Choose Format

Tapes

Choosing The Right Format

Be aware, a DVD or BluRay will not play back in Windows 10, Apple OS 10.7 or any OS after these. Computers are no longer sold with DVD/BluRay players and you can hardly find DVD players in stores anymore. This doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t choose a DVD from us. 

Choosing the right format or formats depends on your goal. If you want to be able to delete footage, re-arrange the order, add your own music, etc. then you need an editing format (see below). If you simply want to archive the film and be able to easily view it, then MP4, DVD or BluRay is the best format.

So, there are viewing formats and editing formats and you can have both! You can specify up to 3 different formats on the order form. So. if you want a few formats like MP4 and DVD and then an editing format like HD-AVI or HD-ProRes you can do that. 

Viewing Formats

MP4 Files:

MP4 is replacing DVD and BluRay as the format of choice for easy viewing on the many digital devices including PCs, Macs, Laptops, iPads, Android or Apple phones and TVs. You can also upload them to Youtube and other video sharing sites. Our MP4 files are available in multiple resolutions from SD (480) to 4K. In addition, today’s smart TVs can play them by either playing them off a USB device or by streaming it to the TV from a computer or the internet. 

DVD and BluRay:

We use Professional and Archival DVDs and BluRays. Retail grade disks (the kind you buy in retail stores) will last about 10 years on average based on government studies. Our professional disks will last about 25 years. Our Archival disks will last 100 years under normal conditions. There are 3 different types of DVDs and BluRays and it is important to understand them.  

 

  1. Retail – These burnable DVDs/BluRays are sold in retail stores and regardless of brand will have a lifetime of 10 years and may fail as early as 2-5 years according to the US National Archives.
  2. Professional – These disks are bought in bulk and are primarily used by businesses. They last on average about 25 years. 
  3. Archival – These disks are ISO certified and are rated at 100 years or longer. Most customers might say why would I need an archival disk? There probably won’t even be a player to play them 100 years from now. True, but we get more 8mm film in than any other format. The average age of the 8mm film is 55 years old. If a film only lasted 25 years most people that shot on film would have lost those memories forever. This is the reason we recommend getting at least one set of 100-year disks. it will give you time to get them transferred to another format before you can’t anymore. 

Example DVD Menu:

  1. Five Minute Chapters
  2. Thumbnail Picture Per Chapter
  3. Start On Any Chapter

Editing Formats:

We offer just about every type of editing file there is including AVI, MOV, ProRes and DPX files from SD (480 lines) to 4K resolution. 

Here's A Sample Of Our DVD/BluRay Music

Our Promise
100% Satisfaction Guarantee

Our service is the best in the business and so is our customer support. If for any reason you are unsatisfied with our results please contact us to discuss any options. *Quality of film conversion and restoration is dependent upon the condition of existing film stock and/or videotape; severely deteriorated original materials may be beyond the reach of even the most sophisticated restoration methods.