You may have countless VHS tapes piled up inside of your home. Some of them may be favorite movies that you have watched countless times. Now that you’ve modernized your home theatre system, you might be looking to convert those VHS tapes to DVD. The question is, what do you do with copyrighted material?
While you may want to have all of your favorite movies, TV shows, sports clips, and more transferred to media that you can easily watch, it may not be possible. It’s all a matter of whether the material is copyrighted and available for purchase in other formats.
In some instances, if the material is not available for purchase, we can provide the necessary format conversion with permission from the holder of the copyright.
Many VHS videos, such as Disney movies, are copyrighted with Macrovision, which means that the video is scrambled when someone tries to transfer them.
One of the best ways to find out is to look carefully at the VHS that you have. Some tapes will say on them that they are copyrighted and cannot be converted. You can also check the internet for availability to see if some of the VHS movies and shows are available on DVD or Blu-Ray.
Why the Copyright Prevents Us from Making Conversions
It may be important for you to have all of the media you love available on DVD. At ARS Video, Inc., we offer a wide array of conversion services. However, we do have to follow copyright laws.
What is Copyright?
Before we get too far, it’s important to know what copyright is. It’s the lawful right of the creator to control how the work is shared. Most production companies will use copyright to ensure that people aren’t making countless copies. This ensures that they are appropriately paid for the work that has gone into creating the show or movie, and it is in place to ensure that everyone who was a part of the production is paid.
Just like a copyright prevents certain things from being converted or duplicated, it also prevents a public presentation of the movie.
If you don’t personally own the copyright and you don’t have explicit permission to make a copy, you will be able to make a conversion.
Do you Need Help Converting Your Home Movies?
Home videos that you have on VHS aren’t prevented from conversion by copyright, so we’re able to convert those all day long for you. As soon as you get into copyrighted material, we’re likely unable to convert any of it into DVD. Instead, we recommend that you find those movies, TV shows, or other items in DVD, or online to ensure that everything is being done legally.
When in doubt, contact us. We’ll be happy to make the determination for you.
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