Why you should digitize your home videos (and other analog media)

Before smart phones reached the masses in 2007 and eventually found permanent homes in our pockets, our lives were documented with chunky cameras, camcorders, and cassette tapes. For those of us that were born before the new millennium, many of our childhood memories are stored in various forms of media, most of which are incompatible with today's technology. Without proper access, these recorded moments feel elusive and distant.

The reasons to digitize are ample. Here are few I've collected, in no particular order.

#1-Magnetic tape media loses 1-2% of its memory per year

Magnetic-tape media looses its integrity and degrades over time, even in optimal conditions. 8-tracks, cassettes, reel-to-reel, VHS, Hi8, and Digital8 are all formatted using magnetic-tape. Dust, humidity, fluctuating temperatures, and careless storage practices reduce both the quality and quantity of restored media.

It's a project that people tend to leave on the wayside without realizing the true cost of it living at the bottom of a to-do list. The price is paid in lost memories. The best time to digitize is now.

#2-Restoring old memories creates unique opportunities to make new ones

In the span of a lifetime, the self takes on numerous characters. Pages turn, chapters close, and the story waits for no one in its continuous cycles of transformation. From childhood to adolescence, young adulthood to middle-age, retiree to elderly---each stage reshapes who we are. In all that is left behind, essence remains.

Essence is the inescapable substance of our being. At times it may be dimly lit, but remains unwavering. This is the spark I seek (and always find) in home videos.

Sharing our past with the people that currently inhabit our lives is a window into a world otherwise unseen. Childhood videos in particular are an acute reminder of our humaneness. Beyond pure entertainment, I've found that in exchanging these memories we find renewed understanding and empathy---for both our lively loved ones and dearly departed.

#3-Digitizing declutters our homes

This is an obvious one. VHS tapes are about 7 inches long, 4 inches wide, and 1 inch deep. The average flash drive rarely surpasses 3 inches in length, and have much larger storage capabilities than consumer analog media.

I'd also venture a guess that the majority of people storing old tapes no longer possess the means to play them. I can't remember the last time I saw a VCR player in someones home. Unless you're lucky enough to score one at the thrift store, those vintage machines can be purchased for upwards of $300 on Amazon and Ebay. Woof!

#4- Peace of Mind

Unless there were multiple copies made of original tapes, the one is all you've got. Fire, theft, water damage, and natural disasters have the potential to destroy these precious recorded memories forever.

Digitizing provides multiple avenues of safe keeping. They can be downloaded onto our physical devices, uploaded into a cloud server, and copied onto an extra external drive and housed in a separate location.

If disaster were to strike, there would be one thing less to grieve. Anything that removes unnecessary stress from our lives is a win in my book!

In conclusion...

The list could go on, but I'll leave you here. Eddafy exists to lighten the load of busy lives, to shorten to-do lists, and ultimately create more time to do the things we love with the people we love.

One of the barriers to digitizing old memories is cost, which is why I offer affordable services.

Corporate transfer services charge up to $35 per tape, not including the shipping fees that are typically required. Eddafy's services begin at $15 per tape (up to 10 tapes), decrease to $14 per tape for 11-20, and can cost as little as $13 per tape for orders that exceed 20 submissions.

For more information, use the contact submission form or email directly at: marta@eddafy.com

Thanks for reading!