Over time, moisture in the air interacts with the acetate of film reels and the binder of video tapes, causing them to break down and become unwatchable. It is a slow process, but unfortunately it is irreversible.
Climate-controlled storage helps slow the process, but most people don’t store their home movies at 59 degrees and 40% maximum relative humidity!
Home movies are one of a kind and most people don’t have a backup. When they get lost, misplaced, recorded over, or accidentally thrown out, they are gone forever. Unorganized or unlabeled media is particularly susceptible.
House moves can be especially dangerous, because friends and extended family are often called upon to help and they may not know what is in that unlabeled box in the closet.
Players for older media formats become harder to find over time, making memories unwatchable. What good is a tape if you have no way to watch or listen to it?
Working film projectors and bulbs are now rare. Working VCRs in good condition are becoming hard to find, and DVD players will be soon. Most modern electronics aren’t designed to last for 20 years. The VCR you have been keeping in the closet will be more likely to eat tapes 10 years from now, if it even turns on at all.
So many tapes and reels, so many memories, and so many questions. Is it blank? Has it gone bad? Is it something I even want? How do I begin to organize it all?
You feel like you should do something, but you don’t know where to start. So you don’t. You put it off… Until something happens.
A death, a divorce, a birthday, an anniversary, or a significant event. It would be great to have those home movie memories at your fingertips, but they’re still stuck on old formats you can’t use, and you’re still trying to decide what to do.
We get it. And you’re not alone. We work with customers every day who have had the same struggles. But the good news is that you can do this. With a little help and some wise advice, your home movies can become a treasure you can easily enjoy and share with others.
We have helped over 43,000 people just like you along the path of preserving their home movies, and we have a lot of experience to share.
We can help you figure out what formats you have, provide ideas for how to organize things, give you advice on how to future-proof your memories, and make it happen.
Once you’re done, you’ll be able to stop worrying about your home movies and start enjoying and sharing those special memories.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started.
For over 23 years, Astound Video has been helping families across Minnesota and the U.S. preserve their home movies. With five retail locations across the Twin Cities metro, and over a dozen skilled staff, we have grown to become one of Minnesota’s most trusted media transfer companies. We have an extensive collection of playback equipment, in-house technicians, and decades of experience, we’re ready to help you tackle your next media transfer project.
We transfer all common formats, including VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV, HDV, BetaSP, UMatic, Betamax, MicroMV, DVCAM, DVCPRO, DigiBeta, and more. We can also handle PAL tapes for most formats.
We transfer all common consumer film formats including Regular 8, Super 8, and 16mm film, as well as magnetic and optical sound. We have wet-gate and 4K options as well.
We scan slides and photos of all sizes, negatives, and transparencies. We also have copy-stand capabilities for three-dimensional and large-format items.
We transfer all common audio formats, including 33, 45, and 78 records, cassettes (regular, mini, and micro), reel to reel audio, 8 tracks, DATs, Minidiscs, wire recordings, and more.
Tapes, film reels, slides, or whatever you have, it’s time to gather it all in one place. Don’t worry if you don’t know what’s on it or how to organize it. We’ll work with you to figure that out later. The goal at this step is to gather everything you might want to preserve. Don’t forget to look in the attic or the closet.
Once you’ve gathered your media, you can click here to set up a time to connect with us in person or by phone. We’ll go over what you have, discuss your options, and prepare a no-obligation quote. Once everything looks good, get your media to us, and we’ll get to work preserving it.
As soon as your order is complete, we’ll reach out to coordinate payment and pickup. This is the best part, because now you’re all set to enjoy and share your memories whenever you like, preserved digitally for generations to come.
We measure turnaround in days or weeks, not months (unless, of course, you have a HUGE project).
A transfer is only as good as the equipment it is run on. We invest in the best, and it shows in the quality of our work.
All work is done in Astound facilities by Astound employees. No sending your precious memories across the country, and no outsourcing over seas here (yes, some companies do that).
No hiding behind e-mails and chatbots. Pick up the phone or walk in and talk directly with the people working on your project.
We provide you with a clear, detailed quote before we start on your project, and if anything comes up, we’ll call you to discuss how you want to proceed.
We work hard to get things right the first time, and it shows. Over 30% of our business is from repeat customers.
The best way to appreciate the quality of our work and the attention to detail that we give to every project is to see us in action.
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