What exactly do I get?
An MP4 file. MP4s are digital video files. They are a breeze to view, edit, and share. They are way more versatile than DVDs, but we can make those for you too if you like.
What’s the current processing time?
Turn-around for most orders is 10 business days. Orders of 50+ tapes may take an additional 5 business days.
We offer Rush Processing for an extra $3/tape if you would like the tapes processed in 2 business days.
What resolution will the output be in?
640 x 480 for videos. Photos are scanned at 600 dpi.
Is there a storefront where I can drop off my stuff?
Nope. To keep our costs low, we operate like a food truck for photo and video digitization. All drop-offs are by appointment only.
How and when do I pay?
We’ll send an invoice after the work has been completed that can be paid with a credit or debit card. There is no need to pre-pay.
How much will my project cost?
We tried setting-up an online calculator, but that created more questions than it answered. For a rough estimate multiply the number of tapes/photos/feet of film by the rate from our Price Sheet and add 20% for delivery options, tax, etc.
Example: 14 tapes. 14 x $12(per tape) x 1.2 = $201
Is there a price break for tapes shorter than 2 hours?
Nope. The same flat rate applies to tapes up to 2 hours. Tapes over 2 hours in length incur an Additional Footage fee of $8 per 2 hour segment. We do offer a volume discount for orders of 10 tapes or more.
What about blank tapes?
Yes! If the tape turns out to be totally blank it will be billed at just $5 bucks.
Are my photos and videos enhanced or cleaned in any way?
They are not. We are taking a straight feed of what’s on the video tape, with a slight (+5db) audio boost. If the tape is broken and doesn’t play we can repair it for $10.
A quick note on negatives and slides. As noted above, our digitization process doesn’t enhance/clean-up the images, which some folks don’t love. To be on the safe side, our suggestion is to start with a few slides (or negative film strips) to ensure you are happy with the results before pulling the trigger on the entire archive.
Do you offer a “premium” encoding option?
We do not. All videos are processed at 640×480. Photos can be scanned at 1200 dpi for an addition $.50 per image.
How will the video files be named?
Each tape will be a separate MP4 video file, and the file name will contain what’s written on the label/box. File names will look something like this:
Bob S. – 1 of 12 (Katie’s Birthday, Nov 1986).mp4
We suggest numbering the tapes 1-x with a marker if you would like them processed in a specific order.
Are you able to scan scrapbooks / full photo album pages?
We sure can! Full page (12×12) scans are $2 per page for 600dpi.
What exactly is Lifetime Back-up?
Lifetime Back-up is a great options for keeping your videos safe long-term. For just $1/tape we keep a permanent, off-line copy of your videos and can restore them at any time (you just cover the delivery fee). Without Lifetime Back-up all videos are removed from our servers after 30 days.
How big of a flash drive should I provide and what kind?
An hour of footage is roughly 1GB. To be on the safe side, budget 2GB per tape, and keep in mind that most drives have slightly less capacity than advertised (i.e. a 32GB drive only has about 27GB of usable space). Delivery Options chart.
Should I order direct or via Amazon?
For orders of up to 10 tapes, the pricing is almost identical either way. For larger orders, you’ll get a better volume discount when ordering direct.
Do I need to rewind my tapes before mailing?
You do not, but we sure would appreciate it if you did 🙂
I’m not sure what’s on these tapes, some might be duplicates. Can you provide a preview?
Sorry, we do not offer a sample/preview service. Any tapes that are mailed in will be run end-to-end.
If you live in the Seattle area, we do offer VHS, Hi8, and MiniDV equipment rental for $20 per week.
My tape is stuck inside the camcorder. Can you help with that?
We sure can. Tape extraction is treated as as tape repair, and costs just $10. Please keep in mind that the camcorder will likely be damaged beyond repair following the extraction.
Can you re-scan my media if I believe there were sound/video issues introduced as part of the digitization process?
Our process does not improve or enhance the video quality. With that said, we can re-run a tape for $8 per 2 hour segment. If re-processing the tape remedies the issue, meaning it was caused by our equipment, we’ll refund the payment.
We can re-process 8mm film, photos, and slides for $8 per 50 ft and $.35/image respectively, however the payment is non-refundable.
Do you offer Gift Cards?
We sure do! There are two flavors to chose from.
1. Fixed $ Amount. Pick a denomination, and the gift card amount will be applied to the recipient’s final invoice.
2. Digitization Units (aka tapes). If you know the number of tapes to be digitized, you can pre-purchase digitization “units” for $20 each. Each unit includes digitization of the tape (up to 2 hours), cloud delivery, lifetime back-up, and economy return shipping.
To order a gift card, simply complete the online form, and indicate what type of gift card you wish to purchase in the “Notes” filed on the order form.