FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Impact
PhotoVideo
Since DVD is better than VHS and other videotape formats, will the DVD of my home video look better on DVD?
You are correct that DVD is better quality, but it can't make a video look better than its original. The best you can expect is for it to be just as good. Beware of some service providers who knock down the quality so they can fit useless extra "features" on the disc.
I recorded a VHS in EP mode and now it has 5 hours of video on one tape. Can you put it on one DVD?
Yes, but we'd have to knock down the quality. You already did that when you recorded the VHS in EP (Extended Play) mode.
Then what's the rule of thumb for how much you can fit on one DVD?
In general, a DVD can fit 2 hours of video without loss of quality. You can fit more, just like VHS, by recording in Extended Play modes, but don't expect it to look as good coming out as it did going in.
Can you transfer my favorite movies to DVD?
You're better off just buying them in DVD format. Besides, it's against the law to make copies of copyrighted materials.
What are "chapters"?
Like chapters in a book, chapters on a DVD help you find a specific point in a DVD faster. In fact, it's just about instantaneous: No fast forwarding or rewinding. That's why we call it instantaneous access points. You want to go right to the vacation in Disney World? Go to the menu, highlight Disney World Vacation, and press a button. Voila, you're there!
What is a "menu"?
A menu is your selection of chapters in a textual or graphic format. Each chapter is a clickable button. For instance, you can have 3 chapters titled 1972, 1973, and 1974. When someone clicks the chapter (button) 1973, the video from 1973 plays, bypassing the video from 1972. When the video from 1973 finishes playing, you can then play the video from 1972 by clicking its button on the main menu. Thus you can play videos out of chronological sequence, if desired, without rewinding (in this instance). Menus can range from simple to complex, incorporating one or more submenus for added navigation. For instance, you could click the button on the main menu titled 1972 and have it launch a submenu of other selectable buttons such as "Christmas", "Alaska Fishing Trip", "Disneyland Vacation", etc.
I am not proud to admit, but I had trouble pausing my camera several times when I was getting used to it. Can you edit out the times I accidentally shot my own feet?
Yes, and we can edit out other mistakes as well. With our High Impact package, you get 5 edits free. Any more will cost you a buck an edit. Send a note along with your tapes or advise us via e-mail so we can make sure we spare you those embarrassing moments!
How long can I expect my DVDs to last?
Avoid scratching them, denting them, subjecting them to heat, as well as other misuses, and they will probably survive a lifetime or at least until they're obsolete. No one can really guarantee how long they will last. Just take good care of them and get a backup copy.
Home Videos to DVD Transfer Service
Home Movies (Films) to DVD Transfer Service
I have studied your site and think that I understand everything except: "Add $15 for each original DVD containing direct transfer footage of original (unedited) films." Why would I need extra DVDs?
The DVDs you purchase or rent at a video store are highly-compressed versions of original footage that are pressed onto discs in a final format called DVD Video. This is very similar to the process used by computers to burn original footage onto discs. Uncompressed footage in AVI format is transcoded to DVD-compliant MPEG format, allowing up to 2 hours of SP quality video to be burned to a DVD (single-sided). Otherwise, the videos would be on 6 to 7 DVD-ROM discs playable only on a computer, provided your computer is powerful enough to play these humongous files!
The $15 charge per DVD is for you to own the original DVD-ROM transfers. These transfers are raw - which means they are not touched up - and they are not edited, so they still contain film leader, freezes, and other unwanted footage. If you have a music track, that is not included on the DVD-ROM either.
So what is the advantage of having the DVD-ROM discs?
There are a couple. First you have a backup of your transfer project that is pretty near identical to the original film "masters". We recommend you keep them in a safety deposit box or similar secure location separate from the DVD videos. Secondly, should you or future generations decide to include the footage in another product, it is possible to return to the original, unedited footage.
Third, having the original masters makes it possible to throw away your bulky film stock. I would never tell anyone it's okay to do this. It is your decision. The gamble is that formats today, such as AVI, or even today's technology, may not be available to future generations, or else available at a reasonable price. So if you decide to throw away your films, it is at your own risk.
As an alternative, we can transfer the edited DVD Video to mini-DV tape. There are some advantages and disadvantages.
The most obvious advantage is price. The cost is $15 per tape. That's a savings because instead of backing up 6 or 7 DVD-ROM discs, you are backing up ONE 2-hr edited DVD-Video onto 2 mini-DV tapes. You are getting the benefit of all the touching up we do as well, such as color correction, exposure adjustments, etc. Music or photos that are added to the project are included on the tape. Since mini-DVs are small, the amount of space taken up in a safety deposit box is less than the equivalent in DVD-ROM discs.
So what are the disadvantages of mini-DV backup?
The same caveat of future obsolescence applies. How playable will mini-DV tape be in, say, 30 years? That's anyone's guess. Will mini-DV tape even last 30 years? The general consensus is that DVD discs will last longer, but no one can say for sure. Either one will last a long time if care is taken to preserve them. One last disadvantage - the mini-DV tape is a copy of compressed MPEG footage which may have some noticeable loss of quality from the AVI original. Also, it may not be as upgradeable to future technologies as the AVI format. That too, is anyone's guess.
The third option is to backup each DVD Video with an exact DVD Video copy. That cost is $15 per disc.
Photo Services
What is compression?
Simply put, compression is a way to make a photograph show up faster on a person's computer when you send it in e-mail. If you don't compress a photo, your recipient will have to wait many minutes for it to "download" as opposed to a few seconds, depending on how much you compress it. Most photographs are compressed using JPEG compression. The filenames will have a .jpg at the end. You can compress a photo using varying levels of compression. The more you compress a photo, the more you sacrifice quality.
What are TIFs?
TIFs are generally uncompressed digital photography files. They have a .tif after their file names. Since they are uncompressed, they are usually very big files (measured in kilobytes or megabytes) and optimal quality. TIFs are better suited for making prints on a laser or inkjet printer. Any photo appearing on a website, digital photo album, slideshow, PowerPoint presentation, or in e-mail, should be made a smaller file using JPEG compression.
What if I want to print my photos and e-mail some of them too. Is there anything different I need to do since I will be using them for two purposes?
Yes, scan them as TIFs at 150-300 dpi for prints. Scan them at 72-100 dpi for e-mail or any purpose other than prints. You can then compress them as JPEGs until you get the right balance between the file size and the quality of the image.
I have a digital camera and I want to do more than just get prints made at the local camera store. I'm not really familiar with all the terms and it seems like all the photo magazines assume a basic knowledge of digital technology that I don't have. Can you recommend a book or something that is for potential hobbyists like myself?
Glad you asked. See the video found on this website.
