Reliable transfer services in the 2020s?

[Gary34]

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Making angry videos to curse at Legacybox does not make you good...

I agree it doesn’t make you an expert. Really he is very bad but he tells people hey look at my google reviews and I’ve been doing this for 20 years and they think he is an expert. He tells people his videos are to help them if they want to do things themselves and they are not. They are free YouTube marketing. He even has copy cats that praise him and start up there own business doing everything just like him https://youtu.be/iaQUnZ-7zUc?si=3FibhdvgHg5wMKpu. I don’t see where I claimed Got Memories was good. I’m just saying he’s better than LegacyBox.

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He also made another one about needing 100X (crap)VCRs for tracking issues, man... with a good device like my HS1000 FS200 u don't get tracking issues frequently, and even when it happens, with the arrows, you can almost always manually fix the issue.

That’s the same thought I had watching his VHS-C video. My Panasonic 1980p ag doesn’t have tracking problems either.

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I think he is a good guy, he puts effort and his heart into what he does, but his knowledge is just not quite there yet.

If his knowledge isn’t there after 20 years then it’s probably not ever going to be. He could be really knowledgeable but it doesn’t really matter when you are choosing to use that kind of gear.

[mbassiouny]

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I don’t see where I claimed Got Memories was good

You didn't I never said you did, I was just commenting about his angry videos, It wasn't directed at you.

I never watched too many of his videos, but the 20 years of experience argument sucks, I hate when people justify doing things wrong, by saying I have been doing it for years. Well, you have been doing it wrong...

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they are free YouTube marketing

Oh, I might be naive, I never thought about his videos that way, I genuinely thought his intentions were "to teach". But you are right, these videos probably bring some cash. But the tricky thing is, with the same logic someone could use a reverse Uno card on this entire forum and call it "a marketing" forum for Digitalfaq's digitization service.

So there is no easy way to know the intentions of a person...

[Gary34]

Sorry I misunderstood you. Anyways, Digitalfaq actually gives information you can use. They try to help and they really don’t market a bunch. If you type in VHS transfer services into Google there are a lot of other places that pop up before Digitalfaq. If you say that you are having trouble with your video to Got Memories he’s not going to help or give advice. This place really pushes to educate people. Got memories does a ton of videos and there isn’t really any useful information on them. It’s just him talking crap about LegacyBox and repeating his Google reviews. You’re right though I can’t know someone’s intentions I can just guess.

[latreche34]

The jobs of the kind of Got memories, legacy box and the likes can be done by any average person with a regular composite VCR, an elgato and the device's proprietary capture app spitting out mp4, The result will not be pleasant to the trained eye but doable, Their customers are ignorant and tech-unsavvy people who don't know what the video supposed to look like.

If you want a proper capture with a quality well maintained gear, done in lossless first and processed and encoded with tools at a frame level, in non real time process you have to invest and learn, not just how to capture and use different computer tools but also how to maintain your gear and repair it, Otherwise pay the premium price for someone who has gone that route so you don't have to.

[nicholasserra]

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Originally Posted by mbassiouny

@nicholasserra,
On that note, I am shamelessly answering your questions to advertise my "services" in Europe. I am not exactly a professional service, but I will happily do small volumes of personal tapes VHS/SVHS, VHS-C, hi8, etc PAL/SECAM/NTSC all with native recorders, no big volumes, and no nasty dirty tapes.

My Gear (VCRs, TBC, capture cards, etc) are all on the recommended list JVC/Panasonic models with TBC, Datavideo frame tbc, ati 600, pinnacle, ES10 for bad tapes, etc. They came from Lordsmurf, a part from VCRshop or bought on my own from ebay, etc, but checked by them. I have multiple VCRs/capture cards and I try to get the best possible result.

Thanks! Have any online presence I can point folks to you via?

-- merged --

I actually just sent up an instagram for all my tape stuff. More focused on finding more leads for concert footage. Some other friends in here have done the same.

https://www.instagram.com/nicholasserra_tapes/

Got a PM from a new member here saying they're ready to take on some transfer work. Apparently new to the whole process and only with a single VCR and a cheapo amazon capture card.

A bit terrifying that folks think they can hop in and take people's money having no experience doing any of this.

They're peeking in this thread, and i'm not gonna call anyone out. But...

I just wanna make the point that the folks i'm talking about recommending would be experienced in this process. Years of experience. And it takes tons of gear and tons of time and effort to get to a point where you might be able to provide this as a service without ripping anyone off or damaging their stuff.

I'm only maybe 6 years into doing this seriously, 20 years into doing it on a hobby level, and i'm still not wanting to take this on as real work. And i'm sitting here surrounded by tens of thousands of dollars in gear.

[nimbilus]

Hi, first time posting. I'm wanting to see if anyone's found any reliable transfer services in the Washington DC area (willing to drive 1-1.5hr). I'd prefer something in-person if possible before mailing my tapes to say DigitalFAQ in Dallas. They were already mailed once to me from my parents and I'd like to reduce any further risk if possible.

[latreche34]

Yes, from the gear he has, he does seem to use hardware processing, Nothing wrong with that, but I personally prefer software processing. Those equipement are aging and all of them are way overdue for service and calibration, There is no tools and test materials left to service them with, Even the testing equipment themselves have factory calibration every decade or so. With software all these problems are eliminated except off course the players and capture devices which can be kept in acceptable working condition with periodic maintenance.

[lordsmurf]

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Originally Posted by nimbilus

Hi, first time posting. I'm wanting to see if anyone's found any reliable transfer services in the Washington DC area (willing to drive 1-1.5hr). I'd prefer something in-person if possible before mailing my tapes to say DigitalFAQ in Dallas. They were already mailed once to me from my parents and I'd like to reduce any further risk if possible.

The key to shipping is
(1) sturdy box, even double-box
(2) proper packing materials, usually peanuts for tapes, at least 2" think between tapes and box walls
(3) speed on shipment, meaning Fedex/UPS 2/3-day, not ground

Trying to find "the local guy" ends badly more often that not. Fear of shipping too often supercedes the fear of low quality outcomes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by latreche34

Yes, from the gear he has, he does seem to use hardware processing, Nothing wrong with that, but I personally prefer software processing. Those equipement are aging and all of them are way overdue for service and calibration, There is no tools and test materials left to service them with, Even the testing equipment themselves have factory calibration every decade or so. With software all these problems are eliminated except off course the players and capture devices which can be kept in acceptable working condition with periodic maintenance.

Uh .... huh? I think you replied to the wrong post. Too many tabs open again?

[aisback]

Hello lovely people.

I'm hoping to find someone reliable who can transfer some tapes for me (mostly VHS-C Tapes)

I’m in the UK (Sheffield to be more precise)I’ve found a few websites like eachmoment and video99 who seems to have been around forever even though the website looks plain the information he shows makes him my first choice at the moment. Do you guys have anyone you can recommend who can do it for me.

Please note some of the tapes have the casing damage at the front.

[latreche34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

Uh .... huh? I think you replied to the wrong post. Too many tabs open again?

Good catch. Yes, I was unaware there is page 2 of the thread, I replied to this post, Sorry for the confusion.

[tcaba]

I’ve had good luck with a local archivist in my city, he used a JVC SVHS deck with line TBC and an external frame TBC, captured lossless, then delivered ProRes or MP4. For rough tapes he charged closer to $100 per cassette, clean SP stuff was more like $40–60 per hour. I always ask for a short test capture first. If you can’t find someone nearby, try university media labs or photo labs that list archival transfers.

This was an AI-written spam post.

[latreche34]

It's a fair price considering the amount of labor going into the process, Most people think of capturing is like getting a haircut, it has to be cheap or they will just get it done at home, It's not the case with capturing, it requires a lot of knowledge of video equipment, time and tweaking to get a decent capture with the right hardware and software not just any hardware. and most importantly, unlike a haircut, capturing is a one time thing, so you have to make sure it's done right in the first place to avoid doing it again in the future when the tapes have already begun to degrade, plus memories on tapes are more valuable than someone's hair.

[timtape]

Yes it's not just the equipment but also often tweaking for best capture especially at time of tape capture. Tapes can have been originally recorded misaligned and the best capture, (sometimes with digital tapes getting a capture at all), requires temporarily misaligning the capture VCR to the misaligned tape. There is often no other way. Then tapes with physical damage such as stretched tape edges can require special treatment to achieve stable picture and/or or audio. This can involve use of custom tools and techniques.

One of the most important skills is identifying why a tape is playing poorly. Is the machine at fault, is the tape at fault, or is it some interaction between tape and machine? The skilled person knows how to diagnose the cause(s), and if possible fix the problems either partially or fully. Sometimes a tape is beyond help and nothing can be done, but that can only be established after ruling out all other possible problems as the culprits.

The mark of a good digitizing service is their ability to excellently capture difficult tapes such as above. It's what "separates the men from the boys".

Whereas capturing undamaged tapes recorded to standard alignment, as many tapes pretty much were, can be a walk in the park and this is where expert skills are often not needed. The work can be delegated to a junior. But even then the junior must have some skills and should consult their supervisor the moment something doesnt seem right.

And unfortunately from my own experience, just because an institution is doing the work is no guarantee their staff and equipment are up to the task and working to "archival standards". So it can be difficult to advise on reliable transfer services.

[Cisco1]

Hi my name is Tony.. I know this is an older thread, but I often read them regardless of age. I am the owner of Cisco Studios and have been a member of the Digital FAQ for over 10 years. I absolutely love this site, reading the post and the dedication to producing a quality result that all the members share. While my company only does transfers of consumer media on a local level, we offer transfers of professional media nationwide. Betacam, MII, Umatic, almost every tape based format analog and digital, prior to HD. Also all former professional radio media. Yes, even radio cart tapes..We take what we do seriously and handle every video as if it's destined to be professionally broadcast or streamed as part of a professional project.
Personally the only other company that I know of, from viewing their videos, that appears to do professional media the right way and using the right equipment is The Video Lab in Florida.
I don't mind giving them a plug, because this is the kind of business you do for the love of it, not because you think you're are going to be a millionaire. Having said that, please visit our website ciscostudios.com and get to know us. Thank you for allowing me to plug my business, but I often see people talking about Got memories, legacy box, etc., and I just wanted everyone to know there are still a few of us commercial operations that care about quality like you do.