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Friday, January 29, 2010

Can I take my mini dv to a store to convert it to dvd?


How to convert mini DV to DVD?


Yes. However, keep in mind that although you can bring your tapes to Walgreens, Costco, Rtiz Camera, Rite Aid, and CVS none of those stores actually do the conversion to DVD onsite.  They send your videos off to a 3rd party to be converted for you.  This can be convenient, but with the Home Video Studio video transfer service you can go straight to the source for the best price, quality, and care of your tapes.  HVS has locations all over the world and they originated in Indianapolis, Indiana
Convert-mini-dv-to-dvd

At Home Video Studio we can convert your mini DV and burn it onto a Gold Archival DVD with chapter markers and scene selection for $19.95/tape. The entire conversion process takes place directly in the studio of your choice!
We take great pride in what we do and have outstanding customer service.  Feel free to contact us, we pick up the phone right away, respond to e-mails quickly, and offer free pick up and delivery.  We would be happy to answer any of your questions and help you get started converting Mini DV to DVD.

Let's talk Film Transfer

How do I get my film onto DVD?


Standard 8mm film is also commonly referred to as Regular 8 mm filmDouble 8 mm film or simply as Standard-8 or Regular-8. Standard 8 film was the original film format designed for the home movie market, and provided a cheaper alternative to the 16mm film format. It was originally developed in the 1930s..
Do you want to know how much video (in minutes) your film is? Check out this cool Film Calculator from Kodak

Who can convert Super 8mm & 16mm film to digital?

8mm film to digitalConvert Super 8mm and 16mm film to digital with Home Video Studio's film transfer service.  You can get DVDs made quickly 
with customized titles, chapter markers, menus and more!
Home Video Studio.com specializes in preserving family home movies.  Home Video Studio uses the latest digital film conversion technologies for the best quality film transfers!  Film is converted utilizing a frame-by-frame process that removes the flashing effect caused when played through a projector in your film to DVD conversion.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Movie Review - The Hurt Locker

As I watched this movie last night (while pausing to engage in phone conversations with women from lives past and present) I was not only drawn into the story and the reality of which it was conveyed but also into the irrationality on display in the characters. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, 1991) and beautifully written by Mark Boal, who is a relative newcomer (The Valley of Elah, 2007), The Hurt Locker  becomes an unrelenting roller coaster that never climbs too high or falls too far and always allows the viewer to catch their breath, if only for a second. The story centers around Army SFC James, played by Jeremy Renner (28 Weeks Later), and involves an elite team of 3 bomb squad soldiers hanging on to a foretold glimpse of sanity in a world where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a bomb. All three characters are played wonderfully and while all contend with their familiar predicament in different manners, they are all forced to believe that they trust each other and yet know they only trust themselves.  Bigelow and Boal guide the viewer through intense missions never allowing a daily schedule or structure to reveal itself and therefore keeping the viewer off balance the entire movie. As a 6 year veteran of the Army, I am more than familiar with this reality, also known as "organized chaos". This movie is a fairly unbiased attempt to portray war in Iraq and the American men (I know that many women fight in the war; this was not their story) who live this war on a daily basis. The film allows the viewer to be a part of their hellish drama without making political references or statements and without drawing conclusions. It is a documentary not shot in a documentary style, it is the culmination of a vision that maintained its sight fixed on the target and it leaves the viewer with a sense of journalistic integrity not often found in cinema. Definitely see this movie! I give it a score of 94/100 - I score this way because I score wine this way... look for my wine reviews.

Oh yeah! just because a wine and a movie have the same score, does not mean they will pair well.
Check This Out:  The Great American Home Movie Project

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

VIDEO, the question

To transfer, or not to transfer, that is the question:
Whether 'tis VHS or 8mm to convert
From then to now become lost unfortunately,
Or to lay waste to a sea of memories
And by ignoring end them. To fade - decay,
No more; and by decay we say we end
The wonder the family preserved
That film is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to avoid. To fade, decay;

More information here:
Home Video Studio - Indianapolis, Indiana