Our Mobile Product Descriptions:

Audiocassettes

Audiocassettes are Sound Images’ analog audio product. The plastic cassette houses a spool of magnetic tape on which audio material is recorded. This format, originally developed by German inventor Semi Joseph Begun, has proven itself among the most stable and reliable formats since the mid 1930’s.

Sound Images used audio cassette as its primary method of capture between 1976 and 2002. However, due to the physical limitations imposed by a cassette’s length, mechanics, and cost, Sound Images now uses the media primarily as a backup to digital recordings.

As a testimony to the media’s ease of use and reliability, Sound Images continues to offer much of its inventory on the resilient cassette. Prices very by session length and Association membership.

Audiocassette FAQs

     Q)    Why isn’t the cassette cheaper, if it has been around for so long?
    A)    Audiocassettes are more difficult to record, capture, store and ship.

    Q) Why is there a large blank space at the beginning of side 2?
     A) You need to flip the tape as soon as the speaker on side one stops talking. Allowing the tape to advance after the speaker finishes side 1 will produce a length of blank tape at the beginning of side 2.

Compact Discs (CD)

Compact Discs or CDs are one of Sound Images’ Digital audio products. The plastic discs, now ubiquitous in the music industry, are encoded by computer which translates sound into bits of data. The discs can then be read by any Standard Audio CD Player which converts the Data back into sound. Each disc holds approximately 80 minutes of audio content. For this reason, many sessions require multiple discs.

The primary benefit of a digital recording like those on a CD is sound quality. When digital copy is created it is identical in every way to the original master. This is a departure from analog recordings that are subject to degradation over time and from the elements.

CD FAQs

     Q) Why do I need 2 CDs when the session is available on one Audiocassette?
     A) The maximum length of a CD is 80 minutes. The maximum length of an audiocassette can very between 60 and 120 minutes, depending on association preference.

     Q) Do the CDs contain Tracks?
    A) Yes. All CDs are edited to enhance sound, remove dead spots and tracks are inserted in regular intervals to help with navigation.

     Q) How do you determine your prices?
    A) All prices are set in consultation with the contracting association     

VHS Cassettes

VHS Cassettes are Sound Images’ analog video product. Like Audio Cassettes, the plastic VHS cassettes house a spool of magnetic tape. The tape is fed past a head in a Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) which translates the encoded data into a picture. The image is then sent via a cable to a connected television monitor for viewing. As with Audiocassettes, the VHS has been steadily loosing market share to its Digital cousin, the DVD.  However, the VHS cassette’s dependability and ease of use continue help it to maintain its place in an ever growing market.         

VHS FAQs

     Q) I live outside the US . Do I need a special VHS format?
     A) Perhaps. Many international customers require PAL formatted VHS cassettes. Please contact Sound Images customer service for details.           

Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) 

Digital Versatile Discs or DVD’s are the Digital counterpart to the VHS Cassette. Constructed like the CD, but utilizing different materials and a more sophisticated encoding system, the DVD can hold approximately 5 times the data of a standard CD. Because of the increased capacity, the format is used most frequently for video storage.

As a counter piracy measure, the makers of video DVDs and DVD players collaborated to prevent certain Discs from playing in certain machines. A Sound Images video is formatted to play in a North American DVD player purchased after the year 2001.

DVD FAQs

     Q)    Will the Video DVD play in my computer?
    A)      Yes. The Video DVD is formatted to play in newer DVD drives manufactured for North American users. If you have a DVD R or DVD RW drive installed, and sufficient media player software, the disc will play on your computer. Periodically, software conflicts can cause problems playing some Video DVDs. In such a case, please contact the media player software’s manufacturer for further information.

     Q) Does the Video DVD have a navigable Menu?
     A) Yes. All Video DVDs are authored with navigable menus and chapters inserted in appropriate locations.

What media format is right for me?

* Media suggestions assume the user has necessary hardware and software