Convert-O-Lab

The COL is available to book during library open hours.  Check daily availability and place your reservation at the Video Tape station page or the Scanning Station page.

Yes, you need to make a reservation and agree to the usage terms (see below) before you will be able to use the COL.  Same-day reservations can be made if there are available times slots.

Usage Terms

The Convert-O-Lab is a digital conversion workspace at the Rochester Public Library (RPL) with access to equipment for converting older formats of camera film, negatives and video tape into digital formats. 

In consideration for participation for use of Convert-O-Lab equipment with and without library staff supervision, Participant agrees to the following waiver and release: 

Rochester Public Library, its officers, agents, volunteers, board members and assigns from any responsibility or liability for any damage to personal film, video tape, slides, negatives or other media during conversion into digital formats.    

By placing this reservation, I hereby acknowledge that media used in the Convert-O-Lab’s transfer to digital process could be damaged in the process of transfer and could be unrecoverable. No claims can be made against the above named parties for replacement or monetary value of personal property.

I further certify, represent, and warrant that I am the owner of this copyright or I have written permission from the copyright’s owner to transfer this media to a digital format. 

Video tape formats: 

• VHS, compact VHS
• SVHS, compact SVHS
• Digital 8, Video8 (NOT 8mm/Hi8)
• MiniDV
• Betamax

Film formats:

• Slide film
• Photo negatives
• Printed photos

Please bring your the item(s) you want to digitize and a storage device with enough space to save your file(s).  For video, plan on 1.2 GB per 60 minutes. 

Supported storage devices:

• USB flash drive
• External hard drive with USB connection (formatted for Windows - not for MAC)
• SD card (we have an SD to USB adapter if needed)

Do not bring DVDs - we cannot save videos to the DVD format

There is no charge for using the COL.  You do need to provide your own storage device for saving your files (USB flash drive, external hard drive, SD card).  

No, we do not offer nor require classes before you can use the equipment.  We have step-by-step printed instructions for all of the devices.  Library staff can get you set up and answer basic questions.

The video creation process has three steps:

• STEP 1: Set up
  • Getting tape in player, checking settings is 5-10 minutes
• STEP 2: Playing video
  • Videos convert in “real time”, so if you have a 60-minute video it will take 60 minutes to record
• STEP 3: Rendering time
  • Completing the process of file creation takes about 1-5 minutes (depending on file size)

The final product will be an MP4 video file saved to your storage device.  MP4 files can be uploaded to social media, easily copied and shared, and played on most modern devices including HDTVs.

If you still want to burn your MP4 file to a standard DVD outside of the library

What you need:

• An MP4 file of your video (which the COL can provide)
• A computer with a DVD burner
• A blank DVD
• Software to convert the MP4 file to the DVD format (this article on conversion software offers some options*)

Even if you burn your MP4 file to DVD, we strongly recommend that you save a copy (or multiple copies) of the MP4 file as a backup.

*You install any software on your own computer and use any online services at your own risk.

The focus of the Convert-O-Lab is to digitize content.  Once video has been saved as an MP4 file, it can be edited on a wide variety of video editing software programs.

Scanned items can be saved as JPEG files (most common), TIFF files (archival quality) or PDF files (smallest file size).

Our Epson 11000XL scanner is high quality, but it is not fast.  Using a standard resolution of 600dpi, it will take a minute or two to scan an individual image from a negative or slide once it has been set up.

The maximum scanning size is 12" x 17"

The focus of the Convert-O-Lab is to digitize content - we do not have image editing software.  Once images have been saved as JPEG or TIFF files, they can be edited on a wide variety of image editing programs.