Video Transfer Inc.

Creative Uses for CD & DVD: Employee Training

2009-02-01T10:53:00.000-05:00

Training your new employees how to do new things can be a painstaking process that takes a lot of time and energy. What if you could automate some of it using a DVD or CD?

Have new software to teach your employees, or new equipment? Show them how to do it with an interactive manual that allows them to mimic the interface of the software or product. They can use the software in a test environment where they can't actually harm or disrupt valuable data. The disk can then be a resource for the employees that they can refer back to.

Reproducing a DVD is going to be comparable or significantly cheaper than printing a manual, and is going to offer more features and interactivity than the manual. Consider moving more of your company resources to CD or DVD in the future as a cost-cutting and efficiency measure.

A New Year's Resolution for You: Market More Creatively To Your Clients

2009-01-06T10:49:00.001-05:00

If you run a client-based business, you know that this is a hectic time of year for you and your clients. The holidays just passed, and so did the end of the calendar year.

And with the end of the calendar year, many of your clients are making decisions about their budgets and expenses for the coming year. At this point in the year, it's important to be on their mind with creative and new marketing tactics. Send them some new material. Perhaps a CD greeting or DVD explaining new products would do the trick, and help you stand out from others competing for their attention

Also, make a resolution that next year, you'll take your company holiday card to the next level with a DVD or CD-Rom that can make your card interactive and memorable can help you stand out in their mail pile.

You can be creative with your card, perhaps featuring your employees singing a holiday tune, or expressing their appreciation for your client's business. It's a personal touch that goes above and beyond what your competitors are doing.

In future posts, we'll look at some more creative uses for CDs and DVDs for your business in the coming year. See also Three Creative Uses for DVD.

The VCR: R.I.P

2008-11-04T10:08:00.001-05:00

Last week saw the end of an era in home video, and yet another sign that the age of digital video is firmly upon us.

JVC announced last week that they are no longer making standalone VCR units, and they are the last major manufacturer to do so. For all intents and purposes, the VCR, a staple in home entertainment in the 70s, 80s and early 90s is done.

If you've still got a stack of VHS tapes, don't fret. JVC and other manufacturers are still making Combination units that feature DVD players and VHS players in one machine. Old formats die hard, so there will still be players available second-hand and through resources like eBay for many years to come. In fact, if you dig hard enough you can turn up new 8-track players, so you might be good for years to come.

However, it's certainly a sign that the age of digital is upon us. With this news and the upcoming digital TV transition, any marketing done on VHS tapes is going to have less and less reach as time goes on. If you haven't done so already, it's time to convert those old tapes to DVD or some other digital format.

If you need help getting your marketing materials (or even your old home movies) up to the latest standards, contact Video Transfer today. We have the tools and technology to help you.

Tracking the Success of DVD Marketing

2008-10-06T14:27:00.000-04:00

Whenever embarking on any advertising venture, it's nice to track the return on your investment. Tracking helps you decide if that method of advertising was effective and what can be improved.

However, when marketing with DVD or CD, it can be harder to get direct feedback on your advertising. It can be difficult to get a gauge on whether your video was played or just tossed aside.

While DVD and CDs have been shown to be memorable and effective for advertising, how can you, the advertiser, track the success of that marketing?

It's not as difficult as you think. First, we have new software available that can track views of your DVD. It can be hard coded into your presentation and will let you know when it is watched. If you choose not to go that route, there are other ways to successfully track the success of your DVD Marketing campaign.

The key to tracking DVD and CD marketing is to compel your audience to respond to you via some more traditional methods like phone or Internet, and then make that mode of response unique to your advertising campaign.

For example, set up an email address or Webpage that is entirely unique and not listed anywhere else but on your DVD. Then, you can track hits to that email address or page. You can also set up separate phone numbers or extensions used exclusively on your DVD.

Coupon codes can also work to track your DVD. Simply offer a small discount via a code, and then track the uses of that code.

All of these techniques can take your DVD marketing to the next level. Contact VTI today for all your CD and DVD replication needs.

Three Creative Uses for DVD for your Business

2008-09-29T12:02:00.006-04:00

We believe that using multimedia for your business can help your stand out from the crowd. Here are three creative ways to use DVD for your business and marketing needs.

1. Create a video catalog
Do you offer products with a lot of visual appeal and tons of features? Then perhaps using a DVD to create a unique catalog would be of use to your customers. Allow them to browse your products and see and explore their feature set on video. This can be like a ticket for your salespeople into their living room, and can help you stand out from the catalogs and mailings they receive. Put your product on display with DVD.

2. Create a Video Manual
Some people are visual learners, and text instructions and manuals are hard for them to follow. Much in the same way a video catalog could be great for your customers, so might a video manual. If you're selling a unique product that requires learning a few tricks to use, then a video manual can allow you to show your new customers how to use the product effectively. This can actually be a selling point to some as it can feel like your product is coming with its own teacher.

3. The DVD Business Card
CD-Rom business cards have become a tool for many businessmen in recent years. A DVD business card is just taking this to the next level. Allow your salespeople to hand out the DVD with their card or on its own. The DVD can show them a tour of the facilities, introduce the sales staff, and even feature the catalog idea mentioned above.

In business, it is often those that get noticed that get the sale. Creatively using DVD and video in your marketing can help you grab and hold the attention of prospective customers.

Understanding PAL and NTSC

2008-08-26T08:52:00.002-04:00

We've spent some extensive time here on the blog discussing video standards and formats recently. We've been particularly focused on HD formats and standards. Let's take a step back and take a look at the two most common video standards in the world: PAL and NTSC.

PAL and NTSC are the video and broadcast standards used throughout the world. NTSC is primarily the North American standard, and PAL is mostly associated with Europe and Asia. The two standards are different enough to present a lot of problems when trying to convert between the two.

Have you ever exchanged home videos with a relative in another country only to discover that the videos will not play? That's likely due to the differences between PAL and NTSC.

The main differences between the two actually stem from the power used for the television and video displays. NTSC is powered by a 60 hertz source, and PAL is powered by a 50hz source. The technical implication of this is that the video is output at 60 and 50 fields per second, and once it's interlaced, it results in NTSC producing 30 frames per second, and PAL producing 25 frames per second.

Also, PAL and NTSC use different resolutions. PAL broadcasts contain 625 lines of resolution, while NTSC contains only 525.

When trying to play PAL media on an NTSC set or vice versa, strange things can happen from no video at all to clipped frame rates, and distorted images.

There are different methods of conversion that accomplish the PAL/NTSC standards change and they vary in quality considerably. The top-of-the-line broadcast converter is an Alchemist Ph C converter manufactured by Snell & Wilcox. We own two of these along with a few others to cover all the conversion requirements. If you have PAL or NTSC video that needs to be converted, contact us today. We have the high-end tools along with twenty-two years of experience converting video for the most discerning broadcast and corporate clients in the world.

What is Media Asset Management and What Benefits Can It Offer Your Business?

2008-07-29T15:25:00.005-04:00

Sharing and organizing information is critical to today's business world. Many businesses face the struggle of organizing massive amounts of both physical and digital media, including audio, video files, photos, documents, manuals and more. If you feel like you're drowning in the pool of information or just want to streamline your information sharing system, then perhaps a Media Asset Management system is the answer.

What is a Media Asset Management system? Sometimes referred to as "Digital Asset Management", it is like a digital filing cabinet. It allows you to store and share all of your digital media with your office via your local network, or even the world via the Internet. It can be used to pull clips from various video segments or programs together and make a new program or sample, essentially functioning as a non-linear editing system. You can then email or ftp clips to anyone in the world.

The media can then be accessed via a browser on your PC or Mac computer, eliminating the need to print out dozens if not hundreds of copies for your employees.

Files can be stored with all kinds of additional information that is then searchable by you and your staff, so media can be found quickly and easily, saving time, energy and resources.

Media can be password protected, and users can be given different levels of permission based on their role in the company, so you don't have to work about information falling into the wrong hands.

There are lots of optional features that can be added to your Media Asset Management System as well that can help you get the most out of your multimedia files and the system. These include:

Automatic format transcoding
On-demand format transcoding
Scene change detection
Extracting closed captioning so it can be searched
Character recognition text in a video for searching
Voice and face recognition
Custom web options with ecommerce tools, and more

If you want to see if a Media Asset Management system is right for you, contact us today. We'll help you assess your needs and find a solution that meets them.

Increase the Lifespan of Your Digital Media

2008-07-25T13:41:00.006-04:00

In the last couple of weeks, we've been talking about whether or not it's time to upgrade your media to HD, and taken a look at the technical comparison between Blu-Ray and standard DVD. This week, let's worry less about the future, and a bit more about preserving the past.

Many of us have old tapes, CDs, DVDs, cassettes and media that we'd like to preserve. No matter whether these are cherished home movies or your big sales pitch to clients, these things are valuable, and potentially irreplaceable if damaged, lost or stolen.

Were you aware that even if never used, media can deteriorate over time? Even DVD can deteriorate. The dyes used in it are photosensitive, and over time, this can cause data or video loss. VHS and cassette tapes can wear out from overuse or oxide shedding, and are also photosensitive. This can be seen on a lot of older tapes, when "dropouts" and/or fuzziness in the picture occurs.

The amount of time deterioration can take varies with a lot of factors: The media, usage, age, storage environment, exposure to the elements, and more.

If you've got valuable media, take proper precaution to ensure the longevity of it. Just a few simple steps anyone can take are:

Always make backups.
It can be nearly impossible to restore media if you only have one copy of it, and that copy becomes damaged. Duplicate all of your valuable media. More than one backup is not a bad thing.

Only play your backups when possible.
Take the backups that you've made, and only use them whenever you can. This protects your original from overuse.

Check your equipment.
More tapes are damaged by faulty players than many other factors. Always test the equipment with a less valuable media.

Store your media in a safe place.
The precautions you need to take can vary depending on the media, but make sure that it's stored in a safe dry place, and try to limit the exposure to light.

If possible, store your backups separately from the masters.
Crazy things happen. Fires, burglary, floods, and other things can damage your media. If you can keep your originals and backups in different locations, you reduce and virtually eliminate any chance of something like a house fire destroying all your tapes. If it is a family tape, when converted to DVD, make several copies of the DVD and pass them around the family - this also passes the responsibility of protecting family members to others as well.

There are certainly more options for storing your masters. Contact us today to discuss proper media storage and to have any media replicated that you may need.

Technical Comparison of DVD and BluRay

2008-07-15T12:53:00.015-04:00

Last week, we took a look at whether or not it was time to go HD with your marketing materials. The answer was a firm "It depends." However, what we can do is firmly compare the technical specifications of BluRay versus standard DVD, and help you understand the differences.

First, let's take a look at the chart:

Let's take a closer look at some of these numbers.

Maximum Resolution: You'll see that DVD has a maximum resolution of 480p. The "480" refers to the number of lines that comprise the picture's vertical resolution. The 'p' refers to the fact that the video is progressive rather than interlaced (i). Progressive vs. interlaced is a complex topic in and of itself, so let's just say it refers to how the video is displayed for now. You'll see that BluRay has more options, including 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. These are common high definition standards. A regular DVD is capable of displaying 345,600 pixels on screen at any given time. At 1080p resolution, a BluRay is capable of displaying 2,073,600 pixels. This capacity for six times more pixels means that the image can be drastically sharper, clearer and more detailed.

Disc Capacity: Disc capacity refers to the amount of data that can be stored on a disk. You'll see that BluRay has about four times the capacity for data than standard DVD. This enables it to hold more video, more audio, and more data. BluRay also supports significantly higher audio standards than regular DVD.

Player Prices: DVD players are significantly more accessible and lower priced than BluRay. The average price of a DVD player is about 100 bucks, and some are significantly less expensive. It's hard to find a BluRay player for less than around 400 bucks. They are expected to drop in price and become more common in the near future though.

Is it time to go HD?

2008-07-11T07:44:00.004-04:00

Now that the decision between Blu-ray and HD-DVD is behind us, we're running out of reasons as to why Hi-Def discs should be avoided. The "wait and see" attitude most of us have taken over the past couple of years has now expired with the recent Blu-ray victory. Warner's move to the Blu-ray camp earlier this year spelled the end to the HD-DVD effort.

Entertainment releases are moving more and more to Blu-ray for the obvious revenue generation reasons that benefit the rights holder. Standard definition DVD releases will continue as long as Blu-ray's market share remains low. Once Blu-ray player penetration reaches critical mass, the pendulum will swing quickly.

For the corporate world, standard definition DVD is still the clear market leader. Corporations still state, "we never asked for HD" as a common response when questioned about any impending transition to High Definition. Don't forget that corporations would need to shoot and edit in HD if they want to take full advantage of Blu-ray offerings. For many companies, that would be a budget buster.

Let's not forget the advantages of HD media - it offers greater storage capacity, higher quality video, and the ability for more interactive features than standard DVD. If visual quality is at the heart of your presentation, then perhaps it's time for you to take a harder look at HD.

The bigger concern facing Blu-ray HD media is the lack of compatible players. High definition media does not play in standard DVD players. It requires a special player and a high-definition display to get the maximum benefit from the medium. The battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray delayed most consumers' consideration of any purchase.

HDTV's are becoming more and more common. Recent estimates show that somewhere between 27 and 36 percent of US homes now have an HDTV, and surveys have shown that over half of US households plan to have one by the end of 2008. With the transition to digital signals for broadcasts in 2009, many people will be in the market for new televisions, and it's likely that a good percentage of them will make the transition then.

Sales of Blu-ray players are now increasing, and some project that they'll outsell DVD players in 2009. However, there is a large number of existing DVD players and it will take a good while for Blu-ray sales to outpace standard DVD. Some analyst's project that this will happen in 2012.

Of course, at VTI we offer Blu-ray high definition authoring, mastering and reproduction as well as all standard definition DVD work. Because we have the strong desire to stay on the "bleeding" edge, we are always early adopters.

Moving to HD media is a decision that will need to be made on a situational basis. It's clear that the market is heading towards HD, but it's still a long way from there. Standard DVD and HD are both good choices for different reasons at the moment.

FAQs for Artwork for CDs, DVDs, VHS and Audio Cassettes

2008-06-30T14:16:00.002-04:00

The Graphics Department at Video Transfer often receives common, yet important questions about how to produce properly formatted artwork for CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, audio cassettes, and more. With that in mind, we have created a section with frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help those submitting artwork for multimedia projects. Our FAQs page also includes downloadable .EPS & .PDF template files for your artwork creation. We'll be looking to expand the number of FAQs on this page, so please visit back often!

High Definition is Finally Taking Off

2008-03-21T14:28:00.004-04:00

The video & multimedia world has been talking about high definition for years. We all know that Hollywood sees high definition through the world of 35mm film but for many, video still aspires to be as good as film when it "grows up". Many that work in the film industry think video will never be as good as 35mm. Then, there's the new breed of creative mind that says HD video is plenty good enough and they have made video their choice. Lower production costs and immediately viewable dailies may be a driving force behind their decision. We have seen many corporate users shooting and editing in HD video as well as some low budget film productions. Our corporate clients have shown us a steady increase in their use of Sony HDCAM, Panasonic DVCPro HD, and Sony XDCAM HD in our six facilities across the U.S. While we are not fans of the Canon, JVC or Sony HDV formats, we have seen some budget conscious productions use this low cost entry into the HD world. As we gear up to offer more HD formats and services, I would like to know which HD video format you believe is best for corporate television and why? I look forward to your posts.