What is DVarchive.com?
Simply put, it is the largest collection of online DV native royalty free
stock footage clips anywhere on earth. At DVarchive you can search
thousands of clips in an instant, select and organize those you may be
interested in, sign an electronic contract, pay by credit card and
download them all in the time you might spend on hold at a traditional
stock footage library.
How do I find a clip?
Simply enter a keyword or keywords into our search engine, or choose a
category and subcategory from the category menu. Thumbnails of
representative clips will be displayed. Click on the clips to open the
"View Clip" window and view them in quicktime.
How do I store and organize clips I might want to purchase later?
In the view clip window, click on "Add To My Bin". Just as in a non-linear
editing program, you can store your clips in this bin, and then later
review them, eliminating any you don't want, before proceeding to checkout.
How long will my clips be stored in "My Bin"?
If you set up an account with DVarchive.com (just register - it's free),
your clips will be stored in your bins for 3 months without any activity.
You can return anytime to search more clips, add more clips to your
project, or to purchase.
What is the difference between "My Bin" and "Shopping Cart"?
My bin acts just as a "bin" would act in a non linear editing program. It
is a place where you store and review a variety of clips you might be
interested in. Once you have determined the clips you want to purchase,
you put them in your Shopping Cart and proceed to checkout.
Use this watermarked clip to cut into your program (you may want to
register with us and save a copy of it in your bin). If you like the look
of the clip, return anytime to download the high resolution version.
If you are having trouble with clips loading into your browser instead of prompting you to save, you will need to right-click (PC) or ctrl-click (MAC) and choose "save target as" (IE) or "download link to disc" (Netscape) to save the clip.
Why should I join DVarchive?
Joining DVarchive.com is a requirement if you purchase any clips. This is necessary to download any purchased clips and will happen automatically during checkout. You will have the option to come back and download your clips for 24 hours from the time they were purchased by logging in to your account.
In addition to purchasing clips, joining DVarchive.com will allow you to save clips in My Bin. With My Bin, you can save clips that while browsing and come back to review or purchase them later. .
Does DVarchive share my information with others?
At DVarchive, your privacy is one of our top priorities. DVarchive never sells or shares your information with anyone else. All account related transactions are fully encrypted using 128 bit encryption. We purchase our secure certificates from one of the leading certificate authorities, Thawte. In addition to our secure transactions, your credit card numbers are not stored locally on any of our servers.
Are the clips on this site compressed?
They are only compressed by the original process of creating them in DV
format, either in the DV camera or in the process of converting analog
videotape to quicktime DV files. Other than that, they go from the source
into your program without further compression.
Do I have to render the clips after I download them?
If you have a DV editing system with the 720x480 ratio, like Final Cut Pro 3, then
no rendering is required. You can insert the clips directly onto your
timeline after downloading them and play them back like any other clip. If
you are using a non linear system which is not DV compatible, then you
will need to render the clips to the format you are using before inserting
them into your program.
Can I order a custom CD?
When purchasing clips from DVarchive.com, you can choose to download them or have them delivered on a CD or tape (DVCAM and Beta SP). You will have the option to choose how you would like your order fulfilled during checkout.
Once I pay for a clip, how long do I have to download it?
You have a window of 24 hours to download the clip. If your computer
crashes or you experience difficulty, you can log back on to your account
and try the download again.
Are the Low res. clips offered in NTSC or PAL?
Because the low resolution (320x240 and 250x180) clips are intended only
for preview use on computer monitors, it is not necessary to deliver them in
PAL or NTSC formats. They are offered as Quicktime Photo JPEG (320x240) and
Quicktime Sorenson Video 3 (250x188) and may be rendered in your editing
program to the format of choice.
Why are some clips more expensive than others?
The price of a clip depends largely on the cost of production of that
clip. We try to keep a fixed price on almost all of our clips. However,
some clips involving elaborate production, actors, special effects,
aerials or extremely rare and valuable footage may be priced higher.
Which is higher quality, 16mm negative transfers or DV originals?
That largely depends on your eye and personal preference. DV clips are
generally sharper, less grainy and more detailed than 16mm. However, some
prefer the softer, artistic look of film original. We prefer to think of
it as choosing between a painting (16mm) and a photograph (DV), or even
between acoustic (16mm) and electric (DV) guitar. Both can meet your needs
perfectly. And we offer generous selections of both on our site.
Do you have similar clips to the ones I see here?
Our affiliate library, Wish You Were Here Film and Video carries a large
selection of clips similar to those you see on this site. Please be
advised that much of their footage is not royalty free and their prices
are not comparable to those available for downloading here.
Can I get clips on tape shipped outside the US or Canada?
At present, DVarchive is not offering shipping to countries other than
the US and Canada. Please check with us again soon as we may begin shipping
overseas at a later date.
Can I get clips on tape in PAL format?
At present we only offer clips on tape (Beta SP, DVCam or CD) in NTSC
format. Dowloading the clip is the only option if you wish to receive it in
PAL format.
What security protection does your site offer?
All account related transactions are fully encrypted using 128 bit encryption. We purchase our secure certificates from one of the leading certificate authorities, Thawte. In addition to our secure transactions, your credit card numbers are not stored locally on any of our servers.
What if I need to resize a DVarchive clip to 720x486 or 640x480?
All clips on the DVarchive site have been prepared with the Apple DV codec
and are Quicktime.mov files. The size is 720x480 pixels. The frame rate is
29.97 (NTSC) with lower (even) field dominant interlacing.
These clips will import directly into Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere
editing systems as long as your settings are for 720x480 QuicktimeDV.
However, most Avid and Media 100 systems are not DV based, and use 720x486
or 640x480 pixels. Even after rendering a DVArchive clip with Media 100 and
Avid systems, the results may be imperfect.
This problem is easily solved by converting the pixel size of the clip in
Adobe After Effects or by ordering your clip on DVCam tape or Beta SP.
Please consult here for resizing instructions in After Effects.
Please use our free clip download to experiment with your system before
ordering.
FAQ 
What is DVarchive.com?