CONVERT MINIDV TAPES TO DVD & DIGITAL
We know you have stacks of old tapes in boxes, stuck in camcorders and strewn all over the house waiting to be converted to DVD. If you have MiniDV tapes in that mix, they are not THAT old, but this format was the final frontier before camcorders made the full switch to recording right on memory cards.There are a lot of technical things to be said about the switch from recording analog video on your VHS tapes to recording digital video on MiniDVs, but the basic gist is that it was much better and your transfer to DVD will be beautiful.
The high quality of anything recorded in DV and the ease of recording to smaller tapes and cameras made them popular, but they were a stepping stone between analog and pure digital. Unfortunately, MiniDV tapes are uniquely susceptible to digital corruption. When this occurs, it is either from an error during the recording process or the magnetic tape on the inside has already begun to deteriorate and cause audio loss and periods of moderate to severe pixelation. We will provide the best capture possible for your MiniDV to DVD project, but repairing digital corruption is not possible. The best thing you can do for is to transfer your MiniDV tapes to DVD (or USB!) as soon as possible.
Plus, who wants all those tapes cluttering up closet and shelf space?
If your tapes aren’t this small or you think you have a different format, visit this page!
Everything you need to know
to convert MiniDV to DVD
Common MiniDV transfer questions
Is a MiniDV tape the same as a MiniDVD?
No, they are very different, they just happen to sound the same. A MiniDV is a rectangular tape that records digital video. A MiniDVD is a miniature DVD (round) that will often play in your home DVD player.
Do I transfer MiniDV to DVD or USB?
It depends on how you want to watch it. If you still rely on your DVD player to view things on your TV, DVDs are probably best for you. If you are going to watch your videos on your computer and share the files with friends and family online – go for a USB. We often recommend getting both! It’s always a good idea to have a back up of the digital video file on your computer.
How long is my MiniDV tape?
Your MiniDV tape will hold about an hour of video. Our dual layer DVDs will allow you to fit multiple digitized MiniDV tapes on the same DVD.
What Our Clients Say
MiniDV to DVD – From Our Blog
Understanding MiniDV tapes
Didn’t get enough info about all the old miniDV tapes you have around? We have more to share with you.
Read more about miniDV tapes…
5 Possible Tape Issues
When you’re ready to convert miniDV to DVD they are probably in great shape, but we’ll let you know for sure and fix what we can
Read more tape repairs…
How to store your tapes
Whether you digitize miniDV tapes or haven’t gotten to them yet, we have best practices for how to store all your miniDV tapes.
Read more keeping tapes safe…
“I had over 100 old family videos digitized for my husband’s birthday and the result was amazing! Jane (who covers the Sudbury area) handled the project as if it was her own. She picked up, hand delivered, cataloged, and scrutinized every detail…she kept me on schedule, always checking and re-checking even the smallest detail. The pricing was very reasonable and the quality excellent. I highly recommend EverPresent, and if you are lucky enough to get Jane as your rep, your experience will be 5 star! I’ve already started collecting old photos for my next project!”
– Cathy M.
Sudbury, MA
Visit one of our Northeast locations:
MassachusettsHEADQUARTERS - Newton
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Back Bay & South End
Braintree
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Northborough
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or work with us from the comfort of your own home.
You can also ship directly to us!
- Consulations from the privacy of your own home
- Perfect for large or complex projects with multiple formats
- Our certified consultants travel across the Northeast
- Free, no obligations estimate
- Speak with our certified consultants over the phone
- Ship to our headquarters in Newton, MA
Standard & custom pricing options
We’ll convert all your MiniDV tapes to DVD or USB, plus we digitally capture your labeling.
- Delivered via private website
- High quality transfer to computer
- 3 levels human eye quality control
- Experienced and trained local technicians
- USB drive or CD/DVDs
- Label transcription
- Experienced and trained local technicians
- Private website included
- DVD & USB combos
- Ask about archival DVDs for added security
- 80yr, scratch-resistant, silver/gold alloy
- Medical-grade USBs
- Betamax, PAL, SECAM formats: $35.99
- Umatic/Betacam SP/DVC Pro: $55.99/tape
$35.99/tape for more than 10 - Tapes over 2.5 hours: add $10
- Extra DVD or CD: $5 Standard, $10 Archival
- Extra USB: ask your consultant
- Add label transcription to Digital Only: $2/tape
- Private website free for 6 months
WE ORGANIZE AND DIGITIZE ALL YOUR MEMORIES
Get an estimate to convert miniDV to DVD today!
Fill out our form or call to speak to a consultant
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why do I have to digitize my DV tapes? Doesn’t DV stand for digital video?
This is confusing. On previous types of video cassettes, the footage was captured frame-by-frame on magnetic tape. With DV tapes, it’s captured in ones and zeros, and hence digital. BUT, the information is still stuck on magnetic tape. The digitizing process gets the digital information off the tape and into your computer. It can’t be avoided unfortunately.
Can I do this MiniDV to digital project at home?
You certainly can. MiniDV video cameras are the best bet for your transfers, along with one of many converters available online. However, using a USB connector like most of these tools suggest is a bit of a missed opportunity. The digital files can be transferred off of MiniDV with great integrity using IEEE 1394 firewire cables – the native transfer mechanism for DV files. That’s how we do things at EverPresent, but it’s the difference between a rig that costs thousands of dollars vs. hundreds of dollars. As you compare a digitizing service vs. DIY options, the more modern the tapes get, the more quality you lose with a lower end technology solution.
How do I choose the right service for MiniDV transfers?
The first step is to make sure you know what format you have. A reasonably high percentage of digitizing companies can handle a standard MiniDV transfer, although at varying degrees of quality. That said, there are lots of other small video tapes that have “DV” written all over them that are NOT MiniDV tapes. For example, there are DVCam tapes and DVCPro tapes. Very few digitizing services can handle these tapes. So you want to be absolutely sure you have a MiniDV tape if you are asking about MiniDV transfer services. The other issue to be aware of is that a small percentage of MiniDV tapes were actually recorded in HD. We believe about 5% of MiniDV tapes were recorded in HD. The problem is that most companies do not transfer MiniDV tapes in HD. Most don’t have the capability, and those like us that do will not transfer in HD unless asked because it’s a more costly process. So if you are 100% sure that your MiniDV tapes were natively recorded in HD, make sure to let your digitizing company know so they can confirm they can and will create the digital file you want.