Photo albums and family videos are some of the most sentimental valuables any of us own. Who doesn’t love flipping through Polaroids of Grandma’s childhood or watching awkward films of Mom’s first prom? Tangible photographs, scratchy cassette tapes, 8 mm films, and rickety VHS movies are undoubtedly irreplaceable. Yet, they can easily be destroyed. And because of their worth, it’s important to eternalize them! If you haven’t already, it may be time to digitize your single copies and ensure your most precious memories are never lost!
What Is Digitizing?
Digitizing is the act of converting tangible or outdated formats into digitally stored files. The process is done with a computer, organizing data into discrete units that can be addressed in byte form. Ultimately, a scanner captures images and converts them into online files—generally in higher quality. Audio and video digitization works similarly, measuring signal strength and converting the data into a digital document—all without altering the audio or imagery.
By digitizing, one can preserve old files, easily access them online, and share them with friends and family via social media or email. While original files can only be accessed tangibly, and in one physical location, digital copies can be made infinitely available to people around the world. Want to send your daughter photos of your middle school mother-son dance, without sending the hard copy through a multi-day UPS mailing system? By digitizing old photos and videos, you can send nostalgic treasures with the click of a button!
How to Digitize?
Of course there are methods of digitizing on your own, but it’s not always easy and can be a timely, risky inconvenience. Thankfully, you need not look far for help! Here at Southtree, digitizing is our job! We specialize in converting old photos, tapes, audio recordings, and videos into digital files that you can keep forever! Send in any aging records, and we’ll make a fresh DVD copy. When we’re done, we’ll return your original files safely to you, along with your digital form!
Still not sure? We’ve been featured in Yahoo!Tech, NPR, and Inc. 500. Since our company’s inception in 2001, we’ve made over 3 million DVDs and have served over 350,000 families across the country. We understand that sending your old photos and videos requires a great deal of trust, and even vulnerability. For this reason, we provide tracking to every order and add a barcode to each digital copy created—all assuring that your files are safe and in good care!
But Why Now?
You know the saying “It’s never too late.” Well, this is unfortunately not true with technology. As tech equipment continues to evolve, it’s likely that there will come a day when your VHS tapes—and the VCR, which is already no longer produced or sold—will break. And when this happens, you will lose access to the hilarious films of Dad’s most embarrassing moments from the 70s. Similarly, photos may go missing, fade, tear, or undergo water damage. Films may stop working efficiently, with audio harder to hear and imagery harder to see. So, to be certain you don’t permanently lose access to your family’s most memorable, historical moments, the time to digitize is now. Digitizing is not just a back-up to your old files; it will eventually be the only file you have. Right now, it’s not too late!
