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MEDIA TRANSFER SERVICES FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you don't find the answer you are looking for below or need more specific information, feel free to contact us.

WHAT IS THE TYPICAL TURNAROUND TIME FOR MOST TRANSFER PROJECTS?

In most cases we can have your materials digitized and returned within about a week. Very small jobs, such as one or two video tape transfers, could be done in a single day. On the other side of the spectrum large jobs, like a 3000 slide scanning job for example, may take several weeks or more depending on the size.

We get VERY busy in the 6 weeks or so heading into the Christmas season, so turnaround times may be longer than usual during this period. However, we have never failed to meet a Christmas deadline! Regardless, if you have a specific date you need your items by, please let us know ahead of time so we can prioritize your project to meet your deadline.

DO I GET MY ORIGINAL MATERIALS BACK?

Yes. All of our transfer procedures are non-destructive so your original media will be returned to you in the same as or better condition.

HOW MANY VIDEOS, REELS OF FILM, OR PHOTOS CAN BE PUT ONTO A DVD OR USB DRIVE?

USB drives are scalable and hold much more information than DVD discs do. We stock sized from 16Gb up to 128GB and for special projects can order 256GB, 512GB, or even 1TB drives if needed. So ultimately ALL of what you bring us can fit onto a single USB flash drive. In this case each item (video tape, film reel, photo) is saved as a separate file and all files are titled based on the 4 digit catalog code we put on each item as it comes in.

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DVD Video discs were designed much like VHS video tapes in terms of capacity: at best quality they max out at 1 to 2 hours, but you can theoretically put up to 6 hours on a DVD disc by drastically reducing the quality level. This is why in most cases we adhere to a one-tape-per-disc policy.

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For movie film reels, since film run times are much shorter (3 to 3 1/2 minutes for a 50' roll) many reels of film can be put onto a DVD video disc, as long as the total run time is limited to somewhere between 2 to 3 hours. This can cover up to about 2500 feet of film. Larger film projects would be spread out across multiple discs.

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High resolution photo, slide, and negative scans usually require about 2-4 Megabytes of storage space per image, so a typical DVD data disc could hold about 1000 photos.

MY VIDEOTAPES/FILM/SLIDES/ETC. ARE OLD. CAN THEY STILL BE CONVERTED?

We are experts in dealing with old videos, films, photos, and audio records & tapes. While age may in some cases cause playback issues, for the most part we have successfully transferred even 40 year old video tapes and 80 year old movie films without issue. Age also only plays a part; in many cases the viability of your materials for transfer also depend on the conditions under which they were stored.

CAN YOU "MAKE THE QUALITY BETTER"?

Technically, our goal is to properly preserve what you give us in a digital format. In some cases, such as audio cassette transfers or photo scans, we can use software to improve the resulting digital file. For instance, this can include applying equalization or noise reduction where necessary to an audio file, or applying basic color correction to old photo scans or movie film transfers. For other formats such as video tapes, adjustments are not made during the transfer process but can be applied as part of an optional added editing session.

DO YOU CUT OUT THE "BAD PARTS"?
This is obviously an objective issue. Our recommendation for any content editing is that first the materials be transferred to digital so you can review them at home. Then, if you would like to add optional editing to your project, we can provide editing based on the criteria you provide to us.

I HAVE AN OLD LAPTOP/VCR/PROJECTOR/STEREO SYSTEM, ETC. CAN YOU REPAIR IT?

Unfortunately we do not repair equipment. There are several reliable computer and equipment repair businesses with a reasonable drive from us.

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