Back when the VHS format reigned supreme, it actually had two different sizes. There was the standard VHS tape that everyone knows and there was also the VHS-C. VHS-C tapes are basically compact versions of the VHS tape, made smaller to fit the much more desirable handheld camcorders. The creators of this tape felt they had a great idea, but needed a way for people to easily play these tapes on their existing home equipment. This is where the VHS-C adapter comes in. This VHS-C adapter will hold your VHS-C tape, and mount it in a shell of the same size and shape of a VHS tape, allowing it to play in your home VCR with no additional modifications.

If you have Maxell VHS-C tapes, this third option might be the best for you. The reviews seem to indicate that it may have problems getting stuck in some models of VCRs. This adapter is probably adequate for simple jobs such as VHS-C to DVD transfers or simple viewing on your TV.

DVD Your Memories provides the following VHSC Transfer Services: VHS-C to DVD San Diego VHS-C to DVD Orange County VHS-C to DVD Los Angeles VHS-C to DVD Denver

MiniDV tapes are a great medium for recording and capturing memories on video. The camcorders are small and compact, and the tapes even smaller, making carrying it with you an ease. MiniDV is a pretty versatile format, with many camcorders providing additional outputs for making capturing to your computer easier such as Firewire or USB. In order to watch or transfer your tapes to your computer, Mini DV tapes require a player or a camcorder that is compatible to record or play MiniDV cassette tapes. This means that you will not be able to play MiniDV tapes on on your home VCR or computer without first digitizing them, or transferring the video off of the tape. The easiest way to capture MiniDV tapes is to just use the same camcorder you used to record them in the first place. If this camera is no longer available to you, you’ll need to buy, rent or borrow one from somebody else. There are also standalone MiniDV players, but they can get pretty expensive in comparison to the camcorders. You can use the original camcorder to watch your tapes again, or use it to transfer MiniDV tapes to hard drive.

The process below will work for ANY MiniDV camcorder. Keep in mind that some newer camcorders might have proprietary cords and software to make this process moderately easier. Consult your instruction manual to see the features of your camcorder before beginning the transfer process. Below are some items we recommend for a clean transfer. I’ve included some quick links to Amazon, in case you need to get them prior to starting.

Make sure your computer has a firewire port or card installed. These are relatively cheap, and can add a significant transfer speed boost. Also make sure you grab a firewire cable.

RCA cables – These cables hook up to your camcorder to provide the video and audio signals to your computer. Make sure you get the correct one for your camcorder, consult the manual for the correct type.

Canopus ADVC110 Converter – hooks up to your computer via firewire and provides a way to capture MiniDV video and convert the video camcorder signal into your computer as a video file.

Video capture software – Sony Vegas has a great built-in video capturing program.

There are a couple of different ways to capture your MiniDV tapes onto your computer, depending on your model. The method I will explain is the Canopus method. The first step is to find an analog to digital converter, such as a Canopus ADVC. This device will grab the video signal from your camcorder, and then feed it into your computer for capturing. is to hook up a camcorder to your TV using the audio/video cables. You could also hook up the camcorder in a similar fashion to your computer and use a video capture program to record the video onto your computer’s hard drive.

Once your Canopus is connected to your computer via firewire cable, and you’ve obtained a camcorder with RCA or DV cables, and video capture software, you are nearly ready to start capturing video . To begin the process, connect your VCR or Cam to the Canopus with the RCA cables. After this, open your video capture software, and in the options, set the capture folder up so you know where the video will be once recording has finished. If you plan to do other tasks on your machine as it’s capturing, it’s recommended that you set the priority of your video capture software to “high”. You can do this bringing up the task manager by pushing Ctrl+Alt+Delete Select, find your video capture software on the list, right click it, and select process priority high. Next, take the tape you would like to have transferred and ensure it is fully rewound. Visually inspect the tape to make sure it’s free of mold, dirt, or other debris, then insert it into the tape player.

All that’s now left to do is to hit play on your tape player, and as soon as the video begins, click the start capture button on your video capture software. If everything went smoothly, you should see your video playing in the preview window of your video capture software, as it is being captured. Once your video tape is over, stop the capture, and in the source folder, you will find your new captured AVI video file, which is ready to be edited or converted to any form of video you choose. More and more people are realizing the ease and flexibility of virtually uncompressed AVI files, as opposed to the standard San Diego MiniDV to DVD transfer.

Here’s the schedule of which stores will be open on Monday, Sept. 3rd for Labor Day.

San Diego Store: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Orange County Store: Closed
Los Angeles Store: Closed
Denver Store: Closed

Have a great weekend!

Restore Your Precious Legacy Audio with DVD Your Memories

DVD Your Memories is now offering audio restoration services for RAW audio files, as well as for any media type that we currently transfer. We can provide audio cassette restoration, LP Record and vinyl restoration, microcassette restoration and reel to reel audio restoration.

For pricing information, please visit our audio restoration page.

Normalization

This process finds the highest wave peak in a selection, calculates the distance between that peak and the loudest allowable volume without being over-driven, and amplifies the selection by the value of that difference. This is useful when the item in question has a fairly average level of volume throughout yet could stand to be a bit louder.

Maximization

A more complex volume processing technique, the purpose of which is to “compress” the dynamic range of the piece. It allows you to give the piece the desirable amount of gain throughout the selection without overdriving it. The primary difference between this process and normalization is that maximization will bring the perceivable volume level of all elements within the selection to be more equal whereas normalization will maintain the difference in volume between loud and quiet sounds. This process is particularly helpful in situations where the overall volume of a piece is irregular/inconsistent to a degree that is undesirable.

Noise reduction is the process by which one identifies a selection of sonic frequencies within a piece are as “noise” (generally undesirable sound) and reduces them in volume or negates them entirely, leaving the desirable frequencies more or less intact. The problem with this process, though, is that the frequencies which make up “noise” often reside in the same spectrum as the desirable frequencies, particularly those which make up the vocal spectrum or that which we identify as “brightness” in music, and can have an adverse effect on the sonic qualities of the piece. So, only undertake noise reduction with great care for the content. Varying levels of reduction are appropriate for different situations.

For example, a piece of dialogue can stand to have a certain amount of reduction to improve clarity, perhaps not sounding quite as crisp or clear but at least not being drowned by tape hiss. On the other hand, a piece of music can suffer greatly from noise reduction resulting in a “deadening” of the tonal quality. One can counter this effect by another type of processing called harmonic excitation (see below) to restore some of the original frequencies that were removed.

Sometimes the semi-automated processes of noise/hum reduction just can’t get a hold of certain sounds and leave behind irritating artifacts. In situations such as this, spectral editing comes into play. In this service, the technician will bring up a spectral display of the selection which shows a visual representation of the audible frequencies. This enables us to visually hunt down and eliminate rogue noises with precision and accuracy.

Pops and clicks are a very common sound that we hear when we listen to old vinyl albums. Some attribute the sound to this media as a trademark of their sound properties and even enjoy it while others may find it incredibly irritating or distracting. For the discerning customer seeking maximum clarity we offer the service of reducing and, when possible, removing pops and clicks from a recording. There are two levels to this service, one if which uses an automated process which seeks out quick, sharp wave variations not in line with the rest of the wave and smooths them out.

It is not, however, a perfect system and can be fooled if a pop is longer or not as sharp as others and will therefore remain. In these situations we can go in and manually remove such anomalies – this is level two. While the latter is the only way to guarantee complete elimination of all pops and clicks, it is a very time consuming process and can require a large investment of time and effort on the part of the technician.

If the piece we are handling is lacking in certain frequency bands we can use the equalizer or “EQ” to boost those areas. It is not uncommon for a selection of music to have nice crisp highs in the treble frequencies yet disappointing bass response or even vise versa. EQ is the perfect tool for the job. Using this process, we can accurately identify under-expressed frequency bands and give them the gain boost they require to have the same punch as the rest of the piece, hence the name ‘equalization.

Do you notice that your music sounds lackluster? Does it sound like it was recorded in a cardboard box? This might do the trick. The technique of harmonic excitation is used to give life and vividness to a piece in dire need of it. Every natural sound has harmonics. Such sounds do not ring on only one frequency, they ring out on many frequencies above and including a primary frequency. These additional frequencies are called harmonics. The varying and unique distances between these harmonic frequencies are what give different objects and instruments their tonal qualities.

When you use a harmonic exciter, you are adding harmonic frequencies to a selection that were not there before. The resulting effect is that the piece sounds more real, more alive, almost as though you were in the room during the recording. When used correctly, this process can make a huge difference on any piece of audio, particularly in the case of music.

Stereo widening is yet another helpful trick to enhance the realism of a selection. By extracting and expanding the stereo field, the elements within seem to be more accurately placed on a stereo “stage” when normally it would sound as though they were all taking place in the same defined point directly in the center. In the audio industry we refer to the latter effect as “dead center” as it sounds so much less alive. When stereo widening is applied to your audio, you will notice a significant difference in the immersive quality of the final product.