In the 1990’s, I had my parents’ camcorder that used a small cassette to preserve a few memories. This small cassette could then have recordings transferred to a VHS. Well, these tapes are pretty much useless anymore with VHS players out of date with advancements in technology for media.
I had a few videos that kept some important memories, but were collecting dust with being on VHS. I was given the opportunity last month to try YesVideo and to transfer a few videotapes to DVD.
YesVideo has been around for fifteen years with services available worldwide. This service is available online at YesVideo.com and at over 30,000 retail partners in the United States; including Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club & CVS.
To get my transfers started, I used an EasyShip Kit. You can also self ship your videotapes or film reels to YesVideo. The EasyShip Kit included self adhesive bags to place my videos in, a checklist, a cardboard box with a pre-paid return label already adhered, and strips of clear tape to place on the cardboard box for safe shipping back with UPS. A box will accommodate up to three videotapes. Video transfer orders take approximately three weeks to complete.
When you process your transfers with YesVideo, status updates will be emailed to you as your order is being processed, including an email to access your videos in your private online account when the order is complete.
What do you receive with your YesVideo transfer?
- A private, online account with unlimited video storage
- Editing and trimming tools that allow you to create custom DVDs
- Free iPhone and iPad apps so you can access your movies from any location
- New mobile app feature: Create Hallmark Postcards with snapshots from
your videos. - Online sharing of video(s) through e-mail and Facebook
When my completed order arrived, the videos and their corresponding DVDs were neatly packaged together in separate clear bags. I had submitted three videos for transfer, but YesVideo was not able to process one. The unprocessed video featured two news clips from a local NBC channel where I had been featured. I had paid for the news channel to put them on a VHS tape that I provided, but a staff member from YesVideo called when they were about to send out the completed videos and said if videos contain anything from the news, a signed waiver needed to be submitted with the transfer request. I was directed to where the form was available on the YesVideo website, but notice of this issue was not made until they were ready to ship the videos back to me so a project for another day. 🙁
With the two videos that were transferred, each DVD case had chapter image tags on the case cover. When previewing the videos, they were nicely broken down into chapters for easy referencing.
There are also 3 bonus feature Music Video Highlight clips. They are one minute videos created from clips of provided footage, set to the beat of 3 music selections chosen by YesVideo. Extra copies can be easily ordered online for gifts.
The first video was done by a family member on my wedding day in 1999. The sound quality was good, but for some reason the clarity of the DVD, especially the faces of people is not so good. There was no notation with issues on this video when I received it back. The old VHS tape in playback wasn’t the best for quality, but the clarity was slightly better than the DVD copy so I’m not sure what happened. I played the VHS and DVD back on our television and tried the DVD also in my laptop to compare.
The second video was taken during my second time using my parents’ camcorder and it had tracking issues. A quality alert notice was sent back with this video, warning me there would be shaky images or lines running through the video. It said this can occur with analog videotape (VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, and Betamax and caused by normal wear and tear, excessive use, heat, humidity, or age. I didn’t view this tape very often, but it was created in 1995 so it has aged and the tapes were stored in our basement where humidity may run a bit high if we forget to empty the dehumidifiers during the summer. This tape also had a videotape repair/cleaning summary that said the reel was replaced and that the video tape was spliced and cleaned. It was fun to look back on how much my friends and I have changed over the years and what looks and styles were in back then. They could make a fun share on Throw Back Thursday (#TBT) 🙂
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Disclosure: This review and giveaway was made possible by Double Duty Divas and YesVideo. I received the featured service free of charge to facilitate my review, but all opinions are 100% mine.
I would love to have my wedding on dvd. Like yours, ours is on one of the tiny cassettes.
I have a family reunion video that needs updating.
I have childhood tapes from Christmas and birthdays I’d like to put on DVD
My family get togethers from when I was a kid! 🙂
My birthdays as a kid and high school graduations.
I have a movie of myself as a kid at the nature center that I’d love to see on cd.