Old images might still be the most valuable ones that you'll always hold dear. But after a while, the colors start to fade away and the quality will gradually get severely damaged. That's why you have to preserve them using a photo scanning and video transfer service. You could scan them, but unless you're a professional who has specialized equipment or want to take the time to make it your hobby it will take awhile to become good at it. Those unique memories deserve to be brought back to life in the best way possible.

There are a few things that you should take into consideration when you choose a specialized service to transform your dear old memories into digital media: ease of use, turnaround time, cost, image quality / retouching, delivery options, store drop off and pick up, trust and privacy.

Ease of Use
Look for a clear and straightforward ordering process. The site should contain plenty of relevant and easy-to-understand information that would help you decide whether the service is suitable or not for your needs. Avoid complicated sites as they could lead to misunderstandings and an overall negative experience.

Turnaround Time
Typically, each scanning or transfer service has a turnaround time between 5 and 20 days. This period will obviously increase if you have very many photos and videos. It's ok to choose a more expensive service if you want to get them back fast, but make sure that the company doesn't compromise on quality just to have the quickest turnaround time. Also, good companies might have a large workload expect them to deliver your digital media no sooner than 3-6 weeks. If you have to choose between s service with a faster turnaround time and a reputable one that will take more time to get the job done, always look for the premium one where the satisfaction is guaranteed.  You want your scans perfect and choosing a provider that is reputable with good testimonials will help guarantee it.

Cost
Almost all scanning services charge about $0.23-0.30 per photo. A few cents more or less add up if you have a bulk order and you're looking to save some money too. But the cheapest and less popular one might disappoint you, so it's better to look for professionals who can handle your precious memories accordingly. Video transfer varies according to the company you ask so you should tell them all the details to find out the price.

Trust
When you entrust the most precious videos and frail photos that you have to a company, you really have to trust that they will take good care of your photos and they'll do a good job. If you go to a local image scanning and video transfer service, ask your friends and family if they can share any details about their work. Look for a popular one. When you go there several times and they never have any customers around, that might be a red flag. Also, don't trust sites that don't have any reviews anywhere. It might be a scam.

Privacy
If you pick an online service, make sure they have a reliable Privacy Policy to protect your data. Read it well and hire them only if you agree with all the terms and conditions. They should commit themselves not to reveal any personal information to a third party nor use your photos with anyone. The photos and videos you send might be very personal for you so if you don't trust an online service, you can just choose a local one that you know. It's also recommended to choose a company from your own country instead of shipping your media overseas. It won't only take forever to get back, but there are much higher chances for the envelope to get lost along the way.

Do you know how to transfer super 8 film to digital? Many families still have Super 8 films from the 1960s, '70s or '80s of family events that need to be transferred to DVD for preservation. But unless you invest in some hi-tech scanners, it's best to let professionals take care of those transfers for you. Regardless, you should learn about some of the common scanning methods available on the market so you're aware of which ones give you the best quality.

You could encapsulate a MiniDV tapes description and history by signifying it as the bridge between videocassettes and the digital world of DVD. But you also have some interesting history in-between the generalities that you should know about, particularly in how MiniDV never went away.

What MiniDV Was and Is

When first created in the mid 1990s, MiniDV was the more compact answer to the 8mm videotape that was dominating the market at the time. The body of the tape was half that of a standard VHS videotape and even smaller than the reduced volume of 8mm tapes. It also had a tape width of about 1/4 inches.

In case you wondered what the "DV" stands for, it simply meant digital video. It was the first video format to provide digital quality images and could go up to 525 lines of resolution. Thanks to higher bandwidth, color resolution was also better. It's no wonder that it took off and became a standard as the VHS and 8mm video slowly died out throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

What made MiniDV even better was in the durability of the tape. Thanks to multiple layers, MiniDV tapes made back in the 1990s are probably still in good shape today. Two magnetic layers, a carbon layer and another layer of black coating provided the most durable videotape ever designed.

What Was the Fate of MiniDV?

Because of the high quality and portability of these mini tapes, they've never gone away completely. While recording tapeless has mostly taken over the camcorder market now, some professionals in the media still use the MiniDV format. A larger format was even created later that allowed up to four and a half hours of recording time. Nowadays, DV video can be transferred to flash memory cards or discs and turned into computer files.

As far as MiniDV tapes, they can still be bought in various time lengths from the same dealers who produced them years ago. Familiar names like TDK, Maxell, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic, RCA and JVC all still make the tapes. While it may not be in full mainstream use for the media, it's still a cheaper alternative for journalists or filmmakers working on budgets.

Perhaps you have some old MiniDV tapes in storage somewhere that contain home movies you want to preserve. We can do that for you here at Click-Scan-Share. With our attention to detail, we'll place the tape contents on a gold DVD for long-term preservation. Even if the original tapes still play well, you can't expect them to stay in good condition forever.

Contact us for all your media transfer or photographic projects. We're your one-stop photo shop online or in our brick and mortar stores.

Hi8 & Digital 8 tapes were introduced in the era just prior to complete digital formats taking over the film and video industry. During the time frame of Hi8 and Digital 8, consumers saw a preview of what was possible by improving picture and sound quality for the home video recording market. It was also part of the evolution of the 8mm video format that helped create more efficiency by providing a smaller size to the videotape. Despite these qualities and conveniences, converting Hi-8 videos to DVD is the smartest move in order to preserve any captured memories for the future.

When you're looking to get digital movie files or ripped DVDs, it's very easy to get lost in the alphabet soup of file formats. MPEG, MOV, AVI, WMV, FLV? You might find yourself asking, What do these mean? How do I know which one is best for what I need? Luckily, Click Scan Share has compiled a MPEG vs MOV comparison of pros and cons that will help you decide which one of these two common file formats is the one you're looking for.

MPEG

• Pros:
  • MPEG files produce very high quality results that are duplicates to their originals.
  • This format is compatible with most web browsers and can be run on multiple platforms including Windows Media Player and QuickTime.
• Cons:
  • Although the end products of MPEG are very high quality, this results in a low compression ratio or a larger file size. This can be a problem if you are trying to be efficient in your storage space.
  • A larger file may take longer to open.

MOV

• Pros:
  • MOV is a convenient file format because it can hold different media elements, including video and audio, all in one compact place.
  • It stores data so you can easily edit the file if you need to, without the hassle of rewriting.
  • If you plan to transmit your file over the Internet, MOV might be for you because it is used primarily on the web.
• Cons:
  • MOV files work specifically on QuickTime Media Player. If the computer or mobile device you are using does not have this specific platform, you have to convert the file to a different format.
  • Since MOV compresses files to more compact sizes, the overall quality of the end product might be lowered in the process.

Still have questions about file formats? Please, contact us for answers to any and all of them. We'd be happy to help!

VHS-C was the first variation on the VHS videotape in the early 1980s after about six years of battling for market domination against Betamax. By 1982 VHS had largely won the market and began to make slight improvements, along with attempts to make the format smaller and more compact.

The need for scanning film is increasing. This includes 35 mm film as well as film slides and more. Today scanning films is able to be done with a high degree of quality. There is equipment available with a variety of options designed to meet almost any situation.

According to an article in Photography Magazine, “You can basically choose one of three scanner types: a film scanner, a regular flat-bed scanner, and if you're going to be needing it for commercial use to generate high-end scans, a drum scanner. There are of course more types on the market these days, but these are the main ones.”

Many people who regularly scan film at home recommend purchasing a scanner. They are designed to provide the best possible final image. These scanners are designed with a piece of glass between the negative and image sensor. The light provided in these scanners are very intense. This provides a more high quality final image than using other methods.

Scanning film provides a better result than scanning prints. This is common since film is the original image and not a second generation copy. Scanning film will create an image of increased detail that isn't possible when scanning prints. The tone range of a print is decreased and the color data has changed. Scanning film provides a wide range of contrasts that prints cannot provide.

Film images provide a challenge to know where one tone ends and the next one begins. This is continuous tonal gradation. When a person digitizes their images they are making these tones have digital values. This results in providing specific tones and colors for an image. The pictures have pixels that have designated color values. The images are free of tonal gradation.

If you would like to know more about scanning films we can help. Contact us today and learn more.

When S-VHS was first introduced to the world in 1987, it was touted as a significant improvement to the VHS format. Considering that the pixel limitations of VHS video stood at only 240 lines of horizontal resolution, the thought of nearly doubling that image quality was an exciting idea. The new format was dubbed "Super" VHS and S-VHS was born. When S-VHS made it from Japan to America in the late 1980s, it was expected to be a major evolutionary step forward in video technology with better picture and sound. Things turned out much differently, however.

If you want to look back to see the first amateur film available on the market, you'll want to read about 16mm film and its history. What you might find interesting in the history of 16mm film is in how it's evolved to a point of never going away. In fact, new digital variations of 16mm are still being used today in TV production because of its more economical price.

Yes, 16mm has always been a cheaper alternative film, even though it's provided a lot of usefulness for multiple generations.