Top Questions About Our Video Transfer Services
Placing an Order
- How much does it cost?
- What do the different status' mean?
- Is it safe, will you return my original tapes?
- Do you guarantee your work, what if I'm not satisfied?
- How many DVDs or hard drives will I get?
- How many hours of footage will fit on one DVD or hard drive?
- How do I order more copies?
- Do you have any restrictions regarding the content of the video tape?
Home Movie Editing and Media
- Will I be able to edit my movies?
- Will my new DVD play on my DVD player?
- I have very specific needs for my menu, chapters, editing, etc. Can you help?
- Can I edit my new DVD on my home computer?
- Can I combine footage from multiple tapes onto one DVD?
Shipping
- How do I order, how should I send my movies?
- I'm trying to create a shipping label but the Post Office's website (www.usps.com) says that your address is invalid. What do I do?
General
- How do you transfer video tapes (the process)?
- What tapes do you convert?
- What is the best way to preserve my home movies?
Placing an Order
1. How much does it cost?
Pricing varies depending on the number of tapes. Visit our pricing calculator to determine the cost of your video tape transfer. Please note that shipping quotes are given as good faith estimates. Orders containing extra large reels, orders requiring multiple boxes, or orders with increased weight may be subject to additional shipping charges.
Furthermore, Home Movie Depot is proud to price match any of our competitor's Video Tape to DVD transfers. If you find a lower price from another company for this service, simply contact us and we will match their price!
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2. What do the different status' mean?
You can track the progress of your order at anytime! Just login to your account and look at the status next to your order. Here is the route through the status your video will follow:
- Not Received- This status means that you've placed an order with us, but it has not arrived at our facility.
- Received- This status alerts you that we've received, opened, and verified the contents of your order. It is ready to go into production.
- Transferring- This status encompasses all the "hands on" interaction that a technician has with your video- inspection, digitization, editing, and uploading. This status will take the longest, as it is the bulk of your transfer!
- Transferred- This status means that our software is building the files that we will put onto your DVD or hard drive.
- Burned- This status means that your DVD or hard drive has been produced and your order is ready for packaging and shipping.
- Shipped- This status displays that we've boxed up your order and it is on the shipping shelf, waiting for our daily FedEx driver to pick it up! The shipping department will send you an e-mail to let you know that your order is done. At this time, we will also make any billing adjustments to your original estimate that we've uncovered along the last five steps.
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3. Is it safe?
We receive orders from around the world on a daily basis. Movies are not destroyed or damaged in the process. An operator is with your movie during every step of the process. Movies are not destroyed or damaged in the process. We return everything that you send to us- tapes, boxes, bags, and labels. You can read about some of our efforts to ensure the safety of your movies.
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4. Do you guarantee your work, what if I'm not satisfied?
Customer satisfaction is very important to us. We are committed to fixing any problem that is not inherent to the original video in a timely manner. Our guarantee policy is posted here.
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5. How many DVDs or hard drives will I get? How many DVDs or hard drives will it take to complete my order?
As many as it takes! You do not have to calculate how many DVDs or hard drives will be needed to complete your order. We only need to know how many complete copies of your movies you?d like to receive. If your order takes 10 DVDs to create a complete copy that is what we deliver. The cost of your media is calculated when you place an order - so the number of DVDs or hard drives needed will not further affect your price.
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6. How many hours of footage will fit on one DVD or hard drive?
We can put roughly two hours of video footage on one DVD.
Hard drive sizes vary, based on the size of your order. But, an estimate for how may hours of footage we can fit on each size hard drive are as follows:
120 GB = 8 hours
300 GB = 20 hours
400 GB = 26 hours
500 GB = 33 hours
750 GB = 50 hours
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7. How do I order more copies?
To ensure that we can accommodate your copy order, please place your copy order with 30 days after receiving your shipment.
Please contact us to order more copies of your video tape transfer.
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8. Do you have any restrictions regarding the content of the video tape?
There are several instances where your video tape will be returned without being converted to DVD. If we do not transfer the home movie for any of the following reasons, the associated transfer costs will be refunded to your card:
- Blank video tape
- Non-supported Format (such as PAL)
- Objectionable Material
- Copy Protection
- Copyright*
- Video with too much physical damage
*If you do have items under copyright protection, and you are, or have permission from, the original copyright holder, please include this copyright waiver and we'll be happy to transfer your images.
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Home Movie Editing and Media
9. Will I be able to edit my movies?
If you get a hard drive and have editing software that supports AVI files, such as Pinnacle Studio 12, you can edit your videos. We also offer an online editor that allows you to customize your DVD. See the features of the video transfer DVD here.
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10. Will my new DVD play on my DVD player?
We use brand name DVD-R which has been shown to be the most compatible general use media. We also print your title directly on to the disc rather than using stickers. Our discs have been found to be compatible with over 95% of home DVD players made in the past three years.
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11. I have very specific needs for my menu, chapters, editing, etc. Can you help?
While we can not accept requests for specific chapter points, our Home Movie Depot programmers have developed proprietary software that determines scene changes during your home movies. When we copy VHS to DVD, your home movies will have chapter points inserted every scene change or every 10 minutes, which ever is less.
We also sell editing software and hard drives, which will allow you to make many very specific changes to your transferred media.
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12. I want to edit my new DVD on my home computer. Can I simply drag and drop my DVD files onto my computer?
It is possible to edit your new DVD footage on your home computer. However, like a commercial DVD, it requires a good deal more than just dragging and dropping the files to your hard drive. Although our DVDs are not encrypted, editing your new DVD would require DVD authoring software which we do not provide and cannot support.
If you want to edit your footage on your computer, we highly recommend ordering a hard drive copy of your transfer. With the proper equipment, you can then create your own DVD from the digital footage.
With the proper equipment and a hard drive, you can then create your own DVD from the digital footage. Hard drives are available for all transfer types. They are the best media for home editing because
the files can quickly be dumped onto your home hard drive, edited, and burned onto a customized DVD!
What you'll get:
- External, 2.0 USB Hard Drive, NTFS formatted
- Editable Files: View the sample file types here.
- Still Image Capture Software through VLC Player
What you'll need:
- Computer with USB port
- Editing Software, such as Pinnacle Studio 12
- DVD Burner and Compatible Media
To read more about the Hard Drives, please click here.
*There is a restocking fee for the return of this product
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13. Can I combine footage from multiple tapes onto one DVD?
To preserve the quality of your VHS to DVD footage, we can not combine footage from multiple tapes onto the same DVD. Each tape will receive its own DVD/DVD set.
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Shipping
14. How do I order, how should I send my movies?
The Order Process:
Step 1: Let us know what you are sending and what you want as your finished product. Calculate your transfer estimate with our Pricing Calculator.
Step 2: Label each of your tapes with our printable barcodes.
Step 3: Keep a copy of any information that is written on the outside of each tape.
Step 4: Send your tapes and the checkout confirmation to:
Home Movie Depot
101 West Broadway
Ashland, Missouri 65010
We prefer FedEX shipping.
Step 5: We will email you and confirm your quote once we have received your movies.
Step 6: You will receive an email with your tracking number when the original video along with your copies have been shipped.
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15. I'm trying to create a shipping label, but the Post Office's website (www.usps.com) says that your address is invalid. What do I do?
First, we highly recommend that when shipping your precious memories, you use a shipping provider such as FedEx, UPS, or DHL that will provide you with a tracking number. You're certainly welcome to use the Post Office, but we do not recommend it at all.
If you do decide to use the Post Office, you will need to address your order to our P.O. Box. Our large transfer facility sits approximately one block from the Post Office and city regulations do not provide for personal delivery within the downtown area.
Our P.O. Box address is:
P.O. Box 669
Ashland, Missouri
65010
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General
16. How do you transfer video tapes. What is the process for transferring video?
We feel you should know what you are paying for and give a How it Works in a Nutshell as well as a
detailed technical description.
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17. What tapes do you convert?
We specialize in VHS, VHS-C, 8mm Tapes, MiniDV, Digital8, Hi8, and Betamax tapes.
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18. What is the best way to preserve my home movies?
We recommend ordering at least 2 DVD copies of every transfer so that one DVD copy can serve as your archive copy of the transfer.
We strongly recommend visiting The Association of Moving Image Archivists for expert advice on how to preserve the actual tape.
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