FAQs - Video Trading
Q: What is the difference between PAL and NTSC formats for VHS?
A: NTSC is the standard American format for VCRs. Most of Canada has this format as well. PAL is the standard format for European and everywhere else. You will not be able to play a PAL format in your NTSC VCR properly and vice versa. Make sure you always check the trader’s format.
Q: What is the difference between SP, LP, and EP on videos?
A: SP = you record in 2 hour mode. LP = you record in 4 hour mode. SLP/EP = you record in 6 hour mode. Whatever mode the video is recorded in is how it will play. The quality of a video is maintained better when it is copied in SP mode HOWEVER if the original is not in SP mode then the quality isn’t maintained as well. We encourage you to trade videos recorded in SP form, especially if your original is in SP mode.
Q: Is DVD Trading preferable to video trading?
A: Yes. DVDs have better picture quality and since they are a digital format, they don’t lose quality when they are copied like videos do. They also don’t lose quality when they are repeatedly played like videotapes do. Transferring low generation videos to DVD is like using CD to preserve low generation or master analog tapes. As DVD burners come down in price and become more common, DVD trading has gotten bigger.
Q: What about VCD trading?
A: VCDs are discs which contain MPEG files. VCD trading is not allowed at holelive.com because VCDs are such a low quality media. Even though they are a digital format and there is no quality loss upon duplication, the resolution for a VCD is 320x240 whereas DVDs are 720x480.
Q: Can I convert VCD to DVD?
A: No. Because of the resolution of VCDs, once a show is converted to VCD it should stay in that format. There's no point at all in putting it on DVD.
Q: Does NTSC and PAL Format apply to DVDR trading?
A: Unlike official DVDs, which usually have a region code (Region 1, Region 2, etc), DVDRs are region-free. However what format a video is in when it is transferred and how it is transferred will affect how a DVD plays on your home DVD player. A PAL video puts out a PAL signal and if it is not transferred using a multi-region VCR, which can change that signal to a NTSC signal, it will only play on DVD players that play PAL DVDs. Now some North American DVD players can play PAL DVDs and you should check your owner’s manual or look up information on your model online. Most computers with a DVD drive can play both PAL and NTSC DVDs using a program like WinDVD or Interactual Player, so DVDRs with a PAL signal are not useless to North Americans. However, almost all DVD players sold in PAL countries play both NTSC and PAL DVDs (these multi-standard players partially convert NTSC to a 60-Hz PAL (4.43 NTSC) signal). NTSC DVDRs play on 95% of DVD players worldwide, whereas PAL DVDRs play on very few DVD players outside of PAL countries, so it is best to transfer PAL videos using a multi-region VCR that can change the signal to NTSC or using software like Adobe After Effects and Canopus ProCoder, which do quite a good job of converting between PAL and NTSC at low cost, but they are only appropriate for the production environment (converting the video before it is encoded and put on the DVD). If you do have a DVDR for trade that is PAL encoded, you should note that with your generation information, so traders are aware of this.
Q: What is the difference between DVD+R and DVD-R?
A: DVD-R is a non-rewriteable format and it is compatible with about 93% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs. DVD+R is a non-rewritable format and it is compatible with about 89% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs. Some DVD players play all types of DVDRs and some only play one or the other, you should consult your owner’s manual or look up your model online to find out what yours plays. A DVD-R can be burned to a DVD+R disc and vice versa. If your DVD player only plays one or the other, you should note which type of DVDR (DVD-R or DVD+R) you need in your trading profile and when trading DVDRs you should always check the other trader’s profile to see which type of DVDR they use and which they prefer.
Q:What are the best DVDR brands?
A: TDK, Fuji, and Imation are considered to be some of the best brands. Again only use name brand DVDRs and be sure to check a trader’s profile to see if they have a brand preference.
Q: What speed should I burn my DVDs at?
A: 2x. Again like with burning CDRs, you want to burn DVDs at the lowest possible speed to avoid errors, and for most burners this speed is 2x. Also when burning DVDs, check your software and make that the ‘on-the-fly’ option is NOT checked.
Q: What are some good websites where I can get answers to more DVD related questions?
A: Videohelp.com and DVDDemystified.com
Q:What Hole shows are available on DVD?
A: In the Live Guide section of the site, you will find a DVD guide where all the Hole shows that have been transferred to DVD are listed along with their source information and any other important information. Screen shots of each show will be added as our resources increase. If a show is available on DVD, it will also be noted with the rest of the information about the show in its listing in the Live Guide.
Q: Are there any official Hole DVD releases?
A: Not at this time, no. Anything you see on ebay is a bootleg and we would recommend seeing if it is available in the trading community before purchasing it. If you do find a DVD bootleg that hasn't surfaced in the community yet on eBay and decide to buy it, we encourage you to “liberate it” by trading copies of it.
Q: I see that there aren’t very many Hole shows transferred to DVD yet. How can I help?
A: Over the summer of 2004, two of the webmistresses of this site, Stephanie and Eryn, started a major video to DVD transfer project with Alex and Gary, two members of the livenirvana.com community. They are scouring the Hole video trading community for low generation videos (or as a last resort, very high quality unknown generation videos) to be transferred. They are also looking for more people with the equipment and the know-how to do quality DVD transfers so that the burden of transferring doesn't rest entirely on Alex and Gary. In this search, they came upon the few Hole shows that have been transferred to DVD, some of which were done by people in the Nirvana community and some that were being sold on eBay and will now be "liberated" and traded for free in the Hole community.
If you would like to help widen the scope of Hole DVD trading there are a few things you can do:
Contact Stephanie or Eryn if you have any of the following things:
1. Low generation (or high quality unknown generation, though this is less preferable) Hole video (concerts, TV performances, interviews) that is not circulating yet or is a lower generation video than the one that has been transferred. Again, see the DVD Guide to see what is circulating.
2. A Hole DVD that is not listed in the DVD Guide.
3. The equipment and know-how to do quality transfers of Hole video to DVD.
Help will be rewarded! If you lend us a tape, you will get a copy of the DVD. If you lend us or a copy a DVD for us, we will work out a trade or something else in compensation. If you transfer a DVD, you can obviously make yourself a copy of it, and you will be credited as the DVD creator. If that glory isn’t enough, we probably can work out a trade or something else in compensation.
One last way to help is to contact Stephanie if you have a DVD burner and would be interested in working with her to get Hole DVDs circulated in the community through B&P Trees.
Q: How can I find out what equipment I need and how to transfer video to DVD?
A: The three of us that run this website do not know enough about this process to explain it ourselves. We refer you instead to LiveNirvana. Jim Hirte was the first to use the DVD format in that community and he explains how he does it here in the technical introduction and production sections.