Frequently Asked Questions

Select a topic that we commonly are asked questions about:

- General Questions about Overseas Video Lab
- DVD Services
- Video Production Services
- Multimedia Production Services
- Standards Conversion Services
- Film Transfer Services
- Duplication Services
- Video Projection Rental
- Audio Production Services
- Other Services

General Questions about Overseas Video Lab

Q. How long have you been in business?
A. We have been in business since 1980.

Q. Do you have an actual location? if so, where is it?
A. Yes, we do have a office, not just a PO Box or running out of a basement. Visit the Contact Info section for more details of our location and directions.

Q. Do you have any other locations?
A. No, our Toronto office is our only location currently.

Q. Do you send your work overseas?
A. No! our company name comes from our primary business of video standards conversions. We do not send any work outside of our Toronto, Canada lab.

Q. Can I bring in my order any time?
A. Yes, we do not require any appointments in advance to drop off a job.

Q. I'm not a big company or television studio, can I still bring my work to Overseas Video Lab?
Absolutely, we offer all of our services to the general public using our high end equipment.

Q. How does your company differ from others?
A. Our experience, our price and our quality of equipment is our advantage. We have invested millions of dollars in the latest technology and continue to keep our lab up to date with current trends. If we can not provide a service, we make a note to invest in it if demand requires us to. Most small companies can not do this. In addition, all of our services are done in house. This allows us to maintain the highest quality and low prices and eliminates any chance of your order being lost or damaged. These are some of the reasons why tens of thousands of customers keep using our many services.

Q. How safe are my originals with your company?
A. All of our clients originals and finished work are kept in a climate controlled room and carefully tracked until the order is returned to the customer. We also offer short term storage in a fire proof locker at an additional cost. A quick e-mail or phone call can be made to us for an update on the status of your order.

Q. What types of payments do you accept?
A. We accept: Cash (in store only), certified checks & money order.

Q. How do you ship the orders?
A. We use XpressPost with in Canada. For international orders, we use FedEx and UPS. We can also ship using your preferred method if necessary.

Q. Can I tour your facilities?
A. Due to insurance and security purposes, only employees are allowed inside the work area of our lab.

Q. Can't I do many of your services myself?
A. Absolutely! However, first consider the following: Time, Cost and Quality. Here are just some reasons:

Time: Due to the fast pace life now, most people are hard pressed to get the time to go out and buy equipment, set it up and learn how to work with it. Even small jobs can take hours to do when using cheaper, non dedicated equipment. Not to mention all the time lost troubleshooting.

Cost: Very few individuals/companies can afford the high end equipment we use. Why can we afford them? Simple, this is our business, this is what we do. Furthermore, we have trained staff who operate these specialized equipment on a daily basis for the jobs we receive. It is not practical for an end user to buy equipment that they will use only a few times.

Quality. Because quality is our number one priority, we purchase the most high end equipment. TV stations, Government departments and Large corporations have very high standards of quality that only a few companies such as ours can provide. We spend countless hours researching what the next trends are in technology and make our purchases accordingly.

Q. What video formats can you transfer to/from?
A. VHS, SVHS, DVD, VCD, Video8, Hi8, Digital8, MiniDV, DVCPro, HDV, 3/4 UMatic, Betacam, Betacam SP, Digital Betacam, 1 inch, 1/2 Quad, Regular 8 film, Super8 film, 16mm film, DVHS (coming soon) and P2 (coming soon)

DVD Services

Q. Can you transfer my VHS to DVD?
A. Of course, We do provide this service. VHS is one of almost 35 different formats we can transfer from.

Q. How is your DVD equipment differ from others?
A. We have invested over a quarter of a million dollars in our DVD production equipment alone. It is designed for the absolute highest quality transfers including feature films and other quality sensitive productions. Please visit our sister site DVD Video Solutions for more information.

Q. Do you have more information about your DVD services?
A. Yes, we have a dedicated web site regarding our DVD services. It is located at DVD Video Solutions.

Video Production Services

Q. How long does it take to edit my video?
A. It is hard to predict the exact required amount of time needed to edit a tape, there are many factors including how much editing is required, if special effects/titles are needed, if voice-over/music dubbing needed, etc. These will increase the amount of time needed. Please contact us and we can give you a rough idea based on your requirements.

Q. Do you offer multi camera video taping services?
A. Yes, we can offer up to 10 cameras for your event. Please contact us for more information.

Multimedia Production Services

Q. I need to post some video on the Internet, can you convert to so I can post it on a web site?
A. Yes, we can convert to many web formats including: Real Media, Windows Media, Quicktime and MPEG-1.

Q. I want to create a video with pictures, films, slides and video to given as a gift. Can you do this?
A. Yes we can. Organize your raw materials in order and then give us a call.

Q. What format should I convert my video to?
A. For CD-Rom/DVD-Rom production: AVI, MPEG-1, Quicktime
For Internet streaming: Windows Media, Real Media & Quicktime.
For Editing and output back to video: Quicktime or AVI
Please note that there are exceptions depending on what hardware and software is used.

Standards Conversion Services

Q. With DVD, will we still have the PAL/NTSC issue?
A. Yes, unless the DVD is played on a computer.

Q. Can you transfer professional/broadcast formats?
A. Of course! We can transfer from and to almost 30 different formats, both professional/broadcast and consumer with high end 4 field standards Converters.

Q. What system does my country use?
A. Click here to see our list of countries and what system they use.

Q. I saw your list and some countries have two systems. How is this possible?
A. Most cases, a neighboring country uses another system. Therefore, many cities near the borders may use equipment for 2 systems. Also, many former Soviet countries once used Secam now have switched to PAL.

Q. I played a PAL tape in my NTSC VCR and heard the found but saw a funny looking picture. Did I ruin my VCR?
A. No. The cause of the odd playback is that your tape is PAL. Even if you listen to the audio, it will sound fast. You will need to convert this tape to be able to watch in your VCR.

Film Transfer Services

Q. Can you transfer even my very old films to DVD?
A. Yes, we have had film from as old as the 1920's!

Q. What are the turnaround times for film transfers?
A. Turnaround times depend on our workload. Generally, in November and December our turnaround is 6-7 weeks. Other times of the year range from 2-5 weeks.

Q. I have a projector and video camera, can I do this myself?
A. This is by far the worst possible method of transferring the film to video. Apart from the very poor quality, the flicker will make the video almost unviewable. We have special dedicated telecine machines for this very purpose that produce very high end results by scanning frame by frame digitally.

Q. What format should I transfer my film to?
A. Depends, for most people who just want to watch the films, we recommend DVD, or VHS if they do not have a DVD player. For others who would like to edit their films, we recommend Betacam, MiniDV or any format that you have equipment for. We do also have high end editing facilities for those who may require that service.

Q. I want to edit my films, what should I do?
A. If you have a MiniDV or Digital8 camera and a computer with a firewire card, you are all set to edit the transferred material yourself. If you do not have access to a camera, contact us for other options.

Q. I tried to play my films on my projector and noticed that I have damaged the threads on the side. Is there anything your company can do?
A. This can happen with some projectors where the film has not been fed properly or used for a long time. While we can not repair your original film, we can still convert it despite the damaged (or broken) threads.

Q. I have a projector, but the bulb does not work, do you sell replacement bulbs?
A. No, we do not. Most bulbs are very hard (if not impossible) to find for 8mm film projectors.

Q. Do you first transfer the film to VHS then transfer to DVD?
A. Absolutely not!, while most competitors do, we transfer directly from our telecine machines to DVD compliant MPEG-2 streams. This helps maintain quality, otherwise, what's the point to transferring to DVD?

Q. What is Telecine?
A. In a nutshell: Tele=Television, Cine=Film. Telecine machines are the proper equipment for transferring from Film (of any kind) to video electronically. Older units did this via an analog process, now we use an all digital method, greatly improving the quality of the final product.

Q. Can you transfer 8mm to Hi-Def?
A. We are in the early stages of testing for this service, we are planning to offer this service later this year. Formats will most likely include: HDCam, DVCPro HD, DVHS, HDV and Windows Media HD. We will also support any HD-DVD format as soon as it formally announced.

Q. What sizes did film come in?
A. For 8mm film (and super8), the most common were:
2.5 inches diameter: 50 feet
5 inches diameter: 200 feet
7 inches diameter: 400 feet

Q. Is there any way I can view my films at your lab?
A. Unfortunately not. Our equipment is dedicated only for transferring, not for previewing. Furthermore, the equipment is usually busy with a job.

Q. Do you have any streaming samples?
A. We have uploaded one sample. More to come.
Click here for a sample of a 8mm film transfer.
(Please note that you will need Windows Media Player 9)

Q. How much film does your company convert?
A. In 2007, we converted almost 1.5 Million Feet of 8mm Film. If you rolled it all out, it would stretched from Boston to Philadelphia.

Duplication

Q. I need a large DVD Duplication, do you provide this service?
A. Yes, we can handle any large sized DVD order.

Q. What kind of DVD packaging do you have?
A. We have almost all types of packaging ranging from Amaray cases, jewel cases, clamshells, paper sleeves, cardboard sleeves, tin cans and others. We can accommodate any special packaging if necessary.

Q. Where are your CD/DVD Print Templates?
A. Click here to open the page for our Print Templates.

Video Projector Rental

Q. Can I rent multiple projectors and screens?
A. Yes, we do have multiple projectors and screens available.

Q. How long do I need to book in advance?
A. Generally a week is ideal. However, more time is needed during peak times during the year.

Q. Do you rent 8mm film projectors?
A. No, we only rent Video/Data projectors.

Audio Production Services
Q. Do you provide a full studio setup?
A. Yes, we can handle any sized audio production.

Other Services
Q. Do you sell or repair any equipment?
A. No, we do not sell nor repair equipment at the current time.

Do you scan slides? Can they be enhanced?
A. Yes! Do scan slides using the ICE4 Technology.
Click here to see how your slides can be enhanced.

Q. What services are you planning to provide in the near future?
A. Overseas Video Lab continues to remain a step ahead of our competition. Our short term plans include: full broadcast high definition services, wireless video transmission & web based distance learning services.