Handing over your precious home videos for transfer to DVD can be worrisome. What if it gets damaged or lost? Before yo hand over your memories media to a video transfer lab, visit the lab, ask or just observe for these 10 points:
1. Is the video transfer work done on-site? This is what a good video transfer lab would say:
All of our work is done at the same location where you left your old Super 8 film or VHS Tape. It never leaves the building until you pick them up
2. Is every item ID'd and tagged? Here's what a good lab would say:
Ever item and project is given its own job and item number. So even if your 8mm looks like every other 8mm, you can still be sure that you are returned the one that's yours.
3. Is your workplace organized? Don't ask, just observe.
Look around you, is every job in its own bin on a shelf designated for whatever type of media it may be? Or are tapes and film, photos and slides lying in stacks that are tipping over. Are order forms neat and organized or hand-written scribbles?
4. Is every job tracked with a barcode? Give bonus points
If you see barcode tracking, this helps us to make sure your tapes are constantly tracked. If for some reason your VHS to DVD fall in the cracks, a barcoding system will alert the lab.
5. Is every item counted and recounted? A good lab is obsessive-compulsive about counting.
Of course you want to get back all of your tapes or photos. You also don't want to get anyone else's. If you give them 8 tapes, you want 8 tapes back, not 7, not 9. A good lab counts whe you bring them in and recount them when the project enters the transfer lab, and again when the project is done and the media is handed back to you.
6. Do you see any open beverages? You won't in a professional vhs to dvd transfer lab.
No matter what the beverage is, even if it's just water, it must be capped at all times. Liquid damage to your media is not an option.
7. Do you see any open trash bins?
You may be wonder what opent rash bins has to do with safety. Because it's so easy for your precious media to fall into one, that's why.
8. Are they gentle with your fragile media?
Or are they rough? For example, do they put extra protection for fragile photos, SD cards, hard drives and loose slides?
9. Are completed jobs labeled clearly?
Often, right from the front desk, you can see the lab's completed jobs in brown or white bags. Are these bags labelled clearly so there's no mix-ups when a customer picks up her VHS and DVDs?
10. Do they confirm ownership?
Lastly, when you pick up your tapes or photos, do they take the contents of the bags out and ask you to visually verify ownership. This is serious, what if you walk away with someone else's VHS/VCR tapes by mistakes. You don't want their memories, and they don't want your memories.
Your precious home movie tapes are irreplaceable, asking these questions and observing for the above safety procedures is well worth it!
First time transferring VHS tapes to DVD? You can find tape-transfer how-to videos at http://www.playitagainvideo.tv/.
Maurice Sheinfeld has been transferring VHS tapes to DVD at a video transfer lab in Newton, MA since 1986.
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