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Video Transfer to DVD, AVI, MOV, MPEG or Web

15 years ago, when Sunray Video was founded, there were only a handful of video formats being used for consumer video.  VHS, 8mm, Hi8, VHS-C and Super VHS.  Then DVD came along and brought another handful of formats including DVD-Ram, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-5, DVD-9, Dual-layer DVDs, and so on.  With the addition of Blu-ray and the migration of video to computers, the web, (YouTube, Facebook, Mimeo, websites, etc.), cell phones and i-pads, the number of video formats today has exploded.  Not only are there a lot of formats to keep track of, but you need to be able to convert between them in order to maximize the exposure of your videos.  That's why thousands of clients count on Sunray to help them keep up with the changes in technology.  Below is some information we've compiled to help you become familiar with many of the options available today for transferring your precious home videos to DVD or other formats.   

Here are links to our DVD FAQ page and our video transfer order form if you'd rather ship your videos to us:

Frequently Asked Questions About DVDs   |   Download Mail Order form

Sunray has transferred thousands of hours of video to DVD & other media!

Conversion Formats

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.  If you have video you've recorded with your video camera and the format is not listed below, we may still be able to convert it for you, even if we just need to borrow your camera.  Give us a call today.

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 (and other countries around the world) 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.

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

 

We can also convert PowerPoint presentations to DVD and video.  If you don't see the format you're looking for, give us a call, we may be able to help!

Did you know that Sunray Video rents VHS and 8mm/Hi8/Digital8 video players?

Not sure what's on your home videos?  If you're in the San Diego area, stop by and pick up a video player.  We rent VHS and 8mm/Hi8/Digital8 video players so you can look through all of your home videos and camcorder tapes to decide what to keep.  Give us a call to reserve one today!  See what other equipment we have for rent

We repair videotapes

Do you have a VHS videotape that is broken?  We have the resources to repair many types of videotapes including VHS, Super VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV, and DVCAM tapes.  Give us a call.

What makes our video transfer service better?

We are the only video transfer company that offers ALL of the following:

What you should know before you transfer your 8mm and 16mm films to DVD.

I've been surfing the internet a lot lately to see what other companies are saying about the film transfer process and have discovered several contradictions and bogus information. I'd like to take a few moments to clear some things up for anyone who may be in need of these services.

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.

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

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 and can't get it to play in your DVD player?  You may need to have it converted.  The USA and some other countries use a video format referred to as NTSC, while most European countries along with much of the rest of the world use the PAL video format.  Unfortunately, most video and DVD players sold in the US will not play PAL videos and many PAL video players won't play NTSC.

Sunray Video can convert any DVD, VHS, Super VHS, or VHS-C video from the NTSC format to PAL for either VHS or DVD.  We can also convert from PAL VHS and DVD back to NTSC in either DVD or VHS.  We also convert to & from PAL for MiniDV and DVCAM.

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

Call for pricing.

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  Give us a call today!

Your Home Videos Are at Risk

Were you aware that Sony no longer supports 8mm, Hi8, and Digital8 camcorder formats anymore?

In fact, all manufacturers who previously made any of the 8mm camcorders discontinued production several years ago.  It's become very difficult to find any new products that will play these formats.  Even the blank tapes have become scarce.

8mm, Hi8, and Digital8 formats have been discontinued

If you have any of your home videos on any of these formats, then the contents of your videos may soon be lost forever.  Here are a couple of reasons why:

1. 8mm/Hi8 players that still work are hard to find - Between the 80s and today, less than a third of the people who used video cameras to record their families’ memories recorded on the 8mm, Hi8, or Digital 8 formats.  This led to far fewer machines available to play these formats or transfer them to DVD.  Unfortunately, whenever someone’s 8mm camcorder became in need of repair, most of the owners opted to throw them away and buy a new camera, with some of them deciding to switch to a different format altogether.

2. The tapes themselves have deteriorated - We've had several 8mm tapes brought into our office that were in such bad condition that we could only transfer a small portion of the tape.  The rest was unviewable.

Since Sony is no longer manufacturing 8mm camcorders, it’s become a lot more difficult for companies like ours to obtain the equipment necessary to be able to transfer any of the 8mm, Hi8, or Digital8 formats to DVD for our customers to be able to view their precious memories.  We anticipate that we have only a few years left before we will no longer be able to play these tape formats.  For this reason, we are strongly encouraging anyone who still has any home videos on these types of tapes to bring them in to be converted to DVD as soon as possible while we still have players that work.  

VHS, Super VHS, & VHS-C also discontinued

The same thing is happening for all of the VHS-related formats as well.  Many of our clients no longer even have a VHS player anymore.  In addition, information recorded on VHS tapes have been deteriorating rapidly.  In fact, we had a customer recently who brought in a VHS tape where the magnetic material had already began to literally fall off the tape.  You could see little brown slivers inside the shell.  Sadly all of the contents of this tape were lost for good.  It's become critically important to get your videotapes transferred to DVD now 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. 

MiniDV will be next

If you've been to any consumer electronics store recently you may have noticed that most of the camcorders for sale are using memory cards and/or internal hard drives to record and store video information.  MiniDV camcorders have become scarce.  The MiniDV format shares an important element with the 8mm video format in that you pretty much had to have a MiniDV camera in order to play these tapes back on your television.  After these cameras are discontinued, we’ll have a similar limited transfer time window as the 8mm format except that there were a few more people that used the MiniDV tapes than 8mm.

We highly recommend a backup DVD copy

We 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.

Dangers of DVD labeling

Did you know that you could be damaging your DVDs by the way you’re labeling them now?  One of the most popular methods people choose for labeling their DVDs and CDs is using some sort of magic marker-type pen to write on the top face of the disc.  There have been cases where the chemicals in the ink from the marker have actually “eaten” through the disc rendering the disc unreadable when played in a DVD or CD player.

The next most popular method of labeling discs is using the press-on labels that you print on using a printer and then peel and stick onto the face of the DVD or CD.  This process introduces a few problems.  First, the label must be accurately centered onto the disc face or the disc will be unbalanced and tend to ‘wobble’ while it spins at a rate of several hundreds revolutions per minute inside of a DVD player.  The wobbling of an unbalanced disc may cause problems for the laser inside the disc player when it attempts to read the information on the disc.

Second, the label must be affixed to the disc surface as smooth and flat as possible.  Otherwise, there will be air bubbles that can cause problems or worse, the label could begin to detach itself from the disc.  Also, some of the glues used on press-on labels have been known to lose its stickiness resulting in the labels separating and peeling off from the disc face.  When this happens, the label could get wrapped up inside the DVD player and damage both the player and the disc.

For these reasons, we exclusively use a special type of disc that allows us to print the labeling information directly onto the surface of the disc without the use of labels or chemicals that can damage the disc.  In addition, we now use DVDs that are resistant to water stains or bleeds should some liquid accidentally spill onto the disc.  Stop by our office to check out our direct-to-disc printing results for yourself.

Unauthored vs. Authored DVDs

Authored DVDs

There 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 DVDs

In 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.

Chapters

Chapters 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 Formats

If 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. 

Hazards of using large chain retailers for video to DVD transfers

During the past few years some of the large national chain retailers like Target and Walgreens have started offering film and video transfer services.  We thought you should know that none of these chains actually perform the transfer of film or video to DVD.  Instead they ship them off to a large warehouse firm that handles thousands of projects.  They often have quality control issues due to the large volume of work they handle and it’s much more difficult to have corrections made to any transfer.

All of the film and video transfers brought to Sunray are transferred in-house and never shipped out.  We handle each and every film, videotape, and DVD as if it were our own.

Benefits of a Sunray Video to DVD transfer

Sunray 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 DVD

We 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.  NOTE:  We do not have the equipment to convert from PAL 8mm/Hi8 or Digital8.  If you happen to have an 8mm PAL camcorder that we can borrow, then we could do the conversion.

        Give us a call for pricing information.

Gold Archival DVDs now available

Sunray 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.

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Proudly serving the communities of San Diego, La Jolla, Del Mar, Encinitas, Poway, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, Escondido, Chula Vista, Cardiff, El Cajon, Santee, Orange County, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, Marina Del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Palm Springs, Temecula, San Bernadino, Riverside for over 15 years!

Other communities we serve include: Clairemont Mesa, Mission Beach, North Park, Pacific Beach, Torrey Hills, Torrey Pines, University City, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Miramar, Mira Mesa, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Peñasquitos, Sabre Springs, Scripps Ranch, Sorrento Valley, Kearny Mesa, Mission Valley East, San Carlos, Serra Mesa, Tierrasanta, Hillcrest, Linda Vista, Morena, Ocean Beach, Old Town, Pacific Beach, Point Loma, Shelter Island, Sunset Cliffs, University Heights, Balboa Park, Bankers Hill, Lemon Grove, Lakeside, La Mesa, Leucadia, Eastlake, Bonita, Vista, Imperial Beach, National City, Solana Beach, Alpine, Fallbrook, Jamul, Harbison Canyon, Borrego Springs, Casa de Oro, Mount Helix, Spring Valley, Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Corona, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, Foothill Ranch, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Yorba Linda

Including zip codes: 

92007, 92009, 92014, 92024, 92025, 92026, 92027, 92029, 92040, 92064, 92065, 92067, 92069, 92071, 92075, 92078, 92091, 92111, 92117, 92119, 92120, 92121, 92122, 92123, 92124, 92126, 92127, 92128, 92129, 92130, 92131

92656, 92698, 92801, 92802, 92803, 92812, 92821, 92822, 92823, 90620, 90621, 90622, 92625, 92626, 92627, 92628, 90630, 92629, 92650, 92609, 92610, 92708, 92728, 92831, 92840, 92842, 92846, 92605, 92602, 90631, 92637, 92630, 92690, 92658, 92856, 92672, 92675, 92701, 92780, 92885

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