FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THESE TAPES OR REELS ARE. CAN YOU HELP ME?

The short answer is YES! We have decades of experience and can help you identify all of your media and what you can expect and from the transfer process. Please call for free consultation.

PARTS OF MY TAPES ARE BLANK. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Don't worry! We record the video that is on your tapes, not the blank space. If your tape has an hour of footage and three hours of blank space afterwards, we'll only record that first hour. If you have short breaks in between scenes, they will be included but they can be removed with extra editing.

SOME OF MY TAPES HAVE TV SHOWS. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THAT?

Generally, we assume you don't want to pay to have your home recordings of TV shows transferred. As a result, our focus is capturing the home video, not the Seinfeld episodes. If you have a special request (maybe your family was in Northern Exposure?), please let us know and we can work with you.

CAN YOU ENHANCE MY VIDEOS?

Some basic color correction is included with your transfer and scene by scene correction can be done by request. We use time-based correction (TBC) to stabilize the picture and reduce chroma bleed on older tapes.
For some digital tapes and files, we can up-convert your videos to full HD and 4K.

WHAT DO I GET BACK FROM YOU?

First, you get your original tapes, films and photos back. Second, we can deliver DVD video discs, audio CDs as well as MP4 files for video and MP3 files for audio. Digital files are usually delivered by USB thumb drive or, with larger orders, a small external drive. For some small orders, we can deliver via cloud if you prefer.
If you need larger, lossless files for editing or preservation, like AVI, Apple ProRes or WAV, we can deliver those as well.
Whether you're getting DVDs, USB drives or larger external drives, we use trusted, high quality brands.
Extra copies of any disc or drive we deliver are available. Inquire for pricing.

DO YOU WATCH MY VIDEOS?

We can but it costs extra and you have to buy us popcorn. Just kidding. Surprisingly this question is pretty common. Obviously, we don't have time to watch and scrutinize straight transfers. We do pay a lot of attention to the first few minutes or so of each video or reel to get a sense of the settings needed, tracking adjustments, various levels etc. After we finish transferring your video, we edit away the head and tail of the recording, leaving only the body -which is your video as you remember it. During this process, we scan the transfer for playback issues. Sometimes, we will rerun your video on another deck if we think we can gain a better transfer.

DO YOU SAVE MY VIDEOS?

Currently, we keep a copy of the work we do for each customer for about 30 days, locally, in our office, not on the cloud. This allows us to easily make changes if requested and functions as a back-up while the originals are being returned either by local delivery or shipping.

GUARANTEE?

We are very proud to offer a high grade transfer service but, if for some reason, you're not happy with the results, we will do everything within our means to address your concerns and make it right. If that can’t be done to your satisfaction, we will pay up to the amount we charged to have your tapes transferred by a provider of your choice.

CAN I VISIT YOU IN PERSON?

Yes! We are located at 204 Quince Street Northeast in Olympia. Please call for an appointment.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

Most orders can be completed in a week or two. Large projects take longer. We get very busy during the holidays so plan accordingly. Need something rushed? No problem. Reach out and we can meet your deadlines. Sometimes that means same day service!

CAN YOU TOUCH-UP AND RESTORE DAMAGED PHOTOS OR SLIDES?

We color correct every photo or slide scanned for free but if your images need extra TLC, we are here for you. From light retouching to complete restoration, we can bring those vintage images back to life.