21 Feb
We’ve probably all got some old family video tapes lying around collecting dust on the bookshelf at home. But did you know that these tapes degrade over time? Let’s take a quick look at 5 reasons why we should all do something with these old video tapes before it’s too late.
1. Save Your Footage Before It Degrades & Is Lost Forever
Anything stored in an analogue format on physical media (such as an audio cassette or video tape) can degrade over time. Think about dust & dirt, exposure to sun, moisture, changes in temperature – even physical wear & tear from playback over the years can all factor into the playability and quality of your old video tapes.
Once a tape is damaged, it can be difficult and expensive to get that footage back – if at all. However, converting it to a digital format means those memories will last forever and can be shared, edited, and moved to other formats without any further loss of quality.
2. Your VCR Won’t Last Forever (That’s If You Still Have One!)
Most people no longer have a Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) and they’re becoming more and more difficult to find. If yours is on the way out, or died eons ago, there’s no way to play back those old tapes. By converting your previous footage off antiquated video tapes and to a digital format, you can relive old memories of your wedding, your child’s first steps or your kids growing up for many years to come.
3. Move Away From Physical Media: Go Digital & Stay Digital
Physical media such as tapes, cassettes – even DVDs and CDs can get damaged through handling; the very issue is in the name; ‘physical’. Furthermore, sticking to certain media formats will only get you so far.
Think back to the 90’s when everyone put their old audio cassettes onto CD only to find that, nowadays, CD players are starting to become a thing of the past. The same is happening with DVDs (which are slowly being replaced by Blu-ray discs), and eventually Blu-ray discs will be replaced by digital streaming as internet services get faster (think the NBN).
By moving to an electronic media format, you don’t have to keep reconverting your footage time & time again as a format goes in & out of fashion (think tapes > DVD > Blu-ray > Whatever’s next). If your videos are already on the computer as files, you can do anything with them – reconvert them, burn them to DVD, send them to friends and move the video content between formats as time goes on. Because they’re already digital, no quality degradation will occur* when you transfer them from computer to computer and so on.
* Unless a compressed file format was used (which we don’t recommend), as this will reduce the quality.
4. Make Your Own Edits
In keeping with our “going digital” theme, having your family videos on the computer means you can edit them. Add music, titles, transitions, voiceovers… even cut out that awkward part at your wedding where uncle Barry’s had a few too many and decided to start dancing with one of the table settings.
It’s easier than you might think! There are some fantastic and genuinely easy-to-use programs out there for Apple Mac (iMovie) and Microsoft Windows (Windows Movie Maker) that make this process as easy as pie. Plus, of course, there are hundreds of free how-to guides and video tutorials on YouTube. Why not challenge yourself & learn a new skill in the process. Try our video editing how-to guide & start editing your own videos today!
5. Share Memories With Relatives Overseas or Those Who Have ‘Left the Nest’
Of course, once your videos are on the computer, you can share them with family & friends. Make as many copies as you like – it’s your footage and computer files do not degrade when copied – even hundreds or thousands of times. You could even upload the highlights to a private YouTube channel and share a secure, private link with family & friends overseas.
So What’s the Next Step? How Can I Save My Precious Memories?
Once a tape is damaged, it is very difficult (and expensive) to get that footage back – if at all, which is why we recommend acting soon to get your precious memories and moments converted to a digital format such as DVD, or better still, USB computer files.
Big Budda Boom are one of Brisbane’s leading video tape transfer firms, having converted hundreds of tapes and received many five-star testimonials & reviews from customers over the last decade.
If you’d like to transfer your video tapes to USB or DVD, please give us a call on 1300 660 937, SMS us on 0412 630064, or visit our Brisbane Video Transfer page to find out more today. Don’t leave it too late!
