Video tape photos?

Puppyraiser

PFG, Picture Framing God
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So when I went swimming with the dolphins in Cabo San Lucas on my Wonderful Cruise, I received as part of the exhorbitant but value-for-money price, a videotape. Is there some way I can get photos made of parts of the tape? It was a FABULOUS experience, and I would love to document it in my trip scrapbook...
 
There are ways to do that, and I'm sure there must be some that are simpler than what I would do.

I would copy the video tape to a DVD and then do a frame capture (no, not THAT kind of frame) on the computer.
 
First of all, if it is on VCR tape, the quality of the image is good for about 6-10 years depending on the quality of the tape and recording.

Getting it "burned" to DVD or CD is good for about 2 years.

If you pay the huge fee for a "Pressing" the the DVD is probably good for about 10 years.

And I have pictures on my hard-drive that go back about 12 years and are still good.

But if you are printing them and "s-wording" them, pay for them to be printed with a long lasting paper and ink and your grandkids will be fighting over who gets the "originals".

Wow, first she talks to the dogs, then goes after the dogs of the sea. I'm just jealous Ellen. BTW, just sold another stacked frame. Great class, thanks again.

BTW: For all who have or will be buying my DVD "Fabric Wrapping 101", It "Pressed" for longevity, world-wide play formatting, and copy protection.
 
You have to find a specialty or professional photo retailer or video editing service to do that. The DVD thing might work(it's good to transfer VHS to DVD anyways, since it's being phased out), but usually from VHS you can only get a 4x6 or 5x7 print at largest. You should be able to find someone through PMA.
 
Try Beacon Digital Video. They have done some work for us in the past, and, I believe, their prices are pretty good. They offer a whole range of services and can probably help you, or, at least, answer your questions. Ask for Dave Doherty.
 
Yes, but don't expect much in the way of image quality. The NTSC video raster produces very low resolution compared to a still photo from 35mm film and digital.
John
 
Baer, where on earth did you get your numbers from? I would certainly be interested to know of any evidence to suggest that a 2 year life span is all that can be expected! I have a CD here that I use almost everyday and it's now 6 years old, beside that is a DVD that gets used twice a week and it is about that same age... I have a huge number of home made CD's that date back more than 10 years and have no problem whatsoever as well. The 2 year proposals you indicate have not been pointed out to me before and I sincerly request that you pass on your source if at all possible.


Anyhow...
Printing from Video tape is a common service for most remaining Photolabs here, take note of the times (from the very beginning) where you want the prints made from and all will be good. As noted by others the max size will be 7x5 or 6x4 "ish".
 
I think Baer's skepticism is unfounded. However, manufacturing defects have been known to happen and even a disk which verifies may be subject to longevity issues. If you use blank disks with phthalocyanine dye (particularly when coupled with gold/silver alloy) and take reasonable care of them they should last (as far as anyone can tell) for many years. Best practices include making two backups, preferably on blank disks from different manufacturers (or at least different lots) in case you run into a bad batch of blank disks. Many of the better manufacturers are offering premium disks with improved longevity, including Verbatim DataLifePlus, TDK Hard Hat, Maxell Pro: these brands claim 50-100 year lifespans. Delkin has their eFilm Archival Gold disks with a claimed lifespan of 300 years. In reality, all that is truly necessary is sufficient longevity to allow you to copy the files when the next improved lifespan technology comes along (provided we still have the hardware available to read these disks.)
 
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