When is the last time you looked at any old pictures of you and your family, or watched a home video of a holiday or birthday party? We often have golden memories just lying around our homes, and since we are in the digital age, we often forget about those precious artifacts we have.
Thanks to the technology of digitization, you can turn those old photos, tapes and film into a newer, digital format easily! And there are lots of companies offering digitization services these days.
But how do you know which company to use? It’s not always best to use the cheapest option, especially when you’re trusting a company to carefully handle some of your most treasured memories.
Let’s take a closer look at two digitizing companies, Southtree and Fotobridge. Both companies have a lot to offer, but which one offers the best quality and service for your money?
Here are the basics.
Southtree is based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and boasts a huge 52,000 square foot facility where all their digitizing magic happens. Southtree prioritizes quality, simplicity and convenience. From the time you order to the time you receive your originals and digitized copies, Southtree handles it all. You can rest at ease while they take care of all your digitizing needs. Southtree provides shipping and shipping materials for you as well, so that you don’t have to worry about getting the right sized package and paying for shipping costs.
Fotobridge is based in West Berlin, New Jersey. They specialize in converting lots of the same format – so if you have a lot of tapes you need digitized, they can convert them all quickly and easily. However, they separate their print photo and negatives/slides packages, so if you have multiple photograph formats it becomes less convenient. Fotobridge does not offer shipping materials, although they do offer free return shipping.
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Southtree |
Fotobridge |
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Only one company handles your film, cassettes, videos? |
Yes |
Yes |
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Shipping provided? |
Yes – Every Southtree order comes with a crush-proof box and pre-paid shipping. No fees! |
No packing materials are included in your order. Return shipping is provided. |
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Film formats accepted |
8mm, Super 8, 16mm |
8mm, Super 8, 16mm |
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Tape formats accepted |
VHS, VHS-C, Hi8, Video 8, Digital 8, Mini DV, Betamax, Micro MV, PAL to NTSC |
VHS, S-VHS, VHS-C, BetaMax, Video8, Digital8, Hi8, MiniDV |
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Photo formats accepted |
Print photos, slides, and negatives |
Print, slides, and negatives |
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Audio formats accepted |
Audio cassettes, reel-to-reel |
None |
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Convenient packages to choose from? |
Yes – save money by choosing a package that exactly fits your digitizing needs. Packages range from converting
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Specializing in large quantities, packages range from converting
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Step-by-step tracking |
Yes |
Yes |
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Package starting prices |
Print Photos, Slides & Negatives: $23.79 Tapes: $26.49 Film: $37.49 Audio: $26.49 |
Print Photos: $54.95 Slides/Negatives: $109.95 Special Formats: $9.95 Tapes: $129.95 Film: $69.95 Audio: Not available |
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What’s included? |
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Turn-around time |
6-8 weeks |
Around 2 weeks |
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Thumb-drive option |
Yes |
Yes |
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Customer service availability |
Access to Southtree’s personal concierge via phone or email at any time |
Contact the Fotobridge team through phone or through the Fotobridge chat service |
Both Southtree and Fotobridge offer competitive services and pricing, but when it comes down to it, Southtree stands apart from the crowd with their lower prices, easy to use online ordering system, and their ability to digitize many more formats, including Hi8, Micro MV, and PAL tapes, and audio formats. If you’re looking for a digitization company that will handle all shipping costs, will make ordering and delivery easy, all while offering low prices that you can count on, then Southtree is a great choice.
