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Video & Film Transfer
FAQ - Frequently asked questions about video transfer and DVD / CD recordable media.
How can you do the conversion so cheaply?
So what's the CD video quality like?
What about MPEG-2?
Tell me in non-technical terms about the output possibilities.
Can you do VHS video to DVD?
Can you create more than one copy of my Video on CD or
DVD?
What is Copyright?
What are VCDs and SVCDs?
What is the difference between MPEG-1 and VCD?
Is there any difference between a data CD-R and an Audio
CD-R?
Do recorded DVDs work in all DVD players?
What is best DVD+R or DVD-R recordable discs?
How can you do the conversion so cheaply?
We have video to CD and DVD converter systems that simply do these
conversions. It works real-time so that a one hour video takes one hour
to create the video conversion and cut the CD/DVD. This means that we
have minimised the work we need to do to get set up. As opposed to a PC
with a video capture card, etc., where there is a considerable amount
of setup time. There is no lack of quality, simply a minimisation of labour.
So what's the CD video quality like?
Typically, VHS resolution is about 300x360, whereas VCD resolution
is 352x240 (NTSC) or 352x288 (PAL). This means that providing your PC has
good graphics output or you run the PC out to a TV, then you will be getting
a quality that approximates what you would see when running your VHS video
from your VCR to your TV. Naturally this assumes that the original video
is OK etc... Other factors need to be considered, in particular the amount
of 'action' in your videos. Fast movements tend to be quite 'blocky' when
using MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 onto Computer CD.
What about MPEG-2?
We can do MPEG-2 conversion onto Computer CDs. Approximately 30 minutes
of video will fit onto a CD.
Tell me in non-technical terms about the output
possibilities.
The best way of explaining the choices you may have in transferring your
home videos to CD or DVD is to see this as two basic kinds of storage
devices, namely CDs and DVDs.
These devices can record higher quality but shorter times or lower quality
and longer times.
For most people most of the time the longer recording times are quite
OK.
Typically you can not see any obvious difference between saving the video
in Long Play or Extended Play.
There are lots of technical issues that need to be considered
when comparing quality, however here is a relative guide that approximates
the differences:
Computer CD Recording Capabilities (650Mb)
|
Record Time
|
Quality
|
Resolution
|
|
35 minutes
|
PAL (Europe, NZ, Aust++) |
480x576 MPEG-2
|
|
70 minutes
|
PAL (Europe, NZ, Aust++) |
352x288 MPEG-1
|
|
35 minutes
|
NTSC (US TV Standard) |
480x480 MPEG-2
|
|
70 minutes
|
NTSC (US TV Standard) |
352x240 MPEG-1
|
DVD+R/RW Recording Capabilities (Depends on Recorder)
|
Record Time (Min)
|
Quality
|
Resolution*
|
Typical Source
|
Transfer Rate
|
|
60
|
High Quality (HQ) |
720 x 576 MPEG-2
|
FireWire
|
9.72 Mbits/s
|
|
120
|
Standard Play (SP) |
720 x 576 MPEG-2
|
FireWire
|
5.07 Mbits/s
|
|
180
|
Long Play (LP) |
360 x 576 MPEG-2
|
VHS
|
3.38 Mbits/s
|
|
240
|
Extended Play (EP) |
360 x 576 MPEG-2
|
<VHS
|
2.54 Mbits/s
|
|
360
|
6 Hours |
360 x 576 MPEG-2
|
<VHS
|
1.7 Mbits/s
|
| Compared: |
|
35
|
VCD |
352 x 288 MPEG-1
|
<VHS
|
|
*PAL resolutions
Beyond the resolution issues, our DVD+R recording simply looks better
as it includes Variable Bit Rate, which translates into better looking
movies when there is lots of movement.
What is a VCD or SVCD?
Video Compact Discs (VCD) and Super Video Compact Discs
(SVCD) are forerunners of DVDs. In some number of countries the VCD became a popular alternative to the VCR (Video Recorder). Like DVDs they could have menus but because of the limited space on a CD (about 650MB compared to 4,700MB for a DVD) the quality of the video is not as good as DVD but roughly equal to VHS.
A higher quality video version is also available called a Super VCD or SVCD which records video in higher quality (MPEG-2) but can record less video duration.
Many of today's DVD players will play VCDs and SVCDs, however they are not recommended to be used for transfer of irreplaceable video content as DVDs can hold more and better quality video.
What is the difference between MPEG-1 and VCD?
As discussed in the prior question, VCDs contain video content recorded in MPEG-1 format (for PAL it is 352 x 288 pixels in size). The video file is located in the mpegav sub-menu on the CD and is typically called avsec01.dat.
Given that you have a VCD player it will work find BUT if you want to play this on a personal computer, then it is not likely to work without special software that understands what a VCDs.
Practically if you wish to play this MPEG file on a PC you will need to set things up so that the Windows media player knows this file is in fact an mpeg file. The easiest way of doing this is to copy the video file from the VCD to the hard drive and rename it with an extension of mpg, for example myvideo.mpg. If then you open this file, Windows will automatically start Windows Media Player with your video file ready to run...
Can you do VHS video to DVD?
Yes! We prefer you go to DVD because you will be getting a better quality
AND you will be able to fully utilise the capabilities of this DVD+RW format
in the future AND you can get up to 4 hours per DVD (as opposed to 1 hour
maximum on a CD). We, however recommend 2 hours video per DVD as it maintains
a maximum of quality that should look good even on large screen TVs.
Can you create more than one copy of my Video on CD or DVD?
Yes - see Pricing for costs.
What is Copyright?
In simple terms Copyright is a group of laws that have international
agreement, where someone who creates a movie, book, computer software
and the like can claim a legal ownership, called Copyright. This means
that they are claiming ownership and retain the right to control who may
reproduce their work.
A common misunderstanding about copyright is the notion of purchasing
a book, video or computer program is not purchasing the copyright. This
means that if you were to purchase a book and then decide to print 100
copies and give them to your friends or sell them, this this would likely
be in breach of copyright.
This means that if you wanted to have the legal right to copy someone
else's work, you would need their (written) approval to do so, and this
would normally have some number of limitations. As you can imagine, the
likes of Fox Studios would not be likely to give you, personally the OK
to make a copy of The Matrix for all of your friends!
We are not trying to be lawyers here, so if you have any doubts you can
contact a solicitor or the industry participants like:
http://www.digital.org.au/
http://www.copyright.org.au/
http://www.copyright.com.au/
http://www.bsaa.com.au/
PCX's policy is that we will not knowingly reproduce copyright materials
without approval of the copyright owner.
All services performed by PCX first require you complete our Order Form which covers our terms and conditions as well as detailing the work you require.
Is there any difference between a data CD-R and
an Audio CD-R?
You can buy Audio CD recordable and Data CD recordable media. From experience
Data CD-Rs appear to work fine as Audio and Data CD situations.
Do recorded DVDs work in all DVD players?
NO - A recent survey indicated that there are about 10% of DVD players
that do not play recorded DVDs (DVDs that are individually recorded).
To explain. Commercial DVDs, for example Hollywood movies are pressed,
just like records. Recordable DVDs are burned track by track. This is
different technically and requires special capabilities in the DVD player.
Beyond this, there are several kinds of recordable DVDs....
What is best DVD+R or DVD-R recordable discs?
There is no simple answer here! But the rules of thumb from our experience
is:
If you are playing the DVD in a DVD player then the best choice is DVD+R
(these should work in 95%+ players).
If you are playing the DVD in a computer DVD ROM, the best choice is DVD-R.
With the passage of time, it is likely that recordable DVDs will work
in more DVD players, just as recordable CDs now work in most CD players.
The issue of PLUS or Minus media is not particularly significant, both
formats are likely to coexist into the future. |
