Question 1

Q: What distinguishes Digital Memories from...those other digitizing companies?

Accepted Answer

A: At Digital Memories, we pride ourselves on being a boutique editing service that goes beyond mere digitization. While companies like Legacybox focus solely on converting old formats into digital files, they usually stop there. They don't offer restoration of old images or audio, nor do they edit slide shows, montages, or trim your videos to remove long stretches of blank tape or static.

In contrast, Digital Memories transforms your precious memories into beautiful keepsakes you’ll love to share. We meticulously restore old photographs, correcting colors, removing dust and cracks, and enhancing clarity while preserving their original charm. Additionally, we edit your audio and video recordings to cut out static, trim dead air, and refine the final product to ensure it’s something you'll be proud to watch and share. Our comprehensive services bring new life to your cherished memories, making them perfect for family archives, memorials, reunions, family celebrations, or simply framing meaningful moments anew.

Question 2

Q: What formats can Digital Memories digitize and restore for me?

Accepted Answer

A: At Digital Memories, we digitize anything. Some formats we always outsource for customers. Some we might handle ourselves, depending on the project. And we're always willing to try to obtain a new piece of gear for our collection, if the project requires and at the customer's discretion.

These are the media formats that we currently handle in-house:

Question 3

Q: Can Digital Memories insert captioning into a video?

Accepted Answer

A: Yes.

For an extra charge on request, where dialogue is present on a video, captioning can be created and overlaid onto a video as needed. While this is possible, it's sometimes a bit tricky, but we can do our best, sync up the captions with the audio, and thereby provide a video that everyone can enjoy, even if they're hard of hearing. The captions will appear at the bottom of the screen throughout the video, and we can discuss how they'll look so you get just what you want. We can even create closed captioning that you can turn off and on as you like, allowing everyone to enjoy them as they wish.

For those customers with professionally recorded legacy videos needing editing, if we can create and provide captions, we can therefore provide a full transcript at no extra charge.

Question 4

Q: What wares does Digital Memories use for optimal digitization and restoration of old formats?

Accepted Answer

A: Basically, we connect the video or audio component to an "analog to digital" conversion box. The box then send the signal via high-speed USB directly into a professional-grade Mac Mini computer. The components are all connected to a patch bay matrix, allowing us to switch between sources without excess manipulation of our older playback equipment.

Our playback equipment has been carefully maintained and refurbished when needed. With brands including Sony, Technics [Panasonic], TEAC, Klipsch, and a Numark DJ 33/45 USB turntable, these pieces were curated over many years as our resources and capabilities grew. We also are able to scan photos, slides, and 8mm film frames, though we prefer to outsource those efforts.

We use Adobe's Creative Cloud applications for editing and restoration. These include Photoshop, Premiere, Audition, After Effects, and Media Encoder. These are industry-standard yet prosumer applications for which David Smolar has earned three professional certifications for us by the manufacturer. You can download and view his certifications elsewhere on this site.

Question 5

Q: What types of media does Digital Memories not personally digitize?

Accepted Answer

A: Film. But we use Colorlab in Rockville, MD, for all telecine services. We will manage the entire process for you. Then once we have the digitized film in hand, we can continue with any further editing of your materials, including visual restoration and event presentations productions. Please remember that there's a great chance that your 8mm or 16mm films won't have any audio printed onto them, so please don't be surprised if you can't hear anything during file playback.

We can scan photos and slides. If your photos are in relatively good shape and all the same standard size [4"x6", 5"x7", etc.], then it would be more economical for us to send the photos to a larger lab that has a bulk scanning machine. Once the order is complete, we'll pick it up, ingest the new digital files, and continue with the editing project we've developed together with you.

If you have a specific type of media not mentioned here and are unsure whether we can digitize it, please reach out to our customer service team for clarification. There are always playback decks out there to support old tape formats that we don't currently cover. If you have something in hand that we cannot currently support for digitization, we can work with you to scour the internet, find a deck, and price it out for you. Please consider the cost to us would include purchase price [possibly from auction], shipping costs to us, and possible further refurbishment: this is the process we've gone through repeatedly over the years, which greatly accounts for our long-term overhead costs.

We are always here to help and provide the best possible guidance for your digitization needs.

Question 6

Q: So I can get my stuff digitized somewhere else then send the files to Digital Memories for further editing and restoration?

Accepted Answer

A: Yup. If you have tons and tons of material to digitize, or if you find the world's best Groupon, feel free to use another digitizing service. The largest ones take utmost care in digitizing, but then they send you back the raw recordings as computer files. So you still have, for example, a 3-hour video file that might only have 5-10 minute chunks of content here and there. Plus the sound is noisy, the video looks faded, and it's hard to follow what's going on.

That's when you give us the files for us to fix, enhance, edit out the empty spaces, and make something beautiful out of them. We take the raw material and craft precious keepsakes. That's our job.

Question 7

Q: What precautions does Digital Memories take to safeguard my original media during the digitization process, and how do your terms and conditions address potential risks?

Accepted Answer

A: At Digital Memories, we understand how valuable and irreplaceable your original media is. Our digitization process is designed with utmost care to ensure the safety and integrity of your items. Given the fragile state of older recordings and imaging sources, we sometimes digitize at the risk to our own equipment.

So while we take many precautions, we cannot guarantee that a perfect image or sound will be obtained from an old tape. Whatever we get, we will attempt to restore. But if your tape or photo is already deteriorating, we can't guarantee it will survive the digitizing process without further damage, to the item or the playback machine. We therefore reserve the right to refuse to attempt to digitize a tape, at our discretion, and will certainly discuss this with the client as needed.

For more information, please refer to our Terms & Conditions page.

Question 8

Q: How can I deliver my tapes, films, and images to Digital Memories for digitization and restoration?

Accepted Answer

A: At Digital Memories, we strive to make the process of delivering your precious tapes, films, and photos as straightforward and secure as possible. You can choose from several convenient delivery options:

1. By Mail: Safeguard your items by securely packaging them in a sturdy box with plenty of padding to prevent any damage during transit. Clearly label the box with our mailing address, which you can find on our "Contact Us" page. We recommend using a tracked and insured shipping service for peace of mind. Once we receive your package, we'll send you a confirmation email and start the digitization and restoration process.

2. Drop-Off Location: If you prefer a more personal touch, you can drop off your items at our designated drop-off location. Please call or email us in advance to schedule a drop-off time to ensure someone is available to assist you upon arrival. We're located just north of Washington, DC. We're happy for you to arrange a location for handing off your materials.

3. Pick-Up Service: For customers with a substantial amount of media to digitize, we offer a pick-up service in select areas within a 25 mile radius in the DC/Baltimore/NoVa region. When we talk, we'll discuss your location and arrange for pickup.

Question 9

Q: What is the typical turnaround time for Digital Memories to digitize and restore my old tapes, films, and photos?

Accepted Answer

A: At Digital Memories, we pride ourselves on delivering high-quality digitization and restoration services with efficiency. Our standard turnaround time is generally between 7 to 14 business days, depending on the volume and condition of your materials. During peak times or for extensive projects requiring significant restoration work, this time frame will be longer.

We always attempt a simple level of restoration for media digitizing projects. For materials that need more than a quick fix, we'll work with you on pricing and timing of delivery. And if you receive restored material back from us, and you'd like more done with it, we're happy to discuss so no time or cost is wasted in getting you what you want.

For more intricate projects, we make sure to plan with you from the start. For those customers interested in creating an event video from either existing media or material that we digitize for you, we first want to discuss your own event deadlines. Our videos would be considered "deliverables", with rough drafts of the video owed to you at various times, just as you'd need drafts and plans from caterers and facility managers.

Question 10

Q: What is the difference between your flat rate and custom job pricing for video editing services at Digital Memories?

Accepted Answer

A: At Digital Memories, we offer both flat-rate and custom job pricing to accommodate various project needs and budgets. Our flat-rate pricing is ideal for standard projects involving digitizing old recordings in the formats previously listed. This would be a flat rate per tape/recording. As our flat rates are subject to change, we prefer not to post them online. In addition, many customers send us boxes of tapes and not just one or two, so affordable bulk rates can apply for larger orders.

Then, should the customer want further editing, our custom job pricing is tailored for more complex projects that require individualized attention and specialized services.

Please consider that all tapes must be digitized in real time. If you give us a 3 hour videotape, even if there's only 20 minutes of content on it, for example, we still spend 3 hours digitizing it into the computer. Our overhead also includes a monthly subscription to Adobe for free use of all their media editing applications as well as paying for a 2TB online storage account. These are paid for whether or not we've had customers that month, so our pricing structures are not only competitive with other similar digitizing services, they really are as low and fair as we can quote them.

Digital Memories.
Preserve the Past. Perfect the Present.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions

Q: What distinguishes Digital Memories from...those other digitizing companies?

Q: What formats can Digital Memories digitize and restore for me?

Q: Can Digital Memories insert captioning into a video?

Q: What wares does Digital Memories use for optimal digitization and restoration of old formats?

Q: What types of media does Digital Memories not personally digitize?

Q: So I can get my stuff digitized somewhere else then send the files to Digital Memories for further editing and restoration?

Q: What precautions does Digital Memories take to safeguard my original media during the digitization process, and how do your terms and conditions address potential risks?

Q: How can I deliver my tapes, films, and images to Digital Memories for digitization and restoration?

Q: What is the typical turnaround time for Digital Memories to digitize and restore my old tapes, films, and photos?

Q: What is the difference between your flat rate and custom job pricing for video editing services at Digital Memories?

Helpful Tips and Guides

Digitizing Strategies

Restoration Methods

Presentation Tips

Creative Solutions

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