Video tape to DVD transfer

[MILT]

Anyone know if and where there is a service that transfers Cassette tapes and VHS tape to DVD in the Chiangmai area?

Thanks for any suggestions.....

[elektrified]

Yes there is. In Panthip Plaza 3rd? Floor. 053-217949, 08-9191-4110

 

But be advised that they are VERY expensive. I took a a few (4) VHS cassettes over to be transferred to DVD and the guy wanted 6K Baht. He says he has to disassemble the cassettes and clean the mold off the tape before he will use them in his machines. He said it takes him minimum 3-4 hours per cassette. He would not negotiate. I've passed by 20 times and never seen a customer in there. So a few weeks later I asked a Thai friend to inquire and see what kind of price he would be quoted. He was quoted more - 6200 Baht (that should dispel an theory that farangs get charged more.) My friend also said that he would not negotiate the price and that he told him that he is the only person in Chiang Mai that offers this service because "nobody else knew what they were doing and they have all gone out of business."

 

I checked with a friend in Bangkok who is quite knowledgeable and he told me that the price is correct to do the job properly. He said all video cassettes in Thailand will have mold if not stored individually in zip lock bags with silica gel inside. Heads are getting harder to find to keep the old machines running.

[MILT]

Awesome Thanks! 

The tapes have been stored in Norway, not to imply that there is no mold

on the tapes...maybe he will negotiate better price knowing that...? Hahahahaha

[elektrified]

Shop is called "Convert Video @ Logo Shop" 3rd Floor or 2nd Floor - back corner.

[thaibeachlovers]

If you have a VDO player to go with the tapes, you can do yourself by connecting player to a DVD recorder. 

I have done many conversions myself, but don't have the equipment in LOS.

[Trujillo]

Does anyone actually buy or watch DVDs anymore? This is dying technology. Don't transfer one dead technology to another dying one. Just do it direct to digital on your computer. There are many sites online that show you how and what you need. 

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 6:52 PM, Trujillo said:

Does anyone actually buy or watch DVDs anymore? This is dying technology. Don't transfer one dead technology to another dying one. Just do it direct to digital on your computer. There are many sites online that show you how and what you need. 

Speak for yourself.

If I had to put my 2,000 DVDs on a computer, how big a hard drive would I need, and then when it died, as everything does, or got locked up by ransomeware, what then?

 

[johng]

The DVD recorder is a good Idea
as it "guarantees" a compatible output at "good enough" quality
without having to spend wasted hours fiddling all the variables available with PC capture cards

Once in DVD VOB format you can experiment with editing and/or conversion to a more modern format like H264 or maybe even newer H265. Which will keep the VHS "quality" but be able to squash the file size down considerably

The DVD's also need to be taken care of as there is a tropical fungus that likes to eat them especially cheap home burnt DVD's

Only problem dont know where you'll find a DVD recorder in Thailand ?

[jonwilly]

I am no expert.

I wanted to transfer a VHS to a DVD and was  advised against it for VHS is very low quality in terms of number of lines / inch and so would result in a low quality DVD.

 

john

[johng]

Its true that VHS has a lower "quality" than DVD...the resulting DVD can never have better than VHS quality without very time consuming computer enhancement even then the quality will not be anything like the best quality DVD is capable of providing.
The point is get the material into a widely used digital standard
before the tape rots away or there is no playback equipment left.
the original tape can then be put in storage or thrown away.

[FolkGuitar]

On 3/1/2018 at 4:00 PM, johng said:

The DVD recorder is a good Idea
................SNIP for brevity ............................
Only problem dont know where you'll find a DVD recorder in Thailand ?

 

Computer Plaza, second floor rear, just next to the stairs. They sell DVD recorders that are simply USB plug ins... 300 or 400 baht... can't remember. Bought one there last year to use on a friend's laptop that didn't have a DVD drive. You can even buy USB diskette drives in that shop!

 

[johng]

14 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

They sell DVD recorders

by DVD recorder  I mean something like this   maybe called a PVR

 

It has scart/ phono  SVHS   ++  connections on the back   

you plug your VCR or camcorder into those inputs

the DVD recorder   converts "on the fly"  to DVD format either straight to DVD disc or  onto a hard drive inside the recorder for later transfer to DVD disc.

 

with one of those you don't have to fiddle around for hours with a PC video capture card trying to find the best settings  just hook up VCR  press record on the PVR  and play on the VCR.....wait till you recorded what you want or the end of the tape...

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 8:32 AM, FolkGuitar said:

 

Computer Plaza, second floor rear, just next to the stairs. They sell DVD recorders that are simply USB plug ins... 300 or 400 baht... can't remember. Bought one there last year to use on a friend's laptop that didn't have a DVD drive. You can even buy USB diskette drives in that shop!

 

I know what you are talking about, but video players don't normally have USB plug in facility. What you are talking about, IMO, are external DVD player/ recorders to use with computers that don't include a disk drive, as many don't now. 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 8:58 AM, johng said:

by DVD recorder  I mean something like this   maybe called a PVR

 

It has scart/ phono  SVHS   ++  connections on the back   

you plug your VCR or camcorder into those inputs

the DVD recorder   converts "on the fly"  to DVD format either straight to DVD disc or  onto a hard drive inside the recorder for later transfer to DVD disc.

 

with one of those you don't have to fiddle around for hours with a PC video capture card trying to find the best settings  just hook up VCR  press record on the PVR  and play on the VCR.....wait till you recorded what you want or the end of the tape...

I think I have one of those back home. It's not necessary to have the hard drive though, as one can record straight to disk with a simple recorder. The advantage of the hard drive is that one can edit the recording, change it around, get rid of ads, add things like music. A hard drive model is significantly more expensive and heavier than a simple recorder.

[Trujillo]

"If I had to put my 2,000 DVDs on a computer, how big a hard drive would I need, and then when it died, as everything does,

or got locked up by ransomware, what then?"

 

First off, how many of those DVDs have you checked recently? Of the 200+ I used to have, about 20+ percent I found were degraded or totally blank (including ones from boxed sets from the official outlets in the USA). 

 

Second, the quality of DVDs suck compared to HD. 

 

"DVDs have an intrinsic resolution of 720×480 pixels (NTSC) and 720×540 pixels (PAL). Those pixels are either displayed in a 4:3 (standard) aspect ratio or a 16:9 (widescreen) aspect ratio. This is typically called 480p video. As you can see, 480p is a whole lot less than 1080p."

-- the internet

 

Third, whatever you have, except possibly a rare movie or two, everything you have can be found on torrents and obtained in either 720 or 1080 quality, or their original source code (for free -- but you can pay to get them from other sources too). 

 

Of course, maybe your 2,000 DVDs are home movies, I don't know. 

And as far as storing them, there are Solid State Drives, that will outlast you. 

 

I still don't understand why anyone would want to own DVDs. Anyone still own an 8-track? Got anything to play on it? 

[elektrified]

10 hours ago, Trujillo said:

"If I had to put my 2,000 DVDs on a computer, how big a hard drive would I need, and then when it died, as everything does,

or got locked up by ransomware, what then?"

 

First off, how many of those DVDs have you checked recently? Of the 200+ I used to have, about 20+ percent I found were degraded or totally blank (including ones from boxed sets from the official outlets in the USA). 

 

Second, the quality of DVDs suck compared to HD. 

 

"DVDs have an intrinsic resolution of 720×480 pixels (NTSC) and 720×540 pixels (PAL). Those pixels are either displayed in a 4:3 (standard) aspect ratio or a 16:9 (widescreen) aspect ratio. This is typically called 480p video. As you can see, 480p is a whole lot less than 1080p."

-- the internet

 

Third, whatever you have, except possibly a rare movie or two, everything you have can be found on torrents and obtained in either 720 or 1080 quality, or their original source code (for free -- but you can pay to get them from other sources too). 

 

Of course, maybe your 2,000 DVDs are home movies, I don't know. 

And as far as storing them, there are Solid State Drives, that will outlast you. 

 

I still don't understand why anyone would want to own DVDs. Anyone still own an 8-track? Got anything to play on it? 

I have over 700 and watch them all the time.

[thaibeachlovers]

17 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Third, whatever you have, except possibly a rare movie or two, everything you have can be found on torrents and obtained in either 720 or 1080 quality, or their original source code (for free -- but you can pay to get them from other sources too). 

So, explain how I do that without an internet connection.

[thaibeachlovers]

18 hours ago, Trujillo said:

I still don't understand why anyone would want to own DVDs. Anyone still own an 8-track? Got anything to play on it? 

You don't seem to understand much about people that don't consider a digital knowledge important, but never mind, perhaps you are young.

No doubt you would scorn my car as well, as it's so old it only has a tape player. Not a problem though, as I can use my 30 year old tapes in it.

[Trujillo]

Without an internet connection? What do you mean? How are you posting on ThaiVisa? Using the old "internet string and two tin cans" method?

 

My car was made in late 1956. It is two years older than I am. So yes, I am young. 

 

Why fight technology? You can't win. Perhaps you can transfer your movies to magic lantern slides.... >..<

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Without an internet connection? What do you mean? How are you posting on ThaiVisa? Using the old "internet string and two tin cans" method?

 

My car was made in late 1956. It is two years older than I am. So yes, I am young. 

 

Why fight technology? You can't win. Perhaps you can transfer your movies to magic lantern slides.... >..<

55555555555555555555555

Yes I have internet connection as in accommodation with wifi included. When I leave I won't have internet. Haven't had internet in most of the past 9 years.

Why would I put my movies on magic lantern slides? They are just fine on DVD, which I can buy easily.

Whatever the technology is now, it will be superseded in a few years. I can't be bothered trying to keep up, as I can do without it anyway. Most of it is <deleted> anyway. Why would I give a monkey's about using a phone with a tiny screen when I can see whatever I want on a decent sized one? My phone is just for making and receiving calls.

[Paul Catton]

6 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Without an internet connection? What do you mean? How are you posting on ThaiVisa? Using the old "internet string and two tin cans" method?

 

My car was made in late 1956. It is two years older than I am. So yes, I am young. 

 

Why fight technology? You can't win. Perhaps you can transfer your movies to magic lantern slides.... >..<

Didn't you know vinyl is making a comeback.

Have lost many a memory from introduced advances in technology being the requisite.

Especially digital storage.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎3‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 2:14 PM, Paul Catton said:

Didn't you know vinyl is making a comeback.

Have lost many a memory from introduced advances in technology being the requisite.

Especially digital storage.

Not surprising that vinyl is coming back. Music was much more important then. One paid a lot of money for a top quality stereo set with separate components, had a top quality turntable with a good needle, and had a library of wonderful records that had art on the covers and information on the back. It made it special, instead of the background noise it is now. Even the ceremony of cleaning the disk and carefully lowering the needle was part of the experience.

The digital dummies just don't know what they are missing out on.

 

Apparently, even real photographs are making a revival.

The sterile, greedy modern environment all about money is creating a backlash.

[Trujillo]

"It made it special, instead of the background noise it is now." 

 

Uh...many of the artists who released records back then are still releasing music, er, "background noise" as you call it. 

 

Or are you channeling Marshall McLuhan, who said famously, "The medium is the message," meaning that the medium itself and not the content it contains should be the focus of interest. So it is not the music itself that is of interest here (or movies, as I believe is the subject) but rather the form in which it is carried. 

 

Perhaps you should be researching for a place to put your video tapes onto 8mm film. 

One paid a lot of money for a top quality projector, had a top quality screen with a good reflective surface, and had a library of wonderful films that were artful and informative. It made it special.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎3‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 4:47 PM, Trujillo said:

"It made it special, instead of the background noise it is now." 

 

Uh...many of the artists who released records back then are still releasing music, er, "background noise" as you call it. 

 

Or are you channeling Marshall McLuhan, who said famously, "The medium is the message," meaning that the medium itself and not the content it contains should be the focus of interest. So it is not the music itself that is of interest here (or movies, as I believe is the subject) but rather the form in which it is carried. 

 

Perhaps you should be researching for a place to put your video tapes onto 8mm film. 

One paid a lot of money for a top quality projector, had a top quality screen with a good reflective surface, and had a library of wonderful films that were artful and informative. It made it special.

My VDO tapes are on DVD. I used a machine with both tape and DVD recorder built in.

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

Forward compatibility is going to be an issue for sure. Personal media collections will be a thing of the past but without net connectivity you have nothing.

 

I have a few VHS home tapes, nothing worth that much money to copy. DVDs, Blu-Rays and many audio CD’s going back to the 80s. Some LPs, no turntable at the moment. I was advised by certain “long-haired audio snobs” in those 80s that CD were to soon be unreadable rubbish and I should leapfrog to MD players. (A forgotten technology what died long ago). Well as for the the CD’s they still play fine on my Yamaha decks. The older ones are higher quality especially the import labels from Germany, Japan etc. How about MP3 files? Anyone think they will last 35+ years uncorrupted and readable?

 

Also know a guy from way back who is a Dead Head. He has thousands of tapes, the highest quality audio are those on BETAmax. They must troll second hand audio sites/ for deck repair. The blank tapes, like photo film, are no longer sold in regular stores Maybe some old factories in Russia make it like 35mm film!

[tifino]

I saw some earlier Posts, which coincidentally displayed a Panasonic unit representing DVD recorders...

 

good move actually!

that example employed scart/composite/s-video connections for input, and depending on the model, will output via scart/composite/s-video and hopefully too - HDMI

 

... so compatibility between newer and elder display units etc should be fine for some time to come.

 

Panasonic models themselves are a good choice, in that they also can employ DvDram discs

I do this exclusively, with DvDram, as I get achival quality, especially as these DVdrams never wear out in your lifetime...

 

Using Panasonic models in articalar is also best, as if you were to go thru an operators manual, you will note the many choices of quality of recording: Xp/SP/LP/ELP amongst a few more depending on the model.

 

I actually utilise the LP mode, which only the Panasonic line of models can still faithfully provide/maintain a 500 lines quality, even in LP mode.  Singled side of DvDram, in LPmode still gives you 4 hours per side, at 500 lines

 

Editing via panasonic's DvDram systems gets a bout a good as you can get. 

I can cleanly edit out a word from a sentence for example

Try that on a DVDr disc, and you have to sacrifice too much content, per edit 

 

DvDram is also fully compatible with PCs equipped with Super-Multi drives

 

 

p,s, yes I am a DvDram fanboy... fully converted,

and been keeping solely with the format since 2003, and not about to change away, any time soon... 

(there's probbly a lot of younger dudes who may not know of  DvDram..,

which is basically operated in a similar format to how a hard drive handles/stores information.)

 

oh, and regarding having a hard drive onboard the Recorder?... you really do need it,

especially if you want to edit any of your VHS's content.

 

Do it all (the editing) on the Panasonic recorder,

and not on the PC, that is if you want virtually seamless edits

 

 

from my massive collection of transfers...

to Play them back, I still utilise my Panasonic DVD-F87; (Component and s-video o/p available)

as it's on board 5 disc platter system is fully compatible to play all my DvDram collection directly

[MILT]

Wanted to give an update on the Cassette tape transfer to DVD’s story. 

600 baht per cassette no mention of mold....so if anyone needs this service I highly recommend the folks at Panthip Plaza 2nd floor 

 

[bulmercke]

On 3/19/2018 at 3:42 PM, MILT said:

Wanted to give an update on the Cassette tape transfer to DVD’s story. 

600 baht per cassette no mention of mold....so if anyone needs this service I highly recommend the folks at Panthip Plaza 2nd floor 

 

That's expensive. Last year I purchased a Walkman size/style portable cassette player which connects to a computer via its USB lead. Simply installed the program from the CD that goes with the cassette player - played the cassettes - and the analogue data on the tapes was automatically converted into a digital format on the computer's hard drive. The USB cassette player is available on Lazada for around 700 baht. Worked perfectly and I saved a lot of money transferring my old radio shows from cassette to digital.

[bulmercke]

Incidentally if anyone knows where I can purchase a second-hand VCR (VHS video player/recorder) in Bangkok or Thailand for that matter then I would be very grateful. Tried Klong Thom and Ban Mo markets in Bangkok's Yoarawat district at the weekend with no success. Thanks.

[THAIJAMES]

57 minutes ago, bulmercke said:

Incidentally if anyone knows where I can purchase a second-hand VCR (VHS video player/recorder) in Bangkok or Thailand for that matter then I would be very grateful. Tried Klong Thom and Ban Mo markets in Bangkok's Yoarawat district at the weekend with no success. Thanks.

I have:

1. have professional grade SVHS PANASONIC Player recorder

1. NTSC SVHS JVC Player Recordrer

1. Betacam SP Player Recorder

Haven't used them in 15 years ?