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September 8th, 2010
While Timeless DVD will be adding HD transfer service in the near future, we’d be lying if we didn’t admit that the vast majority of our orders and queries involve transferring plain old analog video tapes to DVD (or video files). But that’s completely normal, considering analog tapes were the primary format used by consumers over the past thirty-some years.
 But as a business that intends to be around for a long time, we also frequently examine where DVD technology is heading. Manufacturers would like us to believe that Blu-Ray is the natural progression from DVD. But the fact remains that the consumer adoption rate for Blu-Ray is much slower than it was for DVD. In a recent poll, it was discovered that only 7 percent of American homes have a Blu-Ray player. Americans are still not sold on the idea of Blu-Ray, even though its picture quality is twice as good as regular DVD. Why is this?
In all likelihood, more polling research holds the answer: 51% of people of all ages watch at least some video content online. If television shows and movies are easily downloadable and takes up no space in your home, why invest in a new generation of optical media?
Internet video is a great idea, and likely explains why Blu-Ray has not taken off. Nevertheless, service providers have not cracked seamless Internet video yet. Bandwidth remains spotty with many providers, service plans, and areas. Plus, devices such as Apple TV and Roku have not yet mastered a simple and convenient user experience. Cable and satellite on-demand boxes are currently the most reliable providers in this area, especially for HD content–but they aren’t exactly “internet video.”
But who could have predicted the explosion of DVDs way back in 1990? Here in 2010, we have no idea what the prevailing video delivery method will be in 2030. But we’re sure looking forward to finding out!
September 5th, 2010
 Advanced camcorder users should consider trying out filters. A filter fits across your lens, and can function in a variety of ways. For instance, on a very bright day, a filter can correct the light exposure. If it’s raining, a filter can protect your camcorder’s lens. A filter can even tint your picture and make it look as though you were shooting through “rose-colored glasses!”
Think of a filter as a transparent lens cap. A typical filter is shown on at right; this particular one corrects for UV light (as many do). And keep in mind that one of the best uses for a filter–no matter the type–is simply to prevent your camcorder’s high-quality lens from being scratched!
September 1st, 2010
 “Cloud computing” is a current hot trend sweeping the computer industry. The basic concept is simple: Instead of storing your data on your computer, DVDs, or an external hard drive, you would upload it to a server on the Internet. It doesn’t matter where that server is located physically, and in fact, parts of your data might be located on multiple server computers. It doesn’t matter–the data is just up in a “cloud” somewhere. All you need to do is purchase server space from companies that host your media on their computers.
As long as you are connected to the Internet, you can get your data–photos, documents, videos, whatever–from anywhere you happen to be. In theory, you could use a laptop, cell phone, or even a web kiosk at an airport. No more copying files to Flash drives or purchasing huge hard drives to back up video files. In the future, it’s a good bet that DVR-ish devices will be able to connect to your “cloud” data and instantly access any movies you own. So no need for DVDs at all…right?
Hold on. The future of Timeless DVD aside, it’s worth considering if having all your videos “up in a cloud” is wise. If you purchase a movie or TV show, shouldn’t you own it without any limitations? Shouldn’t you be in control of your files at all times? One serious drawback to cloud computing is the ability to connect to the Internet. If your service is slow or unreliable, you may not be able to access your files whenever you want. And shouldn’t 100% accessibility be a given for files that you have purchased?
In addition, how is cloud computing affected by hackers? It’s not unimaginable that unsavory types might find it quite easy (and irresistible) to break into and mess around with your personal files and media. Or worse yet, plant viruses capable of wiping out all your data. Will cloud companies be able to deal with security issues? And if they do, will their safeguards make it more difficult for their actual customers to connect to their data?
Finally, how much access will the cloud hosting company have to your files? It’s a sure bet that once service providers have your data, they’ll search for ways to lock you in to contracts to prevent you from moving your files to another company. It also raises issues of who exactly controls your data: you, or the company? And similarly, what kind of consumer protections will there be? Data miners will be salivating to crawl through consumers’ videos and music to learn likes and dislikes and sell that information to the highest bidder.
While cloud computing may be hot, we don’t see it as the best place to store your data–simply another place to store your data. It’s a good solution if you travel frequently, or want to easily share the same files between work and home computers. But as a replacement for the good old movie or home video DVD? Sorry–the technology’s simply not there yet.
August 28th, 2010
Are your family’s home video tapes piled haphazardly in a box or stored away in an attic or basement? If so, you run the risk of losing the video on them forever!
Tapes are sturdy, but they are made of plastic and glue, materials that degrade over time. They are also prone to damage by common household irritants, such as dust and hair. Caring for your videotapes correctly is the key to a long lifespan.
Environmental Concerns
The temperature of the location in which your video tapes are stored plays the most important role in their longevity. Humidity and heat are tapes’ two greatest enemies, and should be avoided at all costs.
The reason is this: over time, normal atmospheric humidity seeps into a tape’s binder glue, causing it to expand and contract. This unavoidable occurrence is the main reason why tapes degrade. But when a video tape is stored in an environment that is particularly humid, this process accelerates. In addition, excessive heat can warp the plastic tape or distort the cassette’s shell.
Therefore, a cool and dry storage location is best. Experts recommend an ideal range of 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Lower floors are better since they are generally cooler, but avoid basements and cellars, which have higher humidity levels. For the same reason, stay away from any rooms that experience steam, such as bathrooms or laundry rooms. And avoid attics, due to their tendency to trap heat.
If tapes have been stored in a location that is hotter or colder than the normal environment, let them acclimate before playing them. Even slight humidity changes can cause a magnetic tape to expand and contract, which changes the tape’s physical dimensions. If you play a videotape that is affected by humidity, the altered dimensions can clog VCR playback heads and jam tapes.
Magnetic Fields
Next to environmental conditions, the second most dangerous threat to video tapes is magnetism. This is because the audio-visual information on a tape is comprised of magnetic particles. These magnetic particles are susceptible to data loss, which can be caused by anything from static shock to normal electrical fields.
Electrical fields can be found everywhere, including near TVs and home stereo components, but can also be located around a device with a large motor, such as vacuum cleaners and refrigerators. Thus, avoiding storing tapes near electric equipment. Use a cabinet or, preferably, a room separate from your entertainment center.
Video Tape Packaging
Video tapes should always be stored in their cases, which prevent airborne dust from entering a tape cassette. VCRs are very sensitive to dust and other small particles. If a speck of dirt slips underneath a cassette’s flip door, it can be picked up by the VCR’s heads during playback and can clog the deck. Foreign debris can also increase the number of magnetic particles that are rubbed off a tape when it is played, as well as dissipate a tape’s electromagnetic charges.
In addition, store tapes in an upright position, like a book on a shelf. Storing tapes flat stresses the edge of the video tape, which can eventually result in tracking errors. And never stack tapes on top of each other, since pressure can cause the plastic cassette shell to warp.
Playback Issues
Every year, the magnetic particles that comprise a tape’s audio and video wear off naturally, simply from normal decay. However, this degradation is accelerated every time a tape is played, since video heads rub off data when they pass over a tape’s surface as well.
Therefore, limit how often you watch important tapes. The best solution is to convert video to DVD, which enables you to safely watch the video while preserving the original tape. However, always, always, ALWAYS keep your original copies after you transfer tape to DVD! Never get rid of master video tapes because they will always contain the highest-quality version of your footage.
Tape Exercise
While you should limit playback, tapes can benefit from other forms of VCR exercise. Insert each of your tapes into a VCR every few years and fully fast-forward and rewind it. Exercising a videotape in this way repacks the mylar tape and relieves any accumulated stresses caused by uneven moisture absorption from normal humidity. When re-tensioning isn’t done, the tape can become stretched or warped.
Along the same lines, always rewind a tape to the beginning before putting it away. When a tape is kept rewound, the majority of the physical tape is protected because it is wrapped inside the outer layers.
Finally, maintain your VCR or camcorder, because dirty video heads are abrasive to tapes. Use a head cleaning tape to eliminate dirt on your own, and have the unit professionally cleaned at least once a year. When not in use, cover VCRs and store camcorders in camera bags to lock out dust.
All videotapes break down over time. But with proper care, you can ensure that your tapes last a lifetime–and maybe even beyond.
August 25th, 2010
 Twenty-five years ago, it was impossible to keep your camera perfectly steady while filming by hand. Over time, manufacturers have added ever-improving stabilization controls to correct this problem–but it’s impossible to eliminate every natural human movement while filming.
Luckily, it’s easy to fully stabilize your video. Just buy a tripod! You’ll be amazed at how much better and professional your video looks. These three-legged wonders will eliminate any camcorder shake. A tripod makes panning and tilting (up and down movement) smooth, and is also especially useful when filming on a windy day. And when you want to shoot from a different angle, just pick up your equipment and move it.
One caveat: be careful when setting up a tripod in a public place, as they are definitely trip hazards!
August 21st, 2010
A DVD will last for 100 years…or so the experts say. While a short-run DVD is realistically expected to remain playable for 25 to 50 years, it’s a foregone conclusion that the better care a disc receives, the longer it will endure.
Storing DVDs
The main factor in the lifespan of a short-run or burned DVD is the dye present in the disc. DVD dyes are sensitive to light, especially the components present in sunlight, such as UV rays. Excessive exposure to light can cause the dye to age more rapidly than it would otherwise. For that reason, DVDs should be stored in a dark environment.
Temperatures and humidity are similar factors to consider. While DVDs can be played in warm, humid climates as well as sub-zero locales, a cool and dry location is the best solution for long-term video archiving. If a DVD does become exposed to a very hot or cold environment, let it acclimate to room temperature for at least 2 hours before playing it.
Endeavor to keep your DVDs clean; avoid dirt, dust, and hair as much as possible. Clean discs ensure that your DVD player’s lens remains clean too. If tiny particles like dust and dirt get stuck to a disc, your DVD player’s laser can skip, stutter, or refuse to read the DVD at all.
Along the same lines, always store DVDs in cases or DVD packaging, which helps to minimize dust and debris as well as light exposure. Store cases in an upright position, like a book on a shelf.
Handling DVDs
Human mishandling is the most overtly destructive force that can affect the longevity of a DVD. Optical discs are very durable when handled correctly, but they can be easily bent and damaged. If a DVD is severely scratched, the data on the disc often becomes inaccessible, usually for good.
Only handle a disc by its outer edges or plastic inner core, and never touch the shiny surface on the bottom of a DVD. This is the side of the disc that is read by a DVD player’s laser, and even a small scratch or thumbprint can cause the laser to refract improperly and fail to read the data. If a scratch or smudge happens, you may notice video glitches during playback, or the DVD may stop working entirely.
Be careful when extracting a DVD from its case, and avoid bending the disc. A warped disc can become unplayable quickly, since DVD players are very sensitive to balance issues. And while it may go without saying, never play a disc that is visibly cracked! The DVD could break and seriously damage the DVD player.
Finally, if you need to make multiple DVD copies, send the disc to a professional DVD duplication company. Using your own computer to burn and print a large number of discs is time consuming, and at-home DVD copying can ruin consumer drives and printers.
Cleaning DVDs
If a disc does attract a small scratch and you notice playback errors, clean it properly. First, wipe the shiny side of the disc with a soft, lint-free cloth. Wipe in straight lines from the inside ring to the outside edge, never in a circular fashion. (The laser in a DVD player can compensate for any light scratches caused by wiping that cross the disc at a straight angle, while circular scratches cover a wider area of data and are harder to correct.)
If dry wiping doesn’t do the trick, spritz the bottom of the disc with water, water with light soap, diluted dish detergent, isopropyl alcohol, or a dedicated CD/DVD cleaning liquid. Allow the liquid to sit on the disc for a minute, and then wipe it off completely with a soft cloth, again using straight lines.
If the video still shows errors, your disc may have serious scratches and need more intense repair work, which generally means filling in or polishing out the scratch. To avoid further damaging the DVD, it’s best to find a company that has equipment for polishing discs. Commercial polishing machines, which are often found at movie rental and video game stores, can restore a DVD disc to immaculate condition and buff out even the deepest scratches. Online services, such as Azuradisc, can also repair damaged DVDs for a reasonable fee.
Finally, remember that it’s common for the lasers in DVD players to wear out. So if you encounter a disc that skips or stutters, try it on another DVD player before cleaning it. You may find that the disc is actually fine, and it’s your player that needs replacing!
A DVD will last for many years if it is stored and handled properly. With correct care, your DVD home videos will be playable for many years to come.
August 19th, 2010
Today’s tip is just for those of you still using analog tapes in your camcorder. Here it is: Before you record on a new tape, or re-record over a tape that’s been used, “black the tape.” What this means is, rewind the tape to the beginning, close the lens cap, and start recording. Allow the camcorder to record “blackness” from the very beginning to the very end of the tape. The camcorder will stop recording automatically when it reaches the end of the tape, and then your tape will be fully blacked.
What purpose does this serve? It avoids the timecode being reset on the tape (which is near-essential if you will be editing your video on the computer). In addition, for already-used tapes, blacking eliminates the possibility of brief flashes of your old video popping up between your newly-recorded shots. Finally, an unrelated but useful advantage is that by rewinding the tape fully, you’ll be tightening it up, which prevents the tape from potentially slipping toward the end of filming.
August 13th, 2010
Constant zooming, whiplash panning, and earthquake filming are only three of the common habits of the untrained videographer. Fortunately, it’s easy to jump from raw newbie to knowledgeable amateur simply by learning what not to do. Are you guilty of the following camcorder sins?
Snapshooting
Some novice videographers forget they are using a video camcorder rather than a still camera, and wind up engaging in “snapshooting.” Snapshooting means recording scenes that are too short: a snapshot, in other words. But while a photo can be looked at indefinitely, that same image in a video needs to last long enough for a viewer to absorb it.
To avoid snapshooting, hold a shot for at least 10 seconds after pressing the record button. For example, if you’re shooting a still subject–such as the Washington Monument–just press record and count to 10 before stopping the camera.
Along the same lines, try to video tape more footage that you need. Start recording at least five seconds before the action starts. Wait to push the record button again until five seconds after the action ends. It’s always better to shoot more video than not enough!
Firehosing
Panning is the movement of the camera from side to side. It is also one of the most frequently abused filming techniques. Some amateur videographers never stop panning, but instead wind up waving the camera back and forth–as if they were spraying water from a firehose!
Picture this example from a birthday party: The videographer opens with a shot of the birthday cake. Then he swings the camera to his daughter laughing, swings it to the right when a child shouts, then swings back to the daughter laughing, and finally swings left to the front door because the cousins came in. It’s enough to make any viewer seasick!
Be conscious of your camera movement. Plan ahead when panning and land somewhere specific with your camera. Begin with a stable starting shot (Point A), then pan slowly to a stable ending shot (Point B). Hold both shots for at least 10 seconds before moving. And be careful not to move the camcorder too quickly. Pan at a speed that is about ten times slower than what seems normal.
And while you can move your camcorder to follow action, be discriminating. For example, panning from the birthday cake to the daughter would be fine. But the camera should then concentrate on her, rather than moving to other children.
Motorzooming
Zooming is not natural. Think about it: we can’t zoom with our eyeballs. So why do amateurs feel compelled to constantly zoom in and out? Because zooming offers an easy edit that lends dynamism to the video.
The drawback is that zooms can be distracting. Only zoom when necessary in your home movies, such as when you are unable to move physically closer to your subject. For instance, the zoom is perfect for focusing closely on your child’s entrance in the school play or a lion at the zoo.
As with panning, have a starting shot and an ending shot with your zooms. Always zoom gently, and hold the zoomed shot for at least a few seconds before moving again.
Whatever you do, avoid zooming in, pausing, and then immediately zooming back out. This gaffe is called “tromboning,” and will quickly irritate your viewers.
Jogging
Holding a camcorder steady has gotten much easier over the years as manufacturers have improved their video stabilization features. Frankly, there’s no excuse for your home video to be bouncing up and down unless you are jogging or in an earthquake. (In addition, shaky footage is more difficult to transfer to DVD, since higher bit rates are required for a clear picture.)
Always hold your camcorder with both hands, especially if you have a tiny or miniature video camera. Next, use external support, such as a wall or a tree, to stabilize your body. If you must film while walking, bend your knees slightly to absorb the shock, and handle your camera as if it were an overflowing cup of hot coffee. Finally, use an external tripod whenever feasible.
Shut up!
Never forget that you are the closest person to your camcorder’s microphone. Anything you say will drown out all other sounds. The camera picks up your every laugh, sigh, groan, and comment, which can be embarrassing when the video is viewed later. Remember, run your camera–not your mouth!
A newbie is just a person who hasn’t been taught yet. By following these simple guidelines, you can dramatically improve your shooting style and garner rave reviews from your audience from your video on DVD!
August 4th, 2010
Philo’s birthday is in just two weeks – have you picked out your gift?
 Philo T. Farnsworth may not be a household name, but without him, Timeless DVD wouldn’t exist! That’s because Philo, born August 19, 1906, is considered the father of television. As a teenager in Utah, Philo brainstormed the idea of picture transmission, and in 1927, he successfully transmitted an image of a dollar bill. He soon submitted the patent applications that established him as the inventor of the all-electronic television.
Two years later, Farnsworth created Farnsworth Television, which later became Farnsworth Radio and Television. He counted patents for amplifiers, electrical scanners, and cathode ray and vacuum tubes among his many accomplishments.
What would Philo T. Farnsworth think of the many video gadgets we take for granted these days, such as the DVD player, the video iPod, and Flash camcorder? It’s breathtaking to realize that all those devices can be traced back to Farnsworth’s groundbreaking conception of deflecting beams of electrons in similar rows.
August 1st, 2010
Anyone who has recorded video on a VCR has been enticed by the LP and EP (a.k.a. SLP) recording modes. Wow, 8 hours of video on a single videotape? That sounds too good to be true!
Well, actually, it is. More video content on a single tape comes at the expense of video quality. This may not seem important now, but when you watch your video in the future, you’ll wonder why it doesn’t look better! Plus, long-play settings often record sound in mono, making the audio quality poorer as well.
And most importantly, videotapes recorded in LP or EP are significantly harder to transfer to DVD. This is mostly because VCRs have trouble tracking LP or EP tapes that were originally recorded on another unit. LP and EP tapes are also more prone to dropped frames during the video conversion process.
So do yourself a favor: Just buy more tapes, and avoid using any longer-play modes if possible. Stick to SP!
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