Do you own MiniDV tapes which need to be digitalized?
Have no fear! You have options, so you don’t lose your memories to father time.
If you have enough patience and the time to digitize, you can do it yourself with a video-capture software at home or you can use a digitization service to send your tapes and let an expert handle the process. It all depends on which option you choose for your MiniDV tapes.
Let’s look at how MiniDV can be used to transfer digital files from home, then compare it with digitization services.
We need supplies
MiniDV camcorder or tapedeck
MiniDV tape
USB cable
Computer
Software to capture video
The USB cable connects the MiniDV camera or tape deck to the computer.
Open the tape deck, or camcorder. If your camcorder is in VCR mode, turn it on.
Load the MiniDV cassette into your camcorder/tapedeck.
Open your computer’s Video Capture Software.
Click on “capture”, from the file menu of the software. Wait for a window onto the monitor to appear.
Then press play on the tape deck or camcorder.
The video should be played within the capture window of the video editor software.
Click “record”, on the capture window within the video editor software. The software will now record your tape in real-time.
Once the tape is finished playing, press “stop!” on the capture window.
This will create a continuous digital video that you can save to your computer.
Home digitization is appealing because it requires very few tools and only a few simple steps. It is possible to spend a lot of time and expense depending on the video capture software that you use and the number and type of tapes that need to be converted. Because the software must let the tapes run, it is possible to spend hours sitting at your computer. You can also control audio and visual editing when you digitize at your home. You will have to leap another, more time-consuming hurdle once you start digitizing. If you don’t know how to edit video, or don’t have the proper software to do so, it’s probably best to use a minidv to digital conversion agency instead of digitizing your own videos. Poor quality videos can result from digitizing at home. This is a huge problem after you have spent so much time converting them.
Digitization Services For the Win
MiniDV tapes sent to a digitization agency will alleviate you from the hassle of editing. No waiting for the tapes’ completion on your computer. There are no issues with audio or video quality. Experts in video editing software will examine your videos and ensure the highest quality digitization of all those special moments.
