Video Transfer Boston

We can now scan large format prints using our new professional, dedicated Epson GT-2000 large format scanner. Don’t have photo prints that large lying around in your house? They are not for photo prints. They are for scanning newspaper articles, travel maps, travel print momentos, and scrapbook pages.

The traditional scrapbook is 12 inch by 12 inch. They need a large format scanner to truly capture edge to edge. Our large format scanning prices are the cheapest in the industry: $4 a page, compared to Staples ($7 a page) or photo shops that charge double digits a page.

The professional scanner we use also has built-in digital enhancement so those faded scrapbook pages perk up. Talking about fading, your photo prints and scrapbook pages have a shelf life. After ten years, they start getting a dull yellowish tinge as the emulsion starts breaking down. Digitize them soon to stop the degradation process. Think of the hours putting together those scrapbooks for your children and your children’s children.

The other advantage of digitizing your scrapbooks and photo prints is that your kids won’t have to fight over them as you can make as many copies as you want. And they can enjoy them digitally on the computer, or we can turn them into coffee-table photobooks for you.

Been hiding your precious scrapbooks in your bedroom closets so they won’t bet abused, torn, or get coffee spills? Now you can be assured that you have a digital master and can re-produce your coffee-table scrapbooks as many times as you want. After all, isn’t scrapbook for viewing and sharing the memories?

If you have questions about your large format scanning projects, please call us at (617) 901-4564. One of our friendly customer managers will be glad to help you.

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Enjoy watching videos on your iPod, iTouch or iPhone? iTunes store is a great place to purchase videos, but what about getting your own home movies on your iPhone?

If your home movies are already in digital format, you’ve got a head start. Many of us though still have our precious memories stored in VHS tapes, Hi8 tapes, miniDV, or heaven forbid, in 8mm or 16mm film reels. If so, your first step is to digitize them into digital video. Video transfer service providers now offer video tape transfer to hard drive, not just DVDs. Go for the hard drive option. Once your videos are on the hard drive, you can convert them to iPod-friendly format. By that, I mean MP4 format. Then simply upload your MP4 videos into iTunes.

Transferring your video tapes to digital video is easy, just bring it to a video transfer service provider. The trickier part is converting your digital video into MP4 format.

There are a number of sites and software that allow you to convert just about any digital video format to MP4 format required by Apple devices.

The one we recommend to our clients is the free Videora ipod converter. The steps may seem daunting to you if you consider yourself techno-phobic, but you only have to figure it out once. The 2nd, 3rd time will be a breeze.

To help take the fear away, we’ve created a video tutorial on how to convert your videos into iPod, iTouch or iPhone MP4 format. Click the link below and watch the easy step-by-step process:

http://simplevideoediting.com/howto/share_ipod

You’ve got your kids pictures on your iPhone, why not their videos as well. Good luck!

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Taking a few minutes to prepare before shooting the video can save you a lot of time video editing later.

When you decide to use home-grown talents instead of professional actors to shoot for a video production, the cost can easily explode way beyond budge if preparations are not done properly. Below are some tips that you can tell your talent to make the preparation effort most effective.
Rehearse many times beforehand. Scripts should be prepared, edited and well rehearsed before the take. The more preparation he makes, the more relaxed he will be during the shoot, and the better the production will turn out.

What not to wear… Wear the clothes that you feel comfortable in, but avoid distracting patterns or colors. The camera does not like black or white, or small patterns such as tweed and herringbone. Solid colors work best. Do not wear scarves or jewelries that would rub on or hit the microphone. Chunky jewelries that may hit the furniture and send off extraneous sounds should be avoided as well. The lapel-style microphones work best with collared shirts, lapel jackets and cardigan sweaters.

Location, lighting, and other set-up issues. Shoot in a big room to maximize the depth of view. Cover the window with shades to avoid sunlight. If you want to showcase the skyline view of your office, the crew can gel the windows properly for shooting, which will take some extra time. Plan plenty of time for the crew to set it up before shooting, at least an hour.

The script should sound, rather than look, good. Be aware that some nicely written sentences can sound awkward when read. Make sure the script sounds smooth and natural when read aloud. Do not Corporate brochures should not be read directly before the camera without being edited.
Prepare the talent mentally for the shooting. Tell your talent to prepare as much as possible beforehand – rehearse the script, dress properly and plan about 10 min makeup times for the makeup artist. Also tell him or her that it is going to be a professional shooting with a crew to avoid any jitters caused by unexpected elaborated shooting setup. On the day of shooting, he/she should just relax. Non-live shooting can always be edited after the production, so no need to worry about making mistakes.

Once again, relax.

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When to transfer your VHS to DVD and when to transfer your VHS to hard drive?

Many customers ask us the above question. Here’s the simple answer: If you plan to edit your video (add music, titles, trim out the slow parts, for example), transfer your VHS to hard drive. If you don’t plan to do any editing, you just want to convenience of popping your DVD into a DVD player and watch it unedited, then transfer your VHS to DVD.

That answer helps most customers decide right away.

A few customers, after hearing that, get interested and ask another question, “Is it hard to edit videos?” It used to be. It used to be very hard. Only professionals do it. Because it takes special training, and because the video editing software is north of $1,000.

Not anymore. The software is free whether you are on the Mac (iMovie) or on the PC (Windows Movie Maker). We even offer free video tutorials for Windows Movie Maker.

I hope that didn’t make it a harder choice for you. Call us anytime (617) 901-4564 to discuss your situation and we’ll help you weigh the pros and cons of transferring VHS to DVD or Hard Drive.

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Just discovered a case of old 8mm film reels in your parents’ attic? How to choose from the film transfer services that are out there? Here are some criteria to consider to get the best quality from your aged and fragile 8mm film reels to DVD.

8mm Transfer Service Criteria (ask each service you evaluate these questions):

• Do you do the work in-house? When you deal with irreplaceable family media such as film reels, video tapes, slides, it’s safest if the media stays in the service location instead of getting shipped to India or even to another state.
• Do you have a dedicated lab? This is a better question than “Do you use professional equipment?” What’s wrong with the latter question is that everyone will say yes, they do, even if it’s an equipment they purchase from Best Buy intended for consumers. When your 8mm or 16mm film is transferred in a dedicated lab, you can be sure, this is a bonafide operation and not a hobbyist basement moonlighting gig.
• Is the transfer method Frame-by-Frame? Frame-by-frame telecine transfer is the best way to transfer old 8mm film reels. However, only the most selective labs do it this way. Many labs project the film on the wall, then record it from a camera. This method of transferring film ‘over the air’ causes flickering and inferior quality resolution. Frame-by-frame 8mm transfer gives you the best quality transfer because each tiny frame on the 8mm film is captured on a photocell, often with an integrated camera, then digitized together into one flicker-free high quality transfer. The keyword here is: Frame by Frame.
• Is the camera a 1CCD or 3CCD? The camera used to capture each frame makes a big difference to the end results. 3CCD cameras have 3 chips to capture colors in more vibrant and true form. Ask the lab if they use a 3CCD camera instead of the standard single-chip cameras.

Below is an image of the same frame from an 27-year old 8mm film. See the difference? You only want to pay for your film transfer once, make it a stellar job.


Frame-by-Frame vs. Tradition Film Transfer:
A traditional film transfer produces interlaced frames (the blur frame in the middle).
A frame by frame film transfer produces non-interlaced frames (Frame 1, and 2).

My name’s Myrtha, we are a family business transferring precious film reels for families in the Boston area. Call me at (617) 901 4564 about any of your 8mm or 16mm film to DVD transfer questions.

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