It has always been a big question in our industry...  "How long will the DVD last?"  Is it 5 years, 10 years, 25 years?   Honestly, no one really knows from experience... just what the manufacturer tells them.

From the beginning, we have been using the best brand in the industry, "Taiyo Yuden" discs, which are rated for 75 to 100 years, but honestly, I have a hard time believing their claim.  This is why I tell customers to always have a backup of their DVDs on another medium like a hard drive.

Now... I tell my customers, "Just get it placed on a M-Disc."  If you take care of it, the disc will last many generations to come.  It doesn't get any more permanent than this.

M-Discs use patented technology where the data is actually etched onto the disc by a laser versus regular DVDs that use a dye (which can fade in sunlight or extreme temperatures). With M-Disc DVDs, it is like carving the data into stone, so it can withstand a lot of abuse.   Expect your discs to last 100's of years!  That's right - 100's of years.  You can even dip these discs into liquid nitrogen and they still work.   M-Discs are compatible with all modern DVD players, so it is a win-win product!

As of January 20, 2012, we are the only major archival company to offer M-Disc technology.  So if you are interested in having your data remain permanent, ask us for M-Discs.  The cost is an additional $10.00 per service (a small price to pay for piece of mind).

HD Media Services is proud to be working with one of the top Australian TV networks in the conversion of several American classic series to the PAL format.

You may not know, but in other countries the TV standard is different than the US.  The frame rate is 25fps with the standard definition resolution set at 720x576, while in the US (NTSC format) our frame rate is 29.97fps with a standard resolution set at 720x480.  Making the conversion has always required expensive equipment (using brands like Teranex and Snells & Wilcox) until now...

HD Media Services has provided crystal clear conversions of 200+ episodes to the PAL format, without frame-blending or frame-interpolation (which can make images look fuzzy or unnatural).  Our process is complicated and time-consuming, but well worth the effort as the conversion looks identical to that of the original film. Thank you Seven Network for giving us the opportunity to showcase our video conversion technology!

Now getting a quote for project is even easier and faster.  Check out our "Instant Project Estimator" at http://www.hdmediaservices.com/place-order/instant-project-estimate.html

This nifty little application will give you the pricing answers that you need fast.  Plus it will even email a PDF version that you can print, save or forward to friend (or your boss!)

http://www.twitter.com/hdmediaservices

HD Media Services is excited and proud to announce that we are the first company to offer professional and affordable 3D Blu-Ray disc authoring at a price of $195 per hour of material. This format is perfect for independent film-makers and companies looking to give their video that extra "WOW" factor.  Please contact us for more information!

We're definitely not in the hard drive business, so we welcome you to either send us your own hard drive or order one from a company like Amazon and have it shipped directly to us.  We can use practically any type of drive (USB, Firewire, SATA -- with enclosure or without).

Or if you don't want to go through the trouble, we offer Iomega hard drives for $69.95 (500GB), $99.95 (1TB) and $179.95 (2TB).  Iomega drives are great for consumer and prosumer projects, plus they come with a 3-year manufacturer warranty.

When considering a hard drive, keep the following in mind:

1.  Each hour of regular video will require 13GB of space / per hour (AVI or MOV files)
2.  Each hour of ProRes video will require anywhere from 30GB to 80GB of space / per hour
3.  MPEG-4 files do not require a hard drive as they are 2GB of space / per hour and can easily fit onto data DVDs.

From one blog to another!  Check out one of our customer's blog about our digitizing service...

http://wedoitthehardway.blogspot.com/2010/03/digitizing.html

Imagine viewing your precious memories with four times the clarity of a typical DVD.  Well the format is here, it is now affordable and called Blu-Ray!

The discs look similar, but there are some major differences:  DVDs can store about 4.4 gigabytes of data while Blu-Ray discs can store 25 gigabytes of data... allowing more room for higher resolution video.  DVDs have a resolution of 720x480, which is considered to be "standard definition."  On the other hand, Blu-Ray discs have a resolution of 1920x1080, or called "high definition."  Finally, Blu-Ray discs are more durable with a scratch-resistant coating.

When Blu-Ray disc players were first introduced, the cost was easily over $1,000.  Now we are seeing players for as low as $99 (and some refurbished players have been as low as $79).  Plus, these players allow you use other services, such as streaming videos from Netflix or YouTube, with a simple connection to the internet.  

Will your old camcorder or VHS tapes look better on Blu-Ray?  Most definitely!  At HD Media Services, we use special software that will extract more detail out of your old videos.  The process takes several hours and some heavy computer processing power, but the results are amazing.  Contact us if you are interested in viewing your memories in a whole new light!