[tider]

I was wondering if there was anybody out there who is transferring home movies to dvd's using their E-80's or other recorders for the general public for a fee. Is this even legal? Just wondering.


I seen where Wal-mart is doing this now for about $30/ dvd.

 

[BASHERS33]

I saw a commercial locally for a company who does this. And I didn't hear what the name of the company was or how much it costs. I was thinking myself that it would be a nice way for me to make money. But like you said, who knows if it is even legal.

 

[moop]

It certainly would be legal. Sony offers a similar service by mail for about $30 per tape.


You can't copy copyrighted material like commercial VHS movies, but home movies, sure.

 

[vferrari]

Problem is, for the most part, you can provide higher quality transfers (in terms of menu aesthetics and navigation) using a PC-based DVD authoring application. The simple spreadsheet-type menus associated with the standalone DVD recorders smack of amateur hour, so if you are going head-to-head with someone who has a decent PC-based disk authoring setup, most clients would opt for the better looking menus, etc. because it looks more professionally done. You could probably make a few bucks at it, but the other mitigating factor is the relative high availability now of inexpensive standalone DVD recorders as a consumer item. Standalone recorders are making a serious transition from being an early adopter/enthusiast/prosumer curiosity component to a standard part of a high-end home theater setup. However, PC-based media center HTPC's are also making a run at this sector as well.


Vic

 

[snidely]

There are many/most people who wouldn't spend the money for a stand alone DVD recorder just to put a few "home movies" on DVD.

Many of us didn't want the hassle of learning yet another PC program to do it on a PC. The standalone suffices for the majority of us that don't want to do editing - just simply make copies for us and relatives of what we have.

Color photo printers are dirt cheap. Still there are services that will print your digital pictures for you. I have yet to see a home printer anywhere near the photo quality of a print from film. Don't know the quality of a professional place that prints your digital photos.

I am sure there are numerous people that have a few hours of family videos that would pay a fee to have them on DVD. It wouldn't pay them to do it themselves.


...mike