Hi everyone,
I have a beta SP video that I want to convert into something I can view on the computer such as avi. I have seen some websites that offer to do it if you send it to them for about £30-£50. Does anyone know which sites are relaible/cheap or if this is even the best method for converting it.

Thanks,
Dan

[ggeessbb]

I capture Beta on to my PC using the built in S connector and the results are excellent.

If you haven't got a S video in socket on your PC it may be cheaper in the long run to buy an external S capture device and connect to that.

[A n d r e w]

You mean Betacam SP (professional broadcast format), not Betamax, right?

[chrishull3]

I reckon he is talking about betamax[a hunch]

[senu]

Originally Posted by chrishull3

I reckon he is talking about betamax[a hunch]

I sincerely thought you'd have to go to the Sony museum ( of .. kit that didnt make it ) to find one of those
Technically superior to VHS but dead in the water due to Sonys cackhandedness ( and greed)

[chrishull3]

Originally Posted by senu

I sincerely thought you'd have to go to the Sony museum ( of .. kit that didnt make it ) to find one of those
Technically superior to VHS but dead in the water due to Sonys cackhandedness ( and greed)

I still have an SL950 super beta 1986 it is still as good as new.

[senu]

Originally Posted by chrishull3

I still have an SL950 super beta 1986 it is still as good as new.

Well .. the tapes ( blanks) are no longer in existence are they?

[A n d r e w]

I hate to dampen your enthusiasm for legacy home video formats, but I have a feeling that because the OP wrote "beta SP" he means the Sony analog brodcast format (Betacam SP: Betacam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) and not the consumer format that went south in the mid-80s, never to be seen again . . .

[chrishull3]

Originally Posted by senu

Well .. the tapes ( blanks) are no longer in existence are they?

Amazon.com: Sony Beta Cassette High Grade (Single): Electronics still in usa not sure about here there are plenty of second hand ones though,i still have blanks but i dont realy use the machine now,mostly for play back of old films despite having everything digitised.IF our mate has true beta sp he can get them put on any format easily quite cheaply.

[ggeessbb]

Yes it's Beta SP that I connect to my PC using the S Video socket.
I then capture in pinnacle studio straight to MJPEG AVI format.
As I said, the results are excellent.
By the way, the hardware is not the pinnacle card or break out box, it was already built in to the PC.

Cheers.