Videotape Conversion

Some important thoughts on consumer and corporate videotape conversion...
In the past several years, there have been many small startup companies with little or no
experience, national discount retail and pharmacy chains, even companies that offer
"all-in-one" units for purchase or lease. All offer options to convert videotape to digital media.
The sad fact is, we receive more calls every month from people experiencing problems with
their videotape conversion, after doing it themselves or trusting an outside source to do a
proper conversion. Sometimes video has been converted to DVD with issues ranging from
generally poor conversion quality, mild to severe disk playback errors, or problems copying or
converting DVD disk media. Some disks won't play at all after only a year or two. If the client
has gone only to DVD and the disk has been physically damaged, in most cases there is no
backup made and their video is lost. If a corporate client has converted to media file, there can
be issues playing back the file or file migration to other formats. Any type of digital media can
contain errors. Some errors you see. Some errors you can only read or measure with the right
equipment or programs. Enough errors and the media is unable to be played, copied or
converted. Even if you don't use MTS to convert your video, below are the basics you should
look for when choosing a reliable service for a proper conversion that lasts.

Why does videotape have a limited lifespan?
Videotape is composed of several different layers of materials. For both older analog and
newer digital videotape, consumer or professional formats, the end-result is the same.
Videotape breaks down, loosing signal information, virtually erasing itself over time. Tape also
wears each time it is played. It can be damaged if run through a player that has not been
properly maintained and can be erased when placed next to electronic or magnetic equipment.
It is also getting harder to find reliable working playback units for many of the older formats.
Since the beginning of video technology, there are over 75 different videotape formats that have
been discontinued. As of spring 2008, JVC stopped making the last "professional" VHS
player/recorder. Sony will shortly stop making 8mm video format player/recorders.

Today's technology means longer lifespan, greater convenience, and more use.
Digital video disk (DVD) is not affected by a magnetic source and will not wear with use if
handled properly. It does not exhibit a slow decay of "signal" over time. If the right disk media
is properly burned, labeled and stored according to accepted professional practices, DVD
media has a conservative estimated lifespan of 15+ years. It is a practical choice to store both
family video and corporate "reference" video. For media library archives, most professionals
save to digital media file. It offers a wide array of formats for many different uses. Media file
can be quickly and easily migrated to future formats. There are many different storage options
for media files. They can easily be shared across a networked platform. When combined with
the proper indexing information and/or metadata, digital media file is a powerful resource tool.

The MTS process - what makes us different?

Equipment, knowledge and experience:
Most outside conversion companies, corporate in-house services or do-it-yourselfers do not
have the equipment or resources to convert video properly. Video conversion seems like a
simple task. It is actually VERY complex.

At MTS, we have converted thousands of hours of both corporate and consumer video content.
We use the best equipment available, insuring our corporate clients get professional results
while consumer clients receive the benefit of the same equipment. For each type of video
format we convert, we have several different playback options, multiple signal processor
choices and the experience and tools to know which combination will yield the best result.

For DVD, we record to dedicated hard drives which give us the ability to do simple
editing/clean-up. We can record to DVD at 64 different compression/quality levels (most units
can only record to 3). We have the experience of which disk manufacturers offer the best
quality media, which burners and methods provide the least errors and practice best methods
for disk labeling and storage. This insures that your DVD's work properly from the start and
last their longest. As a simple scratch can irreversibly damage a disk, we very strongly
recommend that a backup is made at the time of the original. As an added insurance, we
make backup disks from a different trusted professional name-brand than the master.

For digital media file, we offer many options. We have the knowledge to recommend the best
formats to convert your media to, for use now and in the future. We also provide guidance on
which storage and backup devices will best suit your current and future needs.

Formats:
At MTS, we are constantly adding to the list of formats we convert. We have the ability to
convert many professional videotape formats and all consumer videotape formats to DVD or
video file for editing, archiving, restoration and improvement.

Media Transfer Service, LLC. Rochester, NY . Phone: 585-248-4908 . Email: mtsinfo@rochester.rr.com