us a call.

Video to DVD

For information on video to DVD transfers go to our DVD page.

Video to CDRom, DVDRom, and Hard Drives

We've had many requests from our clients to convert their videotapes to CDs, DVDs, and data files that can be edited on their computers. First, we need to know how it is to be used. Are you planning on handing out the discs and need to have the video play on various computers? Or are you just wanting to be able to edit the video? If you want the video to play on various computers and regular DVD players, we suggest a simple video to DVD transfer (refer to the previous heading). Otherwise, we'll assume you want to edit the video. In this case, the most common dilemma we encounter is attempting to determine which format will work on your editing system. Creating computer files from video involves digitizing the video footage and sometimes, additional encoding to convert them to the appropriate file format. The additional labor required for digitizing and encoding video makes the cost of the transfer significantly more than simple video to DVD transfer.

Files for the MAC

If you happen to be using a MAC, then you'll probably want QuickTime files (designated with the .MOV suffix on the filenames). Final Cut Pro is the most popular editing software for MACs.

Files for the PC

If you're using a PC, then most likely you should be able to use AVI files (designated with the .AVI suffix). Although some PC-based editing programs may prefer an alternative format like MPEG or something else.

We strongly encourage you to check the instructions for your editing software to determine which file types the program will accept.

Resolution of each video format (quality of the picture)

When editing video on a computer, we recommend working with uncompressed video whenever possible. For Standard Definition (SD) video it's usually 720 x 480 resolution. High Definition (HD) video starts at 1080. AVI and QuickTime DV video, as well as, MPEG2 is usually 720 x 480. MPEG1 is usually 320 x 240, 1/4 of the normal video screen size. Windows Media, QuickTime for the web, and Flash are usually encoded at 320 x 240. When you attempt to convert one of these 320 x 240 formats up to 720 x 480 video there will be a significant loss in quality of the video image and you will notice a lot of smearing, fuzziness, and pixelization of the picture.

File sizes as they relate to picture resolution of each video format

As the image size changes over the various file types, so does the file size. As you decide on a medium in which to receive the converted files keep the following in mind.

	CDRom will only hold 700MB (sometimes 800MB) of data.
	DVDRom will hold 4.5GB of data.
	Hard drives are now holding up to a terabyte (TB) or more of data.

The following table shows the amount of memory required to hold 15 minutes of video.

File Format	Amount of Memory Required
AVI	3.3GB
QuickTime (for editing)	3.3GB
MPEG2	783MB
MPEG1	201MB
Windows Media	83MB
QuickTime (for the web)	45MB

Video for the Internet

Do you have a video you'd like to put on your website? We can convert your VHS or camcorder tapes, DVDs, and other formats to play in Flash, Windows Media, or QuickTime. Thanks to the popularity of YouTube and other popular websites like Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc., Flash video has become the most common format for video on the web. When it comes to playing video off the web, Flash seems to be the most compatible format as most computers seem to now have the appropriate software to play them. Windows Media is the second most common player found on today's computers. Call for pricing information. View samples of web videos.

Foreign Video Conversions (NTSC to/from PAL or SECAM)

Do you have a video you need to send overseas? Have you received a video from another country? Do you need to have it converted?

Sunray Video can take any VHS or DVD in the NTSC (USA) format and convert it to VHS, in PAL or SECAM, or DVD in PAL. We can also convert from PAL back to NTSC on DVD or VHS.

For transfer from NTSC (DVD or VHS) to PAL or SECAM (VHS) or

For transfer from PAL or SECAM (VHS) to NTSC (VHS) - $ 15/1 hour of video, $ 20/2 hours of video.

From PAL/SECAM (VHS) to NTSC (DVD) - 1 hour = $20, 2 hours = $35

From NTSC (VHS or DVD) to PAL (DVD) - 1 hour = $25, 2 hours = $40

MiniDV and DVCAM (NTSC to/from PAL)

Do you have a MiniDV or DVCAM tape that you need to have converted to or from PAL? We offer conversion to and from PAL for both MiniDV and DVCAM tapes. Call for pricing.

Give us a call today!