StashSpace Blog

How do I transfer MicroMV to DVD?

Sony MicroMV tapes are the smallest videotape format, about the size of two quarters.  They are a proprietary tape format created by Sony to dramatically reduce camcorder size and weight.  MicroMV camcorders are digital and have a FireWire interface to connect the camcorder to a computer.  However, MicroMV does not record digital video in DV format, so it can not be captured using the stashBox video editor.  To convert MicroMV to DVD, the Micro MV tape must be encoded into the DV format. 

Send your MicroMV tapes to StashSpace  to be transferred to digital.  It costs $6.95 to transfer a MicroMV tape.  Transfer your MicroMV to DVD directly for $9.95 a DVD, or use the StashBox video editor to personalize and combine multiple MicroMV tapes onto one DVD for $14.95.

Learn more about MicroMV to DVD transfer.

Can I transfer video from my MiniDV camcorder without a FireWire port on my computer?

Unless you have a special video capture card built into your computer you will need a FireWire cable.  FireWire is also referred to as Sony iLink or IEEE 1394.  You can easily add a FireWire port to your computer via the PCI (desktop) or PCMCIA (laptop) slot.  Check out our Fire wire Guide for all the details.

 A USB cable, or USB to FireWire adapter will not work for transferring miniDV video because the transfer rate is too slow.  MiniDV video is transferred to your computer in real-time as the video plays back on your camcorder.  It the cable connecting your computer and camcorder can not transfer the data fast enough you will loose audio and video frames resulting in a really poor video capture. 

Visit the capture camcorder video page for more information on importing camcorder video onto your computer.

An alternative to adding a FireWire port to your computer is to have a video transfer service transfer your miniDV video to a digital file for you.  At StashSpace we can transfer your miniDV tapes to digital for just $6.95 tape. You then have several differnt options for retrieving the digital content:

• Online- Use the StashBox video editor to watch, share, and edit your digitized miniDV tape.  You can order a DVD of your personalized movie for $14.95
• DVD- Convert your miniDV tape to DVD directly for just $9.95.  Enjoy playback on your computer or DVD player.
• StashDisc- Get the raw digital file created when we transfered your miniDV tape to digital.  A stashDisc is a data DVD that allows your to copy the digital file onto your computer.  A stashDisc is not finalized so it won't play on your DVD player but you will be able to stick it into the DVD-ROM of your computer for playback.
• Portable Hard Drive - We'll send you a Western Digital hard drive containing your raw digital files so you can watch and edit right away.

To place a miniDV transfer order visit our video transfer order page 

 

StashSpace Questions of the Day

Let the video experts at StashSpace answer your video transfer, video sharing, video editing, and video storage questions.  Or any other video related questions for that matter.  Simply leave a comment detailing your question on our blog or easily Contact Us via phone, live-chat, or e-mail. 

Everyday we will feature a new question on our blog.  As always we'll try and respond to each question as quickly as possible.  If we feel others have similar questions or would also benefit from the answer to your question we will post it on our blog.

We're here to help, so ask away!

Free Video Tape Transfers! Convert VHS, Hi8, miniDV and more to DVD

Preserve and Share your Old Home Movies FREE
Face it! Your old home movies are just collecting dust in your garage, rarely being watched or seeing the light of day.  Wouldn't it be great to bring them back to life?  Now you can add all of your video collection to your stash for FREE!

Upgrade your Account to Premium Level, and add your videotapes at no additional cost
With just a few clicks of your mouse, you can edit, create and share your videos of family birthdays, vacations, anniversaries and more.  Heck, you can even just spend some time watching those special times you had all but forgotten.

We've made it as easy as 1 - 2 - 3

1. Sign up or Upgrade your account to Premium Level (Only $99.95/year!)
2. Send us your videotapes
3. Watch, edit, store, and share your movies online with family & friends!

Any of your videotapes can be ordered directly onto DVD for playback on your DVD player.  It's a great way to enjoy your memories or give them away as a gift.  Your videos will remain online and available for you to edit and share as long as you remain a Premium member.

Family Video Online - Enjoy and Share your Home Movies

Watch, preserve, and share family video online with stashSpace.  StashSpace makes it easy to manage your family video from the pre and post digital era.  Send videotapes to the StashSpace headquarters in Winthrop, WA to have your tapes digitized, or upload video directly from your computer.  Don't keep your amazing home movie memories trapped in a shoe box!  Add them to your online video storage stash and bring your video memories back to life.  StashSpace makes it easy to share home movies with friends and family.

Sharing is easy! Just create a person in your people box by using the "+ new" button and enter their name  and e-mail address.  When you are ready to share a movie with them click the circle next to their name and click the share button on the toolbar.  If you have not share the movie with anyone previously it will have to be stashed on our servers.  This process may take awhile depending on your internet speed and the length of the video. 

Share home movies with your friends and family and brighten their day!  Go to www.stashspace.com to share your home movies online today.

Special: Send in 5+ Tapes for $60 off a Premium Account

Send in 5+ tapes and get a premium account membership for just $39.95 the first year.  That's a savings of $60 on an already great deal!  Take advantage of this special offer and go to the tape archival order page now.

Don't Let Your Tapes Degrade!

Your video memories are important.  Protect your video tape memories from tape degradation with video archival.  Make your tapes easy to watch and enjoy!  Transfer tapes to secure online video storage or transfer tapes to DVD with stashSpace.  Go to our archive your video tapes order page to get started.  Don't let tape degradation happen to you.

Tape degradation can be broken down into several categories: time, storage, handling and use. 

Time: Over time the components of a video tape degrade.  Most importantly the magnetic particles that contain data become instable and their physical properties change.

Storage: The environment in which you store video can accelerate the degradation process.  The magnetic particles respond to environmental factors such as temperature  fluctuations, extreme temperature, humidity, pollution, and sunlight.

Handling: Poor handling can expiate degradation.  Avoid dropping the tape or handling the tape.  It is easy to transfer dust, dirt and, grease onto tapes.

Use: The quality of your tape deck is important.  A misaligned deck can stretch/tear tape and pack tape poorly.  A dirty deck can turn small debris into large scratches.  Each time a tape is played friction occurs assisting the degradation process..

While there are many factors that contribute to the longevity of a video tape most experts agree that the life span is 8-12 years.  However as time passes tapes continue to degrade.  We recommend transferring your tapes to digital within the five years.  Transfer tapes to DVD with ease go to: http://stashspace.com/my-account/tape-drive.stm and keep your memories safe!

Flip Video Makes it Easy to Share Video Online

Want to easily share video online?  Pick up an easy to use Flip Video camera for just $130 www.theflip.com The flip camera is ultra compact and super easy to use.  It takes up to 60 minutes of high quality .avi video with just the push of a button. Plus the USB adapter flips out of the camera so no additional wires or cables are needed.  It's easy to get flip video onto your computer with Stashbox. With a special add from flip video feature.  All of your flip video files are automatically imported into a movie as unique scenes with custom thumbnails ready for you to share right away.  Just click 'share'.  Use a flip video camera with stashbox and easily take video of your friends, family, and favorite events and share online. 

Celebrate the mothers in your life!, with 20% off DVDs

There's nothing that a mother appreciates more than a homemade gift, so use your stashBox to create custom DVDs for her* and we'll burn them for you for only $12 each!

Give the Gift of Memories! Here are a couple of ways that stashSpace can help:

• Use your stashBox to create custom DVDs and we'll burn them for you for only $12 each!
• Start a stash account for the mother that you are celebrating and save up to $30.
• Share videos and photos with mom from your own account for free!

*Order DVDs by May 1st to recieve in time for Mothers Day

New Feature: Export Scenes to your Ipod

Our one click export a movie to your ipod feature makes it easy to take your favorite scenes with you.  Just click on the iPod button in your stashBox and each scene on the current movie will be converted to the ipod compatable MPEG-4 format and placed in your Window's 'My Videos' folder.