Digitizing Old Photos and Videos

[pg1067]

So...I have a bunch of old VHS and Hi-8 tapes.  Stuff I recorded off TV and from when my kids were really little.  I still have a working VCR, but it's probably 15 years old and isn't going to last forever.  I still have the old Hi-8 video camera, but I don't know if it still works.

I'd like to get the Hi-8 tapes and at least some of the VHS tapes converted to DVD or another digital format.  I used my DVD recorder to convert some of the old VHS tapes, but that unit has been having problems recently, and the reality is that I just don't have the time to do it.

Has anyone here used one of the services that advertise, like Legacy Box?  Did you like/would you recommend them?  Was it worth the cost?  Other good options?

[jingle.boy]

Have not used a service, but did it all myself years ago. Found a USB-to-RCA adapter, and spent a few months digitally recorder the”output” straight to .mp4. The way I did it was in real-time, so I setup an old work laptop that I had, and just kept changing the tapes ever couple hours or so. Some of those HI-8s had 6 hours of recordings.

Something like this:

[Stadler]

Have not used a service, but did it all myself years ago. Found a USB-to-RCA adapter, and spent a few months digitally recorder the”output” straight to .mp4. The way I did it was in real-time, so I setup an old work laptop that I had, and just kept changing the tapes ever couple hours or so. Some of those HI-8s had 6 hours of recordings.

Something like this:

I did the same thing; my camera had a converter, so that was easy.  When the camera died I got this, which allows me to basically convert anything.   I was doing VHS tapes, my Hi-8's, even cassettes and vinyl for music.   

It took a little time, but like Jingle, I set it and left it.   I have two neat-o DVDs now of the original Live Aid broadcast back in the day!   I get to look at Mark Goodman's balls in those tight gym shorts he was wearing, any time I want!   

[pg1067]

The problem with stuff like that is that (1) I'm less than tech savvy, and simply connecting my VCR or camcorder to my computer and hoping for the best isn't the most appealing thing in the world; (2) the time; and (3) I don't think my Hi-8 camera has seen the light of day in over 12 years (when I first bought a digital camcorder), so who knows if it still works.

[kirksnosehair]

Have a peek at www.legacybox.com


I used them to digitize some VHS recordings of me playing live music in 1992


sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8_f0e1aVEI


They got this off the original VHS tape and the quality is just as good as it was on the tape.

[pg1067]

Have a peek at www.legacybox.com


I used them to digitize some VHS recordings of me playing live music in 1992


sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8_f0e1aVEI


They got this off the original VHS tape and the quality is just as good as it was on the tape.

Sounds like you were happy with Legacy Box?

I'm always wary of companies whose marketing strategy is a perpetual 50% off their supposed regular price, but it looks like a pretty good deal.

[kirksnosehair]

Yes, I thought the pricing was quite reasonable and they made everything super easy.


I'm with you on the whole [insert absurd discount amount here] thing.  But yeah, we have a very good experience with them

[CrimsonSunrise]

Yes, I thought the pricing was quite reasonable and they made everything super easy.


I'm with you on the whole [insert absurd discount amount here] thing.  But yeah, we have a very good experience with them

Did you happen to research any other services?  My wife's Uncle has a bunch of Reels they want to get converted.  Definitely not cheap, but well worth it to them!

[kirksnosehair]

Yes, I thought the pricing was quite reasonable and they made everything super easy.


I'm with you on the whole [insert absurd discount amount here] thing.  But yeah, we have a very good experience with them

Did you happen to research any other services?  My wife's Uncle has a bunch of Reels they want to get converted.  Definitely not cheap, but well worth it to them!

There was a local shop near where I live but they wanted almost 3 times the money so we went with legacybox.com - there was one other online service we looked at but, amazingly, they said they couldn't return the VHS cassettes after the conversion even if I offered to send them a fully pre-paid postal box to mail them back, so we gave them one last chance by telling them we were going to Legacybox.com unless they'd agree to return our VHS tapes.  The guy got all snarky with me and wrote something like, "what was it about 'we don't return vhs tapes' that you didn't understand?" 


I didn't reply.  I just went to legacybox.com and not only did they return my VHS tapes, it was included in the price!

[CrimsonSunrise]

There was a local shop near where I live but they wanted almost 3 times the money so we went with legacybox.com - there was one other online service we looked at but, amazingly, they said they couldn't return the VHS cassettes after the conversion even if I offered to send them a fully pre-paid postal box to mail them back, so we gave them one last chance by telling them we were going to Legacybox.com unless they'd agree to return our VHS tapes.  The guy got all snarky with me and wrote something like, "what was it about 'we don't return vhs tapes' that you didn't understand?" 


I didn't reply.  I just went to legacybox.com and not only did they return my VHS tapes, it was included in the price!

Great stuff!  Thanks!!!  That other online company...wow..  talk about shit customer service!

[pg1067]

Yes, I thought the pricing was quite reasonable and they made everything super easy.


I'm with you on the whole [insert absurd discount amount here] thing.  But yeah, we have a very good experience with them

Did you happen to research any other services?  My wife's Uncle has a bunch of Reels they want to get converted.  Definitely not cheap, but well worth it to them!

There was a local shop near where I live but they wanted almost 3 times the money so we went with legacybox.com - there was one other online service we looked at but, amazingly, they said they couldn't return the VHS cassettes after the conversion even if I offered to send them a fully pre-paid postal box to mail them back, so we gave them one last chance by telling them we were going to Legacybox.com unless they'd agree to return our VHS tapes.  The guy got all snarky with me and wrote something like, "what was it about 'we don't return vhs tapes' that you didn't understand?" 


I didn't reply.  I just went to legacybox.com and not only did they return my VHS tapes, it was included in the price!

That's bleepin' wild.  I asked for opinions from my Facebook friends.  All I got was one whose mother wasn't happy that they didn't index what was on the tape.  That's not a problem for me, and I wouldn't expect that sort of service for the price.

[kirksnosehair]

Just to be clear they didn't deliver me any physical goods.  We sent them the tapes, they sent them back about a week later and then I got an email with a link to download the converted files.  They provided them in MOV and one other format, I think it might have been AVI 


They tried to sell me some cloud storage bullshit, but I just downloaded my videos, which I promptly uploaded to YouTube just to back them up. 

[bosk1]

Have a peek at www.legacybox.com


I used them to digitize some VHS recordings of me playing live music in 1992


sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8_f0e1aVEI


They got this off the original VHS tape and the quality is just as good as it was on the tape.

Part of me really hopes The Zoo was in the set list.

[kirksnosehair]

That would have been fun but that group was a bit less hard rock than that.  It took a ton of convincing just to get them to play "The Boys are Back" by Thin Lizzy.  They shot me down on "Jailbreak" 


So we did "The Midnight Hour" but I did a bit of rearranging of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BzlQN_KwpI




And here's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozia2omx_UM


We sucked but we had fun with it.


Fun Fact:  The night before this gig, I didn't sleep at all, I was tweaking my balls of on Methamphetamine - in fact during this performance I'm pretty sure I hadn't slept in a few days.  6 months later I was down to 130lbs and I finally got arrested, which actually saved my life because in another 6 months I would have been dead if left to my own devices.