Paul Bean's DVD FAQ Page

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of tapes/CD's can be converted to DVD-R?

Format	Currently Supporting	Call for Availability
VHS	Yes
S-VHS	Yes
8mm	Yes
Hi-8	Yes
Betamax	Could...	If you supply the player
Super-Betamax	Could...	If you supply the player
VCD	Yes
DVD	Yes
miniDVD	Yes
DVCam	Yes
Super 8	See FAQ below

Can you store more than 1 hour on a DVD-R?
Yes, but you will be sacrificing quality for quantity.

It will probably be okay for normal recordings. However if you have recorded events with speed (car racing, hockey games, sprints...) you will notice a difference.

Store bought DVDs are over 1 hour long, why the issue with DVD-R?
These are completely different formats. Store bought DVDs are very expensive to create unless in massive quantities.

Even though a blank DVD-R is 4.7 gigabytes, there is only 4.4 available. Then there is the issue of never really knowing how much space a video is going to use until its done recording - so you have to leave a marginal space for error. Plus extras like menus, chapters and audio and the recommendation from everyone on the web is one hour.

Check out the Do It Yourself section for more information on this topic.

Do you guarantee that my DVD player will play the DVD?
No. Older models will not work. According to the VCD Help website, over 1000 of the 1400 known models will play the DVD-R. You can check your DVD's manual for DVD-R support, check the VCD Help website , or have us test your player prior to placing an order.

How long does the process take?
We strive for four working days. Depending upon the season it could be less. During Christmas we will highlight the cutoff date for December 25th.

How confidential are my tapes while in your possession?
There is a need for our technicians to view a few minutes of the tape to ensure proper audio and visual synchronization, other than that we don't watch your videos.

Can you duplicate my store bought DVDs?
We probably can, but due to the vagueness of the law we will not be offering this service. That, and its cheaper to simply buy a second copy and benefit from the extras built into their DVD.

I don't have digital images, but want to create a DVD album. Can it be done?
Of course! We will digitally scan all your photographs and then transfer them to DVD. Warning - if you have photo albums with the glue and plastic protection we will not remove the images for scanning for fear of destroying the image. This results in some irregularities being picked up from the plastic sleeve and less than great scans.

Click here for Photo DVD pricing.

Can you transfer Super 8 Movies to DVD... How?"
Yes!
There is only one way to transfer Super 8, record via Camcorder while it is playing. The trick is to hook up the camcorder directly to the computer and digitize it without going to tape first. The quality is not going to be outstanding. We recommend trying one of your movies first and then reviewing if you want to pursue your other tapes.