The transfer from VHS tape to DVD is essentially a process by which the contents of the VHS tape is digitized and transferred onto a DVD disc. However, in processing this transfer, there might be problems relating to the standard and zone constraints. Therefore, this process of conversion could consist of conversion and then transfer. North American countries use NTSC as their standard for video tapes and DVDs. Therefore, if you have a movie video tape from Europe, South America or Asia, you will not be able to playit in your VCR because of the non-compatibility of standards. That VHS tape needs to be converted to NTSC before it can be viewed. Similarly a DVD purchased in one of those countries, would not work in your DVD player, both being from different region. The standards used in Europe, South America, Asia and few other countries are mostly PAL or derivative of PAL. Therefore, converting a VHS tape to a DVD, would mean that the PAL standard be first converted to NTSC compatible standard and then digitized on to the DVD disc. There is no SECAM DVD and perhaps such a DVD will never be produced. There are VHS SECAM tapes which can only be converted to NTSC or PAL standards and then transferred to a DVD. This is a task which is offered by many service providers today.
The concept of transferring VHS tapes to DVD is the same as that of cassettes. The transfer may be affected maintaining the format or converted into another format and then transferred. Transfers are usually done into DVD CDs, either re-writable ones or writable only, playing for about six hours duration, depending upon the specification of the DVD CD. While VHS has NTSC and PAL-N as the standards, VHS-C, S-VHS and MINI DV have PAL, PAL-M and SECAM standards respectively. With NTSC being the basic standard in the Unites States, PAL is the standard in Europe and Asia, PAL-N being the standard in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, and PAL-M is the one in Brazil. The video tapes from all these countries can be converted into any desired standard and then digitized and transferred on to a DVD CD. Once it is transferred, the constraints of the standard or zone specifications will not apply. Upon conversion certain restrictions apply which says that these converted DVD CDs can only be played in a player which plays DVD+R and players with DVD-R cannot play these DVD CDs. It has to be made sure that your DVD player and your TV are suitable to play those converted DVD CDs.
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