I used to make this offer each year in November/December on the old alien site before they lost their minds and I deleted everything and left. Over the past decade, I’ve digitized 100+ hours of video, and close to 1000 photos.

I can digitize the following formats:

  • 35mm negative / slides / négatif / diapositif
  • 8mm film (8mm & Super 8) (without audio)
  • VHS-C “compact” video tape (not full size VHS)
  • MiniDV video (not HD… yet)
  • 8mm Videocassette (“Sony” 8mm / Hi8 / Digital 8)
  • Audio cassettes

Reasonable limits apply - one of:

  • Up to 80 frames of 35mm negatives / slides (2-3 “rolls”)
  • Up to 5 reels 8mm film
  • Up to 5 VHS-C videotapes
  • Up to 5 MiniDV cassettes
  • Up to 5 8mm videocassettes

… or some reasonable mix of each.

Output is in JPEG or MPEG4 format. For MiniDV/Digital8, I can provide the original .dv files, but they’re gigantic - 20+GB/hr. 35mm slides/negatives are usually returned in plastic sheets suitable for storage in a binder.

Turnaround time is usually 72 hours.

Process: Pack up your media in a box, include your ID on Lemmy on a piece of paper, a USB stick for storage (about 1GB per hour of video). Drop off at my office in St. Henri, and pick it up in the same place a few days later.

People often ask why I do this. Freeing cherished memories from old media is a hobby of mine, I don’t do this for a living, but I’ve accumulated a lot of equipment over the last 10 years of doing this.

EDIT: Formatting.

  • Rentlar
    4·
    1 year ago

    Aw that’s so kind of you. This year you might not get many responses (I’m on the West Coast) but I’m sure we’ll grow as a community over time.

    I’m curious if you would happen to have Betamax player equipment still (*though it appears you are primarily targeting portable camcorder form-factor video)

    • AnotherDirtyAngloOP
      3·
      1 year ago

      Nope, no Betamax (too rare, too expensive). And you’re right that I focus on camcorders – before my full-size VHS player died, I found that what people were bringing me were mostly old TV shows you can find on YouTube, and terrible quality pirated movies.