Transfer Legacy Video to DVD/Digital Files
Posted on Wed, Dec 07, 2011 @ 10:32 AM
Do you know what legacy tape formats are and do you own any? They are the old, outdated, and sometimes decrepit formats that most of us own, have owned, or have inherited. Ever hear of VHS? Sure you have, do you still own any? If so you have a legacy format. It is not the only legacy format. Have you ever heard of Quad tape, 1”, ¾”-Umatic, D-1, D-2, D-3, D-5, 8 mm, SVHS, Hi 8 mm, Betamax and on and on. Almost any videotape is now, or soon will be a legacy format.
Have any of you watched the Mickey Mouse Club. Not the one with Annette Funicello, the one with Brittany Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera. That was filmed in the early 80’s at the studios at Disney. The mastering format for that show was D-2 digital. I know I sold them the tape. Guess what? That is now legacy tape; just like that VHS in the back of your closet.
So what happens to legacy tapes? If you do nothing it deteriorates until you cannot use it. What should you do? If you want to preserve them you need to convert them to a current format like DVDs, Blu-Rays or digital files. Both digital archiving options offers advantages.
1. Transferring video tape to DVD or Blu-Ray is a good way to preserve home and professional videos for viewing. When tapes are transferred to DVD treasured memories are saved in a digital video format and they can be played in several devices including DVD players, computer DVD drives, game boxes and Blu-Ray players. This is a good way to archive video tapes when the material will not be edited. A DVD duplication service can make additional copies. Please keep in mind copyright protected movies and TV programs can’t be copied unless you are the copyright holder.
2. Transferring legacy video tape formats to digital video files is a better option when the program material may be edited. Many video production services prefer to work with digital video files rather than legacy tape formats such as D-2, ¾”-Umatic, SVHS and 1” because they do not have access to legacy tape players. Professional and consumer video tapes can be archived as editable video files on external hard drives or burned as data files to a Blu-Ray disc or data DVD.
Whether you want to convert VHS to DVD or incorporate legacy footage into a corporate video, transferring legacy video to DVD/digital files is the way to archive your video library.
Do shelves in your storage room look like this? If you want to save and edit your video material, now is the time to archive your tapes before they deterioriate.