TechHelp Ottawa

• Most modern TVs have a USB port either on the side or back of the unit. Plug the USB stick into that port and use the Input or Source button on your remote to find the USB. Then it’s a matter of selecting and playing the files. You might want to check the TV manual for more info.

• If you’re a Mac computer user, plug in the USB stick, use Finder to locate the USB stick, and double-click on the file you want to play. MP4 files open in the QuickTime app.

• If you’re a Windows user, plug in the USB stick, use Windows Explorer to locate the USB stick, and double-click on the file you want to play. MP4 files open in Windows Media Player or any other 3rd party media player that you’ve installed.

You might want to download and install the VLC app which is a good alternative to the above for playing MP4 files on ether Mac or Windows computers. WEBSITE: https://www.videolan.org

DVDs that have been transferred from VHS tapes will display a skewed line at the bottom of the screen when you watch the disks on a computer. This happens because, when tapes are transferred to DVD and watched on a computer display, we see the whole picture, including the part at the bottom that was meant to be hidden through a process called over-scanning.

When playing these same disks on a DVD player, however, this bottom line—produced by the NTSC video signal—is hidden from view because of over-scanning. Similarly, the electronics of VHS players hides this skewed line through over-scanning.

VHS tapes that are converted to MP4 video files are cropped at the bottom so that this line is not present.

Most—if not all—commercially recorded Betamax movies are digitally protected to prevent copying. To break this "digital lock" in order to duplicate content would be breaking the law. That is why we do not transfer and/or duplicate digitally locked copyrighted media of any kind, including Betamax tapes.

December, 2012 — Canada's recent Copyright Modernization Act "legitimizes activities that Canadians do every day. For example, it recognizes that Canadians should not be liable for … copying music from CDs to MP3 players, or backing up data if they are doing so for their private use and have not broken a digital lock." Bill C-11 was passed and received Royal Assent on June 29, 2012.

We use the best equipment available to ensure the best quality possible from the Betamax format.

Betamax tapes are analogue, however, producing only a standard definition (SD), low resolution picture at a 4 X 3 aspect ratio (like with older TVs).

Moreover, the picture quality of home VHS tapes is notoriously bad! Quality can be adversely affected by tape deterioration, slow recording speeds, less than ideal shooting conditions, over and under exposure, tracking problems, the fact that the tape is a dubbed copy of another tape, etc. The DVD reproduces these imperfections exactly. Read more below.

Yes, we can edit your VHS tape content, but additional fees will apply. Please ask us in advance about editing your VHS content.

NOTE: Sound restoration techniques can be applied to MP4 video files as well. This is particularly effective in reducing consistent background noise such as fans, air conditioners and hum, and in enhancing voices. Ask us to explain.

We use only the best equipment available, such as state-of-the art Betamax to DVD transfer decks. We use Mac computers and advanced movie editing software for creating video files.

For just $7 more, the surface of each DVD is professionally imprinted with a custom-made label using an inkjet printing technique. Let us know at the outset if you would like to give us a picture that will be used in the label design. Each DVD is packaged in a paper sleeve for protection.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT that tapes are organized and accurately labelled — preferably by numbers. This helps us to properly label the resulting DVDs.

It is very helpful when you can indicate to us the length of each tape. This can also save you money, as two short tapes (one hour or less each) can be put onto one DVD. Otherwise, each Betamax tape is transferred to its own DVD, regardless of length (up to two hours).

If you can, please save us time by rewinding your tapes before delivering them to us.