Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How much do you charge?
A: We charge by the amount of tapes that you need converted. In many cases, a video cassette will contain no more than two hours of video. Any tape that is two hours or less will be billed the same. For tapes that are longer than two hours, an additional $5 will be charged for each hour over two hours. For a list of prices, visit our Pricing page.
Q: Do you do any editing to the video once it's converted?
A: We do not edit the videos that we convert. We do our best to make sure the tapes play properly and that there are no tracking issue. Sometimes if a tape is stored too long, is dusty, has been damaged, or was demagnetized in any way, we may have a moments during the transfer where the video quality is compromised. If this happens we will make sure the lost video is kept to a minimum.
Q: Do you convert 8mm and Super8 reels?
A: Yes we do! We can convert any of your old reel to reel films to either a DVD or digital file, or both.
Q: What kind of video tapes do you do?
A: We are able to convert most common home video cassette tapes. These include VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital8, and MiniDV tapes. If you're curious what kind of tapes you have, review the list of images on our Services page.
Q: Do you do photo slides?
A: Yes we do! We scan 35mm film negatives and positive slides, photographs (up to 9x12), and even old documents. In most cases the scanned image will come out looking better than the original. Thanks for our automated photo editing software, this process can be done in a short amount of time. We will ensure your old photos are handled gently and without harm.
Q: Can you combine more than one tape or reel onto a DVD?
A: We can combine as many of your tapes as possible to a single DVD. We are, however, limited to the video length. To preserve the high quality of your tapes, we recommend not putting more than three hours of tape per DVD. If you are more concerned about having as few of DVDs as possible, we can put a maximum of six hours to a single DVD. The quality will be reduced, but you'll be able to have an entire six hour tape onto the DVD.
Q: Can you put my home videos into a computer or digital format (.mp4) instead of a DVD?
A: Yes we can. In fact, this option has become our most popular. The pricing remains the same whether you want your tapes or DVD or to a digital format. To get your video files, you can do one of two things. 1) Provide us with an external hard drive or flash drive large enough to hold the videos so we can transfer directly to the drive. 2) You can download the videos from our servers. We will send you an email containing a personal link to access your videos, allowing you to download them directly to your computer. Keep in mind, the size of the videos are typically about 1.2 GB per 60 minutes.
Q: Can I play the digital movies play on an Apple TV, iPad, Smart TV or other devices?
A: Since we convert the home videos to either .mov or .mp4 files, they can easily be played on a Smart TV, Apple TV, iPad, smartphone, or any other device that supports the these formats.
Q: What do you do with my tapes after I download my digital videos from your server?
A: In cases where we convert your videos to digital files and you download them from our server, we will temporarily store your videos for you until you come pick them up. If you have not picked up your tapes within 90 days of downloading your videos, we will discard of the tapes.
Q: How long will you hold onto my digital videos before deleting them?
A: Digital videos will be kept for 90 days from the date you receive an invoice. This provides you time to transfer files to your personal computer, download, re-download, or have us place them onto an additional external drive at your request.
Q: How long have you been doing video conversion?
A: We started the business out of our home in 2008. We purchased the equipment, software, and hardware needed to transfer all the various video tapes, and have been doing it ever since. Over the years we've added new machines and are always upgrading to the latest and greatest software. Today, it's still a home-based business and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Q: How can I get my tapes to you?
A: You can either drop off the tapes to our mailing address or ship them to us directly. If you would like to hand-deliver them to us, we will have you fill out an order form when you arrive and we’ll review the job together. If you ship us your tapes, please include your contact information inside the package so we can contact you upon receipt.
Q: Once I transfer all my tapes to DVDs or digital, is there any reason to still keep the tapes?
A: The answer to this is really a personal preference. There is really no need to keep them since you now have them on DVD or on your computer. Boxes of tapes take up a lot of space. We usually given the following words of advice: If you have the space to store them, you might as well save them as an archive copy. If you don't have the storage space, save them for a few months. If you haven't needed them for any reason, throw them away.
Q: Do you repair broken tapes?
A: We repair most types of broken tapes. Typically, the film on the inside of the tape has somehow snapped, ripped, or been cut. In cases like that, we'll repair the tape to proper working order again. If the housing (plastic exterior) of the cassette has been crack or damaged beyond use, then we will transfer the film to a new cassette housing so that the tape will play.