Questions & Answers about saving, archiving, and protecting photos and video.
What do you do that I could not do myself?
Good question. There are two answers to this question to help you understand what we can do for you.
Answer One: Digital Imagery and Sharing
We need to educate you about digital imagery you share on facebook, pinterest, instagram, twitter, and other social or sharing sites, including your own website. The internet makes it convenient to share precious and personal photos and videos with family and friends and that seems normal & safe but it is not safe — just because everyone is doing it does not make it the best thing to do. Your video and images are there for anyone to steal, and top styeal your personal data and location of the photo, very easily.
What you photograph and record is copy-written and owned by you; however, you cannot protect yourself 100 percent. You are opening your property — photos and video — to anyone who wants to use it anyway they want without your permission. Is that legal? Technically no. But most people do not care or worry about it, because it is just a picture of a cat or some stupid antic their friends did. “Take it. Use it. We do not care.” But that photo and video comes with other data thazt you do not want shared.
A mother made the startling discovery that her adorable munchkin was famous — you may have seen his adorable pout somewhere on the internet. Does it make you think twice about posting your photos and videos?
And unless you are versed in the the photographic world, your pictures also contain a geo location information. So the person downloading your pictures know where it was taken., If it is your home, a friend's home, or some place you want to keep provate, too late.
If you do care about your visual content and privacy — sit down this is not going to be easy to take — you have two options to protect yourself.
OPTION ONE
The most outlandish idea is DO NOT POST THEM ONLINE - ANYWHERE, ESPECIALLY SOCIAL MEDIA!
“What? Are you crazy? That is the stupidest idea I heard. I have to share my photos and videos online.” Maybe so, but it is funny how people are worried about their privacy, safety, and protection when bad things happen. Then when that person, or persons, is captured, or the issue is resolved, people go back to being carefree, clueless, and thoughtless until the next major disaster. These disasters are allowed because of our nonchalant, caught up in our own little world; it cannot happen to me attitudes — the same thing that people thought before it happened to them.
OPTION TWO
You need to be vigilant about your private data which includes your photos and videos by adding a watermark, only allowing trusted people to view them, knowing copyright laws to limit people from using them as they want. And if they do, hire a lawyer. “What? My photos and video are not worth me doing that.”
We are not telling you to NOT DO IT. We are asking you to be cautious and prudent when you do do it. Protect yourself. You never know what information people can extract from an image or video that may put you or your loved ones in harms way. A meme of your child that bcomes viral may be exciting and cool to be proud of, but that ever happening is one in a million.
Take those photos and videos with your mobile device, that is what they are made to do. We do it. But when you want to share them, take a closer look at what you are putting out to the world to see. Is there anything you do not want to be seen? DVD Memories can edit the images for you and strip the identifying codes from the image that devices put on their that show the location of where the image was taken.
Where do you store, save, or archive your media so you can remove it from your device and get more room to take more? DVD Memories can help you with that by compiling and organizing your images and video so you can find it years later. We can also make professionally themed videos that combine photos, videos, music, and text tp share and send via DVD, Blu Ray, thumb drive, hard drive, or on a protected sharing site.
Answer Two: Real Photographs & Video from tape
With the introduction of video applications that may be cheap or free, anyone can edit video and put it onto a disk or export it out for digital display. But you need more than a program, you want a professional that will give you something you will CHERISH forever.
Anyone can fix or rebuild a car, make a 5 course meal, and build a home; however, not everyone can do these things and make them good or be of any worth to anyone. Creating a themed video is no different. You would not let anyone other than a pilot fly the plane you are taking. You would not allow anyone other than a surgeon to operate on you. So why have just anyone other than a trained and experienced professional editor handle your precious family memories?
Editing video, film, photographs, and music since 1980 on a daily basis, we love creating video that you will watch more than your favorite tv program. We have the skills, knowledge, and know-how to make your video a family heirloom. Our pleasure is when we receive calls and emails from, the clients in tears thanking us. That keeps us going. Keep in mind. Just because someone has an editing program does not mean they know how to use it nor does it make them an editor.
How do you compare to others that do this?
We do not worry ourselves about others who offer this kind of service; if you choose to go elsewhere, we are happy you care about your family's visual history to want to protect them.
We stand by our services with high quality and attention to detail — we do not make what we think you want to see, we make what you want to see.
Why do videotapes lose quality?
In as little as a couple of years, the magnetic particles that make up the picture and sound on your videotapes start wearing off of the plastic tape. Some of the particles get rubbed off every time you play it. Stray magnetic fields in your environment also cause signal-loss on the tape, even when it is sitting there, just as heat and cold are not suitable for tape.
Also, if you copy your tape, the copy will be of lesser quality. So copies are even further degraded in quality from the original. None of these things can happen with a Digital Video Disk! Transferring your video to a digital eliminates the threat of losing any more of your video's quality. The digital copy gets duplicated without any quality loss. By the way, since your original master tape has the least quality loss, it is recommended that you send that to us for transferring!
How long does it take to finish a video?
It all depends on the complexity of your project. Highly customized orders sometimes take longer. We will send you a confirmation e-mail as soon as we receive your tape(s). Our turnaround time is usually three weeks or less — we take our time to do it right and to make it look great for you and all who will view it for years to come.
What tape formats do you transfer?
Formats we accept are: VHS, VHS-C, SVHS, SVHS-C, Hi8, Digital 8, Mini DV and 8mm camcorder tapes. We also only transfer NTSC at this time, not PAL.
Can you add music to my movie?
Yes, we can add any music to your movie project. We can also add music to your silent video if requested; however, we are an ASCAP member and follow all piracy and theft laws; YOU MUST OWN THE MUSIC YOU ARE USING BY PROVIDING US WITH THE CD OR MUSIC FILE. WE CANNOT PROVIDE YOU WITH MUSIC FROM OUR LIBRARY unless we compose it.
My VHS tape has already begun to degrade, will converting it to Digital make it better?
Please keep in mind that the quality of your video is entirely dependent on the quality of the source tape(s); the video will digitize in the condition it is in — it will not get any better. The good news is that you discovered it, and can have your video transferred to digital now before it is gone forever!
Will my project play in widescreen format?
Your project is recorded with the same aspect ratio as your original video recording. Matte-Bars can be placed to give it a "Cinematic" look, which helps remove some of the warbled edges from bad tapes, but it will not play as a "Widescreen" movie on newer TV's.
Do you transfer tapes that contain adult content, nudity, or pornography?
NO! Absolutely NOT!
Do you copy commercial or copyrighted video?
NO. We do not Pirate Movies and you should not either.
Will my video and information be kept confidential?
The contents of all your material, as well as, your information is kept strictly confidential, and we respect your right to privacy. At no time will any contents or material be disclosed to a third party. Completed projects are viewed for quality and technical problems only. In addition, all data is wiped from our equipment after you safely receive your product.
We have a small employee base of two people that handle all the images and media, create the design and everything else you see. The two have been working together for 35 years. We have two additional employees that review the video for clarity, content, mistakes, and emotions — It usually makes everyone cry; when that happens we know we are finished with it.
We keep the project files for your future purchase of more copies for five years, then we delete them. Our Samples are of our own family videos, not any of our clients, and we will never ask if we can use them.