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DVDs
Download Mail Order formVideo to DVD Transfers
As the proverbial "sun" sets on the VHS format, it's become critically important to get your videotapes transferred to DVD before they lose all of their irreplaceable contents forever. Tests have shown that images recorded on videotape can noticeably deteriorate beginning as soon as just 7 years after they were originally recorded. We've confirmed this on some of the videotapes that we've used in the past. Of the thousands of tapes we've received from customers for transfer to DVD, we've noticed that VHS, 8mm, and Hi8 camcorder tapes seem to be the most vulnerable. The reasons for that videotape recordings break down over time can be varied from the quality of the tape used to how the tapes were stored over the years. For example, videotapes that were placed on or near a stereo speaker or close to a magnetic source could have fallen victim to accidental erasure as the magnetic field can rearrange the metal particles on the tape, disrupting the information that was recorded. In fact, the use of magnetic fields is precisely how the information was recorded onto the videotapes in the first place. The tapes, themselves, are made up of tiny metal particles that are "arranged magnetically" in a pattern corresponding to the information being recorded. Storage of videotapes in areas that are too hot or too cold can affect the actual tape itself, in some case by warping it, making it difficult for a videotape player to play back the images precisely as they were originally recorded. While DVDs are not infallible, they are not subject to the same types of deterioration described above. Whether your videos contain precious family memories or important seminars or educational information, we can't emphasize enough the importance of getting them put onto DVD before their contents are lost forever. We highly recommend a backup DVD copyWe know how easily discs can be scratched and damaged, sometimes just by accidentally dropping them on the floor. So we recommend getting a 2nd set of DVDs that can be stored away in a safe place. If any of your discs should become damaged beyond the ability to be played, you'll be able to make another copy for a fraction of the cost of having your videos transferred all over again, assuming you still have them.
Unauthored Vs. Authored DVDsAuthored DVDsThere are essentially two methods used to create DVDs, authored and unauthored. If you own or have viewed any Hollywood movies you may remember that when you first placed the DVD into your player a menu appeared on your television screen at some point, prompting you to select "play" to play the movie. You may have also noticed some options for other features like bonus footage, director's commentary, or choices for changing the sound playback characteristics of the movie. All of the menus created for these DVDs are customized for each movie. These DVDs have been created using authoring software and usually require several hours of labor to design and "program" the menu layout and function. Unauthored DVDsIn order to keep the cost of transferring videotapes to DVDs low, Sunray uses stand-alone DVD recorders to create unauthored DVDs of your videos. They do not require the use of a computer and can convert and record video to DVD in real (actual) time without the assistance of a technician. A two hour video will require a little more than two hours to convert to DVD as opposed to the authored type which utilizes the services of a computer and technician for at least 5 hours or more. Therefore, we can convert a two hour video to an unauthored DVD for just $25.00 versus over $300.00 for an authored DVD. There are some compromises with this process. For example, you cannot have a customized menu. Unauthored DVDs will have a generic menu instead. ChaptersChapters have been described in more than one way. For unauthored DVDs our equipment will place "chapter points" approximately every 10 minutes throughout the video that may be accessed by using the next button (usually notated by two right-facing arrows and a vertical line >>| ) on the remote control for your DVD player. I prefer to call these index points rather than chapter points. Each time you press this button, the DVD will advance 10 minutes ahead. In addition to these "index points", chapter points can also be manually created anywhere within the DVD. Once created, they would be assigned a designated title (chosen by you) that will appear on the DVD menu whenever you press the menu button on your remote. After highlighting a specific chapter title on the menu and pressing the enter key, the DVD player would then jump directly to that specific spot on the DVD and begin playing from that point though the end of the disc. Since there is additional labor required to create these chapter points and label them, we typically charge $5 per title for every title over 2 titles per disc. DVD FormatsIf you remember the format wars of the 80s when VHS and Betamax battled it out to see which format would become the standard for video recording and movie rentals in most households. Of course, VHS wound up being the winner and Betamax seemed to disappear. Well, unfortunately, the introduction of DVDs led to a whole new level of format wars, with DVD-Ram, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD+R, and DVD-R being among the contenders, and DVD-Rom used primarily for software and as alternative data storage for computers. The DVD-Ram, DVD+RW, and DVD-RW formats have been, for the most part, brand specific in their use which requires the same brand of DVD player to play a disc as the one that recorded it for each particular format. For example, if you had a DVD-Ram disc you would have to use a Panasonic machine to either record or playback the disc. Most other brands would not recognize the DVD-Ram format. DVD+R and DVD-R have been more compatible than the other formats in terms of being able to play them on several brands of DVD players, with DVD-R being the most universally compatible of the two formats. This is the reason why most video companies, including Sunray, will use DVD-R for all of their video transfers. High Definition DVDs (Blu-ray)You may have heard about the battle for the next generation high-definition DVD formats between Blu-ray and HD DVD. With more high-definition programming becoming available and Hi-Def televisions taking over the market, the need for a DVD format that will hold enough data to adequately contain an entire Hollywood movie in Hi-Def has become necessary. Again consumers were stuck in the middle of yet another format war. There is good news. As of February 2008, Toshiba, one of the last holdouts, has decided to discontinue their support for the HD DVD, making Blu-ray the winner of this battle. Blu-ray discs can hold about 66% more information than an HD DVD, so it seemed logical to presume that it would eventually win. Blu-ray discs will hold up to 25GB of data on a single-layer disc versus only about 4.5GB on a traditional DVD. If you use a dual-layer disc, it would hold 50GB of information, equivalent to about 9 hours of high definition programming. At this time, the cost of the equipment to play and record Blu-ray is still rather high, with players starting around $400.00. For more information about Blu-ray, check out http://www.blu-ray.com/faq/#bluray_capacity_video.
Benefits of a Sunray Video to DVD transferSunray offers video transfer to authored, unauthored, and even PAL DVDs complete with chapters if you need them. Our company uses professional quality DVDs that tend to be more durable and last longer than the bargain discs that are sold in stores and online. In our experience it's not worth trying to save a little money at the risk of losing the priceless images captured on your video. And to ensure there is no damage to the DVD during the labeling process, we don't used magic markers or press-on labels when labeling your DVDs. Chemicals often found in magic markers have been known to "eat through" the materials in DVDs that can render them unreadable. Magic markers have been know to "eat through" DVDs making them unreadable. Press-on (or stick-on) labels introduce their own set of problems that can affect the playback of a disc. If the label is not applied precisely centered on top of the disc, the disc will be off-balance and may tend to "wobble" during playback while the disc is spinning at several hundred revolutions per minute. Some DVD players may have trouble reading a disc that wobbles while it is spinning inside the player. Also, some of these labels have been proven to separate from the surface of the disc over time and are at risk of getting snagged inside the DVD player mechanism causing irreparable damage to both the disc and the DVD player. Our process involves printing directly onto the surface of the disc that is specifically designed for the application of ink that is resistant to moisture and won't destroy the materials within the DVD. Formats we can transfer to DVDWe have the equipment to transfer all of the following formats to both NTSC and PAL DVDs. For source video in NTSC: VHS, VHS-C, 8mm/Hi8/Digital8, HDV, MiniDV, DVCAM, Betacam and Betacam SP. For source video in PAL: VHS, VHS-C, HDV, MiniDV, and DVCAM. We can transfer from NTSC DVD to PAL DVD and from PAL DVD to NTSC DVD. We can transfer AVI, QuickTime, and MPEG videos to DVD, as well. Give us a call for pricing information. Gold Archival DVDs now availableSunray now offers the Archival Gold DVDs for preserving your films even longer than before. There have been numerous reports of DVDs that started coming apart after just 3 years. Many are blaming the poor quality materials used to produce the discs.
Pricing Information for Video to DVD transfersVideo transfer to standard DVDs
Video transfer to GOLD DVDs
Additional DVD copiesWe know how easily discs can be scratched and damaged, sometimes just by accidentally dropping them on the floor. That's why we recommend getting a 2nd set of DVDs that can be stored away in a safe place. If any of your discs should become damaged beyond the ability to be played, you'll be able to make another copy for a fraction of the cost of having your videos transferred all over again, assuming you still have them. Additional standard DVD copies - $9. Additional Gold DVD copies are also available. Call for pricing on larger quantities of DVD copies.
Here's how to orderIf you're in the San Diego area and would like to drop them off in person:
If you're outside the San Diego area and would like to ship them to us:
You may Download an order form here. *We recommend shipping your videos via UPS or FedEX, since they have the ability to track the whereabouts of your package at any given time.
DVD Duplication and ReplicationWhether you need several DVD copies of your video to distribute to employees, customers, or just share with family and friends, let Sunray help you with all of your DVD duplication needs. Once you have determined the number of copies you need, we'll just need to know the following:
Paper Sleeve Jewel Case Slim Jewel Case DVD Case
Give us a call for pricing information. For more information on Duplication and Replication go to our Duplication page.
Frequently Asked Questions about DVDsIf I have a DVD burner in my computer, can I make DVD copies myself?As long as you have the appropriate software, yes. WARNING: Here are the most common problems you need to be aware of that have actually happened to people who have duplicated DVDs. A. They used the wrong format of DVD and it won't play in some players. B. They use cheap blank DVDs that start falling apart within a few years. C. Most people who make their own DVD copies have been using press-on labels
D. Some people choose to use a marker to label their DVDs. The chemicals in markers have actually reacted with the materials in some discs causing the materials in the disc to break down to the point of becoming unreadable in a DVD player. For this reason, we STRONGLY DISCOURAGE THE USE OF MARKERS ON THE FACE OF DVDs and CDs. Can I edit the video from the DVD?If you were to take one of your movie DVDs and put it into your computer and look at the file directory, you would see several folders. Within these folders you'd find files containing the extension suffix of .VOB designating their file types as VOB files. Unfortunately, most editing programs do not recognize these file types and don't know what to do with them. If your editing software program doesn't recognize these file types, then you won't be able to edit the video directly from the disc. If you have the ability to connect a DVD player to your computer and capture the footage while the DVD is playing, then you could edit the video using this method to import the video footage into your computer. What if the DVD-R disc won't play in my DVD player?If you happen to have one of the few DVD players that won't play a DVD-R disc, then you may want to consider purchasing a new DVD player that does. They can easily be found for less than $50. It makes the most sense to use a DVD format that is compatible with the most brands and models of DVD players and you should have a player that is compatible with this format. |
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