Data files for editing

AVI, mpeg2 & miniDV-tape

 

Data DVD´s with AVI-files.

 

Benefits:You get the movies as AVI-files, which provides the best format and image quality for you to work with. Each frame is compressed individually under the DV standard for PAL format, 720x576. It is easy to copy the files to your computer, you can start editing immediately.

Every reel is saved as a separate file named with the same numbes as the film originals, so it is easy to find a specific film reel on your computer. All editing programs can handle our AVI-files, it is a "editing friendly" format.

 

Your movies are stored on archival grade DVD´s with gold layers - the safest medium for long-term storage. Your original files are safe on the DVD´s we deliver.

 

Disadvantages: The price. A DVD can contain a maximum of 19 minutes film as AVI-files, which means that this option might be a little more expensive than mpeg2-files (any price difference depends on the amount of film).

 

Data DVD´s with mpeg2-files.

 

Benefits: The price, it will be a little cheaper than, for example, AVI-files (any price difference depends on the amount of film). It is easy to copy the files to your computer, you can start editing immediately. Every reel is saved as a separate file named with the same numbes as the film originals, so it is easy to find a specific film reel on your computer.

 

Your movies are stored on archival grade DVD´s with gold layers - the safest medium for long-term storage. Your original files are safe on the DVD´s we deliver.

 

You will receive the mpeg2-files in a format called m2v+wav, it means that the soundtrack and videotrack are saved as separate files. Most editing programs prefer to handle audio and video separated when the material is compressed to mpeg2.

 

Disadvantages: You get the films as mpeg2-files with the highest possible data flow under the mpeg2 standard, to minimize compression artefacts, but the image quality will be a little lower compared to our AVI-files.

 

All frames are not individually compressed on mpeg2-files , the compression of any specific frame is often based on future or on previous frames (this is of course not optimal for editing).

 

Some editing programs may find it difficult to cope with mpeg-files. For example, Windows Moviemaker does not work at all with mpeg2-files, you have to buy a editing program to edit mpeg2-files. Moreover, the final result will be compressed to mpeg twice (once by us and once by you, when you are done editing and make your own DVD´s), which means slightly lower image quality on the final product.

 

Film transfer to MiniDV-tape.

 

Benefits: The price, it may be cheaper than AVI-files if you have a lot of film. The miniDV-tape will have better image quality than mpeg2 compressed files. When you have transferred the tape to your computer you will have a big AVI-file with all the reels on the MiniDV-tape.

 

Disadvantages: The price. It is more expensive than mpeg-files on data DVD´s. It is a bit more difficult and time consuming to copy the miniDV-tape to your computer compared to data files. In addition to a video camera that can play the MiniDV-tape you will need a firewire capture card on your computer, and so on.

 

We put up a image of a film slate between the reels transferred to the MiniDV-tape, to make it easier for you to identify and locate the various reels on the tape. But it will still not be as easy to find a specific reel in the computer as it is with, for example, AVI-files.

 

Your movies will be recorded on magnetic tape, it is not as safe for long-term storage as our archival grade DVD´s. A MiniDV-tape can be damages and demagnetized - keep it away from loudspeakers, televisions, magnetic fields, and so on.