OT: DVD Transfer Rate

jkrepner wrote on 11/10/2006, 7:51 AM
Client needs 20 VHS tapes transfered to DVD (separate DVD for each tape).

Specs:
1 copy of each VHS tape (not sure of tape length yet)
no menus to create
I will create chapter stops every 5-10 minutes (or so)
I will print labels and dvd jacket inserts
Project will be done in Vegas + DVDA.
I don't have a standalone DVD deck recorder, but maybe I should get one for this project since there won't be any authoring so to speak.

Client:
very large corporation, friend works there and they don't expect (or need) a discount. However, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to walk into Best Buy and purchase a VHS=>DVD deck and some blank DVD's for $150 and do it yourself. So I don't want to fleece'em.

Would you?
A) charge your normal hourly rate X the amount of time spent (assuming 90% of it is capturing, converting, and burning)
B) Charge per disk

Thanks in advance.

Comments

DavidMcKnight wrote on 11/10/2006, 8:40 AM
I would have bought the vhs - dvd deck and transferred using that for about $20 per tape, or $20 per hour of tape, whichever is greater. If these are corporate training tapes they may not be longer than 20 - 30 mins each. But, if you've promised chapter stops I think you have to bring it in to vegas/dvda at that point. You may or may not want to charge your hourly for the extra time it will take you to do that.
rs170a wrote on 11/10/2006, 9:15 AM
... if you've promised chapter stops I think you have to bring it in to vegas/dvda...

Maybe not. A lot of the standalone units have a menu option to automatically add chapter points at pre-determined times.

Mike
Laurence wrote on 11/10/2006, 10:18 AM
I would buy the dual VCR/DVD recorder deck, charge them $20 a tape or more, but I would also do the following:

Use top quality blanks like Ty Yuden.

Use printable DVDs and print directly on the disk for a nice professional look.

Package them nicely with standard CD sized cases (bought in bulk dirt cheap). Put your contact info subtely on the packaging.

Talk them into extra copies for safety.

This is the kind of job that can turn into regular easy money, and if you package them well, they won't be tempted to try and do it themselves.

Chapter markers can be 5 minutes apart or so. Any chaptering at all is going to beat the heck out of the the VHS format they are used to.
Laurence wrote on 11/10/2006, 10:22 AM
If you want to get fancy, you can record DVDs with the stand alone DVD recorder, then copy the VOB files on to your hard disk and reauthor them with DVD Architect to get a more professional menu. If you do that, a rewritable disk can be used over and over again. This still saves hours and gigabytes over capturing and rendering on your PC and gives you results that look the same (on VHS source material anyway).
jkrepner wrote on 11/10/2006, 10:41 AM
Thanks everyone! I saw a nice Panasonic combo recorder for about $250 that also dubs S-VHS tapes to DVD--so I can finally archive some of my old tapes--and has firewire in/out so I can make quick DVD copies of projects right from the timeline.

I agree that a nice looking disk and package will help make it worth the price to them. I bought an Epson CD/DVD printer a while back that looks really good, so I'm covered there.

I'm leaning towards charging my hourly rate X the hours needed to complete the project. I figure that's a safer way to bill, because it avoids giving a price that is set in stone for future projects. I don't want to get a call from them next week saying "hey, I've got 1 tape we need transfered... here's $20" This way I can bill for setup and prep time and can pad the bill enough to cover driving to/from the client's location, postage, etc.

Thanks everyone.... have a good weekend.
JackW wrote on 11/10/2006, 11:47 AM
If it's any help in your decision making, here's how we charge for DVDs. The "artwork" mentioned consists of a still picture grabbed from the source material, plus title. Anything over 5 chapter stops is billed hourly.

Any inserts or design work is billed extra at our hourly rate.

Jack
corug7 wrote on 11/10/2006, 1:15 PM
We charge $35 per "consumer" transfer. This includes black thermal print on the disc and a black case with generic sleeve (our name, video format, etc). Adding more than one tape to a disc results in a Pause Edit charge of $5. This is for up to two hours of tape.
jkrepner wrote on 11/10/2006, 2:26 PM
Thanks again for the info.