2021
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4 Factors To Know While Choosing a Video Transfer Service Written by: Brandon Harris, Smooth Photo Scanning Services
Preserving your precious memories captured on video is essential. But unfortunately, no matter how well you secure your collection, deterioration and accidents will inevitably destroy it over time.
The good news is that you can now convert video to DVD or other digital formats, preserving the precious family video footage forever and protecting it from environmental factors.
But before you can go through with digitizing your videos, you need to find a reliable video transfer service that will handle your collection with care and provide the best quality results.
To help you find the right video conversion service provider, let’s explore a few of the key factors you should consider when choosing who to work with.
Make Sure They Offer What You Need
There’s a wide variety of video transfer service providers you can choose from. And they offer a range of services that won’t necessarily match what you are looking for. Home videos come in countless formats, which means that the types of cassettes or films you might have could be outside of someone’s expertise.
That’s why you should begin your search by being specific about the type of video format you want to transfer. For example, if you have a lot of VHS tapes, you should look for a provider that specializes in them. But if you mostly have 8MM, tapes or Betacam tapes that might require a different type of company altogether.
That being said, some providers offer a range of services and encompass all of the popular cassettes and videotapes. The added benefit of using these types of video transfer service providers is that they have broad-ranging expertise, making it more likely to know precisely how to approach your videos and produce the best possible quality.
Customer Reviews
You can tell a lot about a video to DVD transfer service by the types of reviews that previous customers have left on their website or online. And today, it’s almost impossible for a company operating online to hide negative customer experiences, which can be posted on Google, social media sites, and anywhere else the company is visible.
That’s great news for people who want a reliable video conversion service since it allows checking whether a particular company follows through on its promises, delivers good quality results, and handles video footage with the care it requires.
Start by going to the website and seeing the types of reviews that are posted. Sure, these are usually curated, but that can give you an initial impression of how the company operates and how many clients it has served in the past.
Then, head to Google and the social media site to see if they have reviewed there. If so, go through some of the more recent ones to see if the service is still good and people are happy.
Additional Trust Factors
Even though reviews are an essential consideration, they are not the only thing you should consider when looking at video transfer service options. You also need to look for more subtle clues about whether a company should be trusted.
For one thing, you should look at whether the website looks professional and provides plenty of information about the services. You should also look for an active blog that shares insights and valuable information, showing that the company invests in educating its customers.
Experience is also important since sustaining a business in a field for many years shows that a company is reliable and has sound practices. If a company has been around for a long time, you can be more confident that they aren’t going to disappear suddenly and can leave your precious memories without having to worry.
Do They Match Your Needs?
Finally, you need to look at whether the company matches what you are looking for. After all, even if they do cover the formats you need digitized, there are more questions you need to figure out before you can commit.
For one thing, you should figure out how much the project will cost and determine if you can afford it. However, consider that it’s sometimes worth paying more if you get higher quality services that will produce better digital videos.
If you don’t want to transport the video collection yourself, consider using a company that does in-house scanning. This type of service can cost extra but might be worth it for convenience.
Final Words
The type of video transfer service company you choose to work with can significantly impact how happy you will be with the results. You need someone with experience with the types of footage in your collection and who has positive reviews and a proven track record.
At the same time, you need a provider who can digitize your videos for a reasonable price and accommodate your other needs as well.
My father has been in the document scanning industry for as long as I can remember. I worked for his company Smooth Solutions, Inc. during summer breaks growing up and for a couple years after college. Wanting to venture off on my own, I gained experience in several careers including wholesale seafood sales as well as owning and operating a bakery for several years. When my father approached me with the opportunity to expand upon his already successful business by providing high quality, professional scanning services to the general public, I jumped on board. From personal experience, I recognize how important it is for most people to have their family memorabilia preserved for future generations and I want to be a part of helping others do that.