Do you have MiniDV tapes?
Have no fear! There are many options to make sure you don’t lose the memories that matter most to you.
If you have the patience and time, you can either digitize at your home with a video camera software or send your tapes to a digitization agency and let an expert handle it. What is the best option for MiniDV tapes, you ask?
Let’s find out how MiniDV-to–digital transfer can happen at home and then compare it to a digitization service.
Need supplies
MiniDV tape deck or camcorder
MiniDV tape
USB cable
Computer
Video capture software
Use the USB cable to connect your MiniDV camcorder/tapedeck to your computer.
Open the tape deck and camcorder. If you’re using a camcorder set it to VCR mode.
You can load the MiniDV tape in the camcorder/tape deck.
Open the video capture software in your computer.
In the software’s file menu, click “capture” to open a capture window.
You can play your tape deck or camcorder by pressing the play button.
The video should play in the capture window within the video editing program.
Click “record” on the capture window of the video editing program. The software will immediately record the tape.
After the tape has finished playing, you can press “stop” to close the capture window.
This will result in one continuous digital clip that can be saved to your computer.
The simplicity of at-home digitization makes it appealing. It requires only a few supplies and a few steps to complete the task. However, depending on what type of video capture software and the number of tapes that you have to convert, this can cost you a lot of money and time. The software will capture the tapes, so you won’t have to wait for them to finish. You might end up spending hours in front of your computer. When digitizing at home, audio and visual editing are yours. This is another hurdle that you will need to clear when you finally get there. You might not be able to edit video properly if your computer isn’t equipped with the right software. After spending so much time and effort to digitize them, you might end up with poor quality videos.
Digitization Services for Win
You can send your MiniDV tapes directly to a minidv to digital transfer service, which will remove the stress of editing. No waiting on the tape to finish. No issues with audio and video quality. Experienced with video editing software, digitization professionals will review your videos to ensure the highest quality digitization possible for all your memorable moments.
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