Lee Evans - Video Services
Video Transfer, Standards Conversion, DVD Authoring
Camcorder Tapes to DVD
Convert Hi-8 to DVD, MiniDV to DVD or VHS-C to DVD as a simple Auto play DVD
Do you have old Camcorder tapes lying around, bored of playing around with tape adapters or fiddling around the back of the telly with plugs and cables to watch your holiday video?
Or do you simply just want to find out what is on that old camcorder tape that you no longer have a camera for? Well so do we, so send it to us and we will put the footage on a nice new DVD!
What you get...
Auto Play DVD (or VHS)
Transfer Hi-8, VHSC, SVHSC or MiniDV to DVD
Upto 1.5 hours footage per disc
Basic Colour Correction
Basic Image Correction
Dolby Digital audio encoding
Variable bit-rate video encoding
Studio Quality Mpeg2 compression
Printed DVD and Case with your supplied title
Your original media returned
Signed for return postage
15.00 1.5 Hrs (Item No 401)
20.00 3.0 Hrs (Item No 402)
NTSC Tapes 20.00 2.0 Hrs(Item No 403)
Options: (All prices are additional to base prices above)
Edit out Unwanted Footage £5.00 per 10 edits (Item No 120)
Remove unwanted footage from your tapes, simply fill out our Edit Sheet with the time codes from
your device. Price includes upto 10 edit points (10 in and 10 out points)
Combine Multiple Tapes £5.00 - upto 3 Tapes per disc (Item No 130)
If you want to combine several tapes onto one DVD use this option. Please indicate when ordering
the time codes for each tape by filling in our Edit Sheet. Please make sure tapes are clearly labelled.
Advanced Editing £10.00 per tape (Item No 121)
For more precise editing on your Tapes we will convert your footage to DVD first, return it to you
with a time code superimposed on the footage, you can then acurately fill in the Edit Sheet right down to
the individual frame. This option includes your first 10 edit points.
DVD Menu Chapter Selection £4.00 for 6 Buttons (Item No 156)
Provides you with a DVD menu (see Examples) with a title and sub-title of your choice, background
of your choice taken from your footage or from e-mailed jpeg. 6 buttons that link to specific points in
your footage as specified by you (please use our Edit Sheet).
A Play all button will also be provided.
DVD Menu Chapter Selection £7.00 for 12 Buttons (Item No 162)
As above with upto 12 buttons. Please use our Edit Sheet to specify button points and labels on
your footage.
Animated Chapter Buttons £5.00 for 6 Buttons (Item No 158)
This option provides you with 6 picture in picture menu buttons. Each chapter button is a small
screen playing that chapters footage. Please use our Edit Sheet when ordering to specify chapter points
in your footage and labels for buttons.
Auto Loop DVD £2.00 (Item No 165)
Great for presentations or at exhibitions. Simply repeats your DVD indefinately until you hit the
menu button.
Custom DVD Label £5.00 Set-Up £1.00 per disc (Item No 180)
All options provide you with a plain printed DVD with two titles of your choice. If you want a
more custom look, simply provide your own art work in jpeg form and this will be printed onto your DVD.
Custom DVD Case Insert £5.00 Set-Up £1.00 per cover (Item No 185)
Provide us with your art work and we will print this onto the DVD Case.
Provide your footage in MPEG2 for PC Editing £5.00 (1.5 Hours) (Item No 190)
This option is great if you want to edit your footage on your own PC using video editing software
such as windows movie maker.
Provide your footage in AVI for PC Editing £10.00 (1.0 Hours) (Item No 191)
Again this is for people who want to edit there footage on a PC but don't want to lose any
quality. AVI's supplied uncompressed and as such are very large. Your footage will be broken down into
20 minute sections with a 10 second overlap, and supplied on seperate DVD discs.
Intuative DVD Chapter Points £5.00 upto 8 (Item No 165)
Unless specified elsewhere automatic chapter points will be inserted into your footage to enable
you to quickly skip forward. If you want chapter points at specific places in your footage use this
option. Please fill out our Edit Sheet when ordering to specify chapter points.
The Process, 1,2 3...
1) Fill in the form and send your tapes...
To get your Video transfered or Camcorder tape converted to DVD simply print off our
Standard Order Form,
Fill in your details, the number of tapes you are sending, the length of tape and any additional
extras you would like. If you have problems with the adobe acrobat order form please goto our How to Order page for help
Total this up on the form and post off with your payment (cheques payable to Lee Evans). Use the form to include any
notes or other information.
Then post your tapes and completed forms to Lee Evans Video Services, we recommend using a
trackable or recorded delivery service such as Royal Mail Signed for or Royal Mail special delivery.
2) We convert your tapes and apply any additional features...
When we receive your tapes you will receive an E-mail to confirm that they have arrived safely.
Your tapes will then be captured into a non-linear editing system, at this point any minor
corrections to colour, stabilization, balance etc.. will be applied.
Once loaded any requested editing will be carried out, simple triming the start and end of the
footage will be carried out at no additional charge.
Your footage will then be rendered as mpeg2 using high quality compression techniques using 2
passes to ensure high quality output.
Then your finished DVD will be authored along with any additional features you have requested.
Your DVD will be written and verified before it is tested visually.
Once satisfied, your supplied titles will be printed onto the DVD and Case.
3) Your tapes and completed DVD's are returned to you...
Your completed DVD and original media will then posted off to you as "Signed for" First Class as
standard or "Special Delivery" if requested on the order form.
Simple video transfers are typically sent out the same day they are received and usually no longer
than 2 days.
Once your completed work has been posted you will receive an E-mail to confirm this along with any
tracking number (if applicable)
Frequently Asked Questions
What methods of payment do you accept?
We accept cheques or postal orders made payable to Lee Evans.
We also accept electronic bank transfers, please E-mail for account details.
If you wish to pay by credit card we can invoice you via PayPal, this is a secure online payment system. Please note that there will be a 3.5% additional charge for orders below £30.
I'm not sure how much money I need to send
If you prefer, simply send your work and tick the "invoice me" box on the order form, we will then complete your work and invoice you before returning your complete DVD's. Once your cheque or payment has been received we will post out your work.
I've read lots about DVD-R and DVD+R what do I need?
DVD-R and DVD+R is the type of writable discs that are used. Most commercially available DVD's are "Pressed" DVD's, in order for this to be economically viable you need to have a run of at least 500 discs. So, small orders are electronically written or "burnt" to writable media. Most set-top DVD players produced in the last couple of years will happily play both DVD-R and DVD+R, arguably DVD-R appears to be more widely adopted. Hence we produce DVD's on DVD-R unless otherwise requested. If your not sure, your DVD manual will tell you, sometimes it is even written on the front of the machine. If you include a note of your DVD Players Make and Model we will look this up and produce accordingly.
If DVD's do not work or something isn't quite right
We take ever effort to get your DVD's right first time, but sometimes things don't turn out quite as we would like. If sometime is wrong let us know as soon as you receive your DVD's. We keep the full project on the system until you have received it and it will usually be possible to rectify the problem and send out a replacement disc without needing to return media. If it is necessary to return media and we have made a mistake we will give you an additional copy of your DVD/s and/or a voucher towards further work. We keep a security "image" of your discs for upto 90 days after your work is complete in case there is a problem or you need an additional copy.
What Region Code do you use?
All dvd's are produced as region free or region 0, unless you have requested otherwise.
What format are your discs NTSC or PAL
Unless specifically requested we return discs in the same format they are sent. i.e. if your original is PAL (UK, Most of Europe) your discs will be returned as PAL. If your source media is NTSC and you haven't asked for conversion to PAL (there is an additional charge for this) we will return your media as NTSC. This is actually useful for many customers as for many years most UK equipment will happily play NTSC DVD's and if you want to send a copy to your aunt in the states or take your DVD's of the children on holiday to show relatives you can (PAL compatibility is almost unheard of in the states).
We can convert VHS, Mini DV, VHSC and Super VHS to NTSC. We will also convert Hi8 and Video 8 to NTSC but our current equipment provides a slightly more grainy output.
Do you apply any special copy protection on your discs
Generally we do not apply any media protection to discs unless it has been requested. However, we reserve the right to do so for example to preserve the copy protection on an original.
Do you return my source media?
All tapes, discs, etc.. are returned with your order. As we keep a security image of your media until it has been received we do not send it out seperately unless specifically requested.
Is it safe to send my media in the post?
In our experience we have yet to have anything more than a few days delay in the post. However, only you can judge the value of your video tapes, and would therefore recommend if you are worried use a trackable postage method such as Royal Mail Special Delivery.
Can I drop my media off by hand?
We are happy to meet our customers, so feel free to contact us and arrange a drop off time in St Albans.
How long does the process take?
Typically straight transfers are sent out the same day, 2 days at most. Productions requiring editing, standards conversion, menus etc.. may take longer upto 7 working days. If you need to conversion in a hurry please let us know at the time of ordering. There may be an additional charge to expediate your order.
Can I sent copyrighted material?
Copyright law is a very complex area and unformately we can't provide specific information on the legality of making backup copies or transfering format from video to DVD for your own personal use. We rely on you the customer to check this out before sending your video. By placing an order you as the customer are accepting full liability for any copyright issues that may arise.
I've seen cheaper offerings elsewhere that include a free menu!
Some services provide video to DVD conversion using domestic DVD recorders. The methods these machines use vary greatly and generally include a "tell tail" blue screen menu. Copying using these machines is quick and easy, however in our experience they produce discs of a low compatibility, which are prone to jerky video. The discs are not verified and offer no ability to correct colour or other distortions. WE DO NOT USE DOMESTIC DVD RECORDERS.
This all looks great but wouldn't I be better off buying a DVD recorder?
DVD Recorders are great and offer an easy way of backing up your video onto disc. This will of course require your time, you probably won't get a disc that you can reliably give to friends or relatives as they produce low compatibility, or that will be professionally labelled and cased. You may also find (typically in my experience) that you get 10 minutes towards the end of the copy and the recorder tells you "there is a disc error" and you have to start again!
I already have a DVD Recorder but want my video or camcorder tapes on DVD-RW for editing in my DVD Recorder
Many DVD Recorders allow you to edit footage on a re-writable disc (DVD-RW/+RW). As each DVD Recorder varies in the method it uses to do this it would be near imposible to provide an unfinalised disc that your DVD Recorder will be able to accept and change/edit. Even if we used the exact same model of DVD Recorder you have there can still be software differences between releases of models. If you want to edit your footage we would suggest you add one of our edit packages to your order.
Combine Multiple Tapes £5.00 - upto 3 Tapes per disc (Item No 130)
If you want to combine several tapes onto one DVD use this option. Please indicate when ordering the time codes for each tape by filling in our Edit Sheet. Please make sure tapes are clearly labelled.Advanced Editing £10.00 per tape (Item No 121)
For more precise editing on your Tapes we will convert your footage to DVD first, return it to you with a time code superimposed on the footage, you can then acurately fill in the Edit Sheet right down to the individual frame. This option includes your first 10 edit points.DVD Menu Chapter Selection £4.00 for 6 Buttons (Item No 156)
Provides you with a DVD menu (see Examples) with a title and sub-title of your choice, background of your choice taken from your footage or from e-mailed jpeg. 6 buttons that link to specific points in your footage as specified by you (please use our Edit Sheet). A Play all button will also be provided.DVD Menu Chapter Selection £7.00 for 12 Buttons (Item No 162)
As above with upto 12 buttons. Please use our Edit Sheet to specify button points and labels on your footage.Animated Chapter Buttons £5.00 for 6 Buttons (Item No 158)
This option provides you with 6 picture in picture menu buttons. Each chapter button is a small screen playing that chapters footage. Please use our Edit Sheet when ordering to specify chapter points in your footage and labels for buttons.Auto Loop DVD £2.00 (Item No 165)
Great for presentations or at exhibitions. Simply repeats your DVD indefinately until you hit the menu button.Custom DVD Label £5.00 Set-Up £1.00 per disc (Item No 180)
All options provide you with a plain printed DVD with two titles of your choice. If you want a more custom look, simply provide your own art work in jpeg form and this will be printed onto your DVD.Custom DVD Case Insert £5.00 Set-Up £1.00 per cover (Item No 185)
Provide us with your art work and we will print this onto the DVD Case.Provide your footage in MPEG2 for PC Editing £5.00 (1.5 Hours) (Item No 190)
This option is great if you want to edit your footage on your own PC using video editing software such as windows movie maker.Provide your footage in AVI for PC Editing £10.00 (1.0 Hours) (Item No 191)
Again this is for people who want to edit there footage on a PC but don't want to lose any quality. AVI's supplied uncompressed and as such are very large. Your footage will be broken down into 20 minute sections with a 10 second overlap, and supplied on seperate DVD discs.Intuative DVD Chapter Points £5.00 upto 8 (Item No 165)
Unless specified elsewhere automatic chapter points will be inserted into your footage to enable you to quickly skip forward. If you want chapter points at specific places in your footage use this option. Please fill out our Edit Sheet when ordering to specify chapter points.The Process, 1,2 3...
1) Fill in the form and send your tapes...
To get your Video transfered or Camcorder tape converted to DVD simply print off our Standard Order Form, Fill in your details, the number of tapes you are sending, the length of tape and any additional extras you would like. If you have problems with the adobe acrobat order form please goto our How to Order page for helpTotal this up on the form and post off with your payment (cheques payable to Lee Evans). Use the form to include any notes or other information.
Then post your tapes and completed forms to Lee Evans Video Services, we recommend using a trackable or recorded delivery service such as Royal Mail Signed for or Royal Mail special delivery.
2) We convert your tapes and apply any additional features...
When we receive your tapes you will receive an E-mail to confirm that they have arrived safely.Your tapes will then be captured into a non-linear editing system, at this point any minor corrections to colour, stabilization, balance etc.. will be applied. Once loaded any requested editing will be carried out, simple triming the start and end of the footage will be carried out at no additional charge.
Your footage will then be rendered as mpeg2 using high quality compression techniques using 2 passes to ensure high quality output. Then your finished DVD will be authored along with any additional features you have requested. Your DVD will be written and verified before it is tested visually. Once satisfied, your supplied titles will be printed onto the DVD and Case.
3) Your tapes and completed DVD's are returned to you...
Your completed DVD and original media will then posted off to you as "Signed for" First Class as standard or "Special Delivery" if requested on the order form. Simple video transfers are typically sent out the same day they are received and usually no longer than 2 days.Once your completed work has been posted you will receive an E-mail to confirm this along with any tracking number (if applicable)
Frequently Asked Questions
What methods of payment do you accept?
We accept cheques or postal orders made payable to Lee Evans.We also accept electronic bank transfers, please E-mail for account details.
If you wish to pay by credit card we can invoice you via PayPal, this is a secure online payment system. Please note that there will be a 3.5% additional charge for orders below £30.
I'm not sure how much money I need to send
If you prefer, simply send your work and tick the "invoice me" box on the order form, we will then complete your work and invoice you before returning your complete DVD's. Once your cheque or payment has been received we will post out your work.I've read lots about DVD-R and DVD+R what do I need?
DVD-R and DVD+R is the type of writable discs that are used. Most commercially available DVD's are "Pressed" DVD's, in order for this to be economically viable you need to have a run of at least 500 discs. So, small orders are electronically written or "burnt" to writable media. Most set-top DVD players produced in the last couple of years will happily play both DVD-R and DVD+R, arguably DVD-R appears to be more widely adopted. Hence we produce DVD's on DVD-R unless otherwise requested. If your not sure, your DVD manual will tell you, sometimes it is even written on the front of the machine. If you include a note of your DVD Players Make and Model we will look this up and produce accordingly.If DVD's do not work or something isn't quite right
We take ever effort to get your DVD's right first time, but sometimes things don't turn out quite as we would like. If sometime is wrong let us know as soon as you receive your DVD's. We keep the full project on the system until you have received it and it will usually be possible to rectify the problem and send out a replacement disc without needing to return media. If it is necessary to return media and we have made a mistake we will give you an additional copy of your DVD/s and/or a voucher towards further work. We keep a security "image" of your discs for upto 90 days after your work is complete in case there is a problem or you need an additional copy.What Region Code do you use?
All dvd's are produced as region free or region 0, unless you have requested otherwise.What format are your discs NTSC or PAL
Unless specifically requested we return discs in the same format they are sent. i.e. if your original is PAL (UK, Most of Europe) your discs will be returned as PAL. If your source media is NTSC and you haven't asked for conversion to PAL (there is an additional charge for this) we will return your media as NTSC. This is actually useful for many customers as for many years most UK equipment will happily play NTSC DVD's and if you want to send a copy to your aunt in the states or take your DVD's of the children on holiday to show relatives you can (PAL compatibility is almost unheard of in the states).We can convert VHS, Mini DV, VHSC and Super VHS to NTSC. We will also convert Hi8 and Video 8 to NTSC but our current equipment provides a slightly more grainy output.
Do you apply any special copy protection on your discs
Generally we do not apply any media protection to discs unless it has been requested. However, we reserve the right to do so for example to preserve the copy protection on an original.Do you return my source media?
All tapes, discs, etc.. are returned with your order. As we keep a security image of your media until it has been received we do not send it out seperately unless specifically requested.Is it safe to send my media in the post?
In our experience we have yet to have anything more than a few days delay in the post. However, only you can judge the value of your video tapes, and would therefore recommend if you are worried use a trackable postage method such as Royal Mail Special Delivery.Can I drop my media off by hand?
We are happy to meet our customers, so feel free to contact us and arrange a drop off time in St Albans.How long does the process take?
Typically straight transfers are sent out the same day, 2 days at most. Productions requiring editing, standards conversion, menus etc.. may take longer upto 7 working days. If you need to conversion in a hurry please let us know at the time of ordering. There may be an additional charge to expediate your order.Can I sent copyrighted material?
Copyright law is a very complex area and unformately we can't provide specific information on the legality of making backup copies or transfering format from video to DVD for your own personal use. We rely on you the customer to check this out before sending your video. By placing an order you as the customer are accepting full liability for any copyright issues that may arise.I've seen cheaper offerings elsewhere that include a free menu!
Some services provide video to DVD conversion using domestic DVD recorders. The methods these machines use vary greatly and generally include a "tell tail" blue screen menu. Copying using these machines is quick and easy, however in our experience they produce discs of a low compatibility, which are prone to jerky video. The discs are not verified and offer no ability to correct colour or other distortions. WE DO NOT USE DOMESTIC DVD RECORDERS.This all looks great but wouldn't I be better off buying a DVD recorder?
DVD Recorders are great and offer an easy way of backing up your video onto disc. This will of course require your time, you probably won't get a disc that you can reliably give to friends or relatives as they produce low compatibility, or that will be professionally labelled and cased. You may also find (typically in my experience) that you get 10 minutes towards the end of the copy and the recorder tells you "there is a disc error" and you have to start again!I already have a DVD Recorder but want my video or camcorder tapes on DVD-RW for editing in my DVD Recorder
Many DVD Recorders allow you to edit footage on a re-writable disc (DVD-RW/+RW). As each DVD Recorder varies in the method it uses to do this it would be near imposible to provide an unfinalised disc that your DVD Recorder will be able to accept and change/edit. Even if we used the exact same model of DVD Recorder you have there can still be software differences between releases of models. If you want to edit your footage we would suggest you add one of our edit packages to your order.