Video Tape is Dangerous . . . to your memories.

All forms of "Visual Media" are subject to a limited life span. The hidden danger of video tape is the relatively quick degradation of the tape and the signal recorded on it. For your convenience we have included a table below from the www.filmpreservation.org website that provides a limited guideline for preservation of most of the visual media you might have around your house.

Let's focus on VHS video tape for the moment. It was first introduced as Sony's Betamax format in 1/2" cassettes with a 60 minute record capability. It was never designed to archive "family memories" - it was born to be a cheap distribution medium in the late 70's for commercial/industrial training materials. The average shelf life is estimated to be around 5 -10 years* before it is rendered useless from various factors.

Close behind Sony, JVC followed with a lesser quality offering called VHS. (Video Home System) In VHS format the way the signal was recorded made for less picture quality than Betamax, but a two hour recording capability was a prize feature, so we as consumers adopted this system. This gave rise to inexpensive video cameras and recorders and home-based videography was launched.
The good news is we now have precious, never to be repeated memories captured. The bad news is that it's stored on what was never meant to be a long term storage solution, but rather an inexpensive and reasonable industrial distribution medium.
Your fondest "memories" now exist solely on a disposable by design medium . . . who knew?

What can you do?

It's simple! Take all of your old VHS tapes with kids, weddings, sports, pets, family and travel memories to your nearest Home Video Studio and have them transferred to a Gold Archival DVD. This is a real storage solution because our 24k Gold Archival DVD is rated to last for 100 years. This DVD is so tough that you can scratch it with a nail and it will still play.


Now, let's not forget that we can also organize and edit these tapes together and tell a more specific story. So think about how you might add to the family tree/archive with these old treasures and then distribute those to the rest of the family.
And even if you had Umatic 3/4" or 1/2" Betamax tapes there are still resources at Home Video Studios to capture those to DVD.
Sure it's another thing on your "to do" list, but it's a very important one, as it involves something totally irreplaceable . . . your memories.

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As you are preparing your tapes to be transferred to Gold Archival DVD here are a few tips you need to know:

How to Handle Your Video Tapes

• Never touch the tape itself. Hold it by the side of the cassette
• Rewind the cassette before storing it.
• Keep away from curious kids; avoid dropping or banging the tapes.
• Keep cassettes away from magnetic fields (Top of the Old TV)
• Don't leave a cassette in the car where it will be exposed to heat and cold
• If using a new cassette and it's still cold, let it warm up to room temperature.
• Occasionally fast forward and rewind a tape that's being stored a long time.

How to Store Your Video Tapes

• Store in conditions that are stable, cool and dry.
• Stay away from hot, humid and dusty.
• Store cassettes in the cassette case.
• Store your tapes vertically and not flat to distribute the gravity pull equally, stably and avoid edge damage.

And from the www.filmpreservation.org site we get the following information:
Chemical decay is due to spontaneous chemical change. Fading of color dyes in photographs and degradation of binder layers in magnetic tape are examples of decay caused by chemical reactions occurring within the materials themselves. The speed of these reactions depends primarily on temperature, but moisture also plays a role. In general, the warmer the temperature of the storage area, and the higher the Relative Humidity, the faster the media collection will be affected by chemical decay.

Excessive dampness is a very serious environmental threat to media collections because it contributes not only to mechanical decay but to biological and chemical decay as well.

Give us a call!

559-732-3050 / 866-993-8348

Home Video Studio-Visalia's website

Archive your mobile videos on a Platinum DVD with Home Video Studio

We all know that when you and your family get together with friends over the holidays you will enjoy watching those old home movies and tapes. Many of you have had us put your tapes and movies on a Platinum Archival DVD which makes it really easy and fun. 

We also know we're now in the digital media age. Here's a question: Do you know where your precious memories from this year's holiday events are?

You took that cool video of the kids on your iPhone. You snapped the perfect picture on your digital camera. You shot precious video footage of Grandpa on your flip camera. Now where are they? Still sitting in your phone? On a camera in your glove box? On your computer? Most likely everything you shot or filmed during the holidays is in danger (just a click or crash away) from being destroyed, stolen or lost because the digital age is also the dangerous age - for our memories. Don't let them become "Dust in the Wind!"

Did you know that if your phone gets wet or dropped those memories may be lost forever?! Sometimes they can be retrieved, but often they cannot! What if your digital camera or flip camera gets stolen or lost? What if your laptop hard drive crashes?

DON'T LOSE YOUR PRECIOUS MEMORIES! Home Video Studio can back up the pictures and videos from all of your portable devices on a Platinum 100 Year Archival DVD! We can back up your lap top as well. Be a saver of your family's archives! Don't wait till your mobile device is dropped or stolen. If you lose your phone you lose your memories.

Plus Home Video Studio's archival process offers easy access to your pictures and videos for printing, posting (Facebook/youtube/etc.) or just viewing with friends and family on your PC or DVD.

It's a great age we live in - the digital age! Digital cameras and smart phones make documenting the important things in your life easy and rewarding - Home Video Studio makes protecting those memories a cinch with our Platinum Archival DVDs!

It's also a great time to relive your older memories with friends and family. Home Video Studio makes projecting those memories really easy! Ask about putting your old movies, videotapes and photos into a Lifetime DVD Keepsake with music and titles today! 

We're only a click or call away. 

Call us today! 559-732-3050 / 866-993-8348

That will bring a smile to our faces and to yours!

Transfer Your VHS & 8mm Tape To DVD - Makes A Great Gift!

Believe it or not the Holidays are upon us and we all know that the best gifts for the upcoming season come from the heart. What could be better than getting all your old video tapes transferred to Home Video Studio's Platinum Archival DVDs? It's the perfect gift and one of the most important things you can do for yourself, your kids and/or your grandchildren.

Maybe its been a long time since you and your loved ones enjoyed the memories of those scenes you took long ago because it has become a hassle. You have to find the right cables to connect your camera to your TV, hook it up, figure out which TV setting etc.

Perhaps what you want to watch is somewhere in the middle of one of those tapes in the pile. Wouldn't it be great to give everyone DVDs that they could easily pop in to a player and enjoy anytime and anywhere?

The best thing to do right now is to gather up all your old tape formats - VHS, VHSC, 8mm, and minis - and get here before the Holiday rush. We can answer any questions and help you get started. The key thing is get started now!

Don't worry if some of your tapes appear damaged. We are video tape repair experts and can most likely repair them and get them onto a much more durable source for good!

Once your DVDs are made you have many options for packaging. We have many attractive themes for both DVD labeling and case wraps. Or you can customize your own. Maybe you want a precious family photo on the case. Once again, your imagination is the limit!

The best thing about transferring your videos to DVD is that, once the master DVD is made, copies are a cinch. They are quick to make, inexpensive and always available for that last minute gift.

The more thought you put into this gift the better it will be. Call us today and let's get started putting your memories onto Platinum Archival DVDs for the ultimate Holiday Gift!

Home Video Studio-Visalia

559-732-3050 / 866-993-8348

Cool off with summer DVD savings!

Summer is here! Swimming, barbeques and family outings are probably on your schedule. But don't forget your Christmas shopping - Christmas in July that is! Announcing Home Video Studio's 'Christmas in July special! Call us today to see what we're offering for the summer yuletide.
"I just put the winter coats away!" you might say. But think about it, all the great things you love about Christmas can be enjoyed anytime, and this increasingly popular holiday season is great for family gatherings, sentiment, gift giving, memories, food and seasonal specials. Why wait?

Because they make great gifts, three of our most popular services at the Holiday time, traditional or new, are:

8mm/16mm Home Movie Transfer: Don't let your beloved memories just fade away due to time and the elements! Transfer them to Archival DVD so that you and your loved ones can enjoy them for generations to come!

Photo Video Keepsakes: Let us take your favorite photos and slides and produce a one- of- a- kind work of art set to your favorite music.

Video tape to DVD transfers: For your convenience and for the safety of your most treasured memories we'll transfer all of your VHS, 8mm and Mini DV tapes onto a long-lasting Gold Archival disc - complete with scene selection and menu.

Now, if the traditional Holidays are more of your thing here are just a few reasons to call us and start planning now:

Christmas in July savings!
You'll be a hero! Creative gifts say "I love you" like no other.
You need time. Some of your best material may be scattered. Photos or old film may be in basements and attics across the country. Don't wait until the last minute.
Once your video creation is complete copies are a phone call away. No last minute rushes to the mall to find a tie or scarf!
Thinking about Christmas in July will keep you cool!
Christmas in July savings!
The things that make for a great Christmas - whether December, July or both are made for video.

Call us today!
559-732-3050 / 866-993-8348

Video to DVD transfer - How long does it take?

Time is what we want most, but... what we use worst. ~William Penn


Video tapes are transferred in real-time.
As the video is playing the analog video signal is captured and converted to digital video. So a 2 hour video tape would take two hours to be converted into digital.
The VHS video is analog there is no way to transfer the video faster than real-time.
Once the video is digital it can be transferred onto a DVD at the speed of the DVD burner,
e.g. 12x 24x or 36x faster than real-time.

Learn More, Click Here:

We can transfer all of these formats to digital for you!

Thank you and have a great day!

Preserve your most precious documents to DVD

There's a hero in your neighborhood. When you call we are there. When you need us we stand ready. We are Savers of the Family Archives and we exist to preserve your life.
What would happen if a fire, flood, hurricane or other catastrophe took your photos, videos, films, recordings, and important papers? How much of your life is represented by the memories and documentation that these items provide? Can you put a price on these items?

Home Video Studio's Savers of the Family Archives is designed to take all of the precious items that speak of your life and preserve them in a digital format. This makes it easy for you to retrieve them and make extra copies. And if you have new items it's easy to update.

Ready to get started? The first thing to do is get organized. Are your photos organized, or are they randomly stored in boxes? What about important papers? Don't forget your scrapbooks, certificates and other keepsakes.

Here's a master list you might find helpful:

Birth Certificates
Passports
Social Security Cards
Marriage Certificate
Wills
Military Records
Titles Diplomas
Financial Accounts
Tax returns
Insurance Policies
Trust Documents
Mortgage Papers
Unique memorabilia
Citizenship Papers
All of your photos/videos/film (8mm/16mm)
If you need help we make housecalls! We can help you categorize your life's legacy items.
Next we'll copy everything digitally. Now you can store it on DVD, CD or even your iPod or smart phone. Extra copies can be stored in safes, deposit boxes, wherever you need them. Don't wait for tragedy to strike before you try to preserve your life!

Call your Home Video Studio today!

Home Video Studio - Visalia
559-732-3050

Spring is DVD time for your young artist or performer

Your kids have practiced all year! Now its spring, a busy time for children's recitals, performances and presentations. Your grandkids have been rehearsing for months! Just think. You have school musicals, dance recitals, instrument recitals and school concerts. Now, before the curtain rises, make sure you're prepared to capture these once-in-a-lifetime events on video. And after the applause call us to help you present these performances on a silver platter.

Once you've captured the performance on tape here's how we can help:

First of all, let's get the content you have videoed transferred to DVD. Video transfers are our specialty!
Maybe you want to bundle several performances together onto one DVD. Has your child performed recitals or in programs over the years? What if you put them all on one DVD with titles depicting each year?
How about a snappy label with a photograph? Wouldn't a custom menu look great?
Would a portion of this performance be perfect in a PhotoKeepsake of your loved one?
Is your young artist is competing or vying for a scholarship? All the more reason to call us! More and more decision makers are relying on video submissions as a first step in any competition or scholarship. Your artists will be steps ahead with a well produced, edited video that showcases their skills.

And remember. If you want a professional shooting of a performance we can do that too! We have the experience and equipment to deliver high quality video and audio, and we will incorporate your input into our shooting style. Do you envision more than one camera combining different camera angles and placements? Your imagination is the limit as we shoot and produce these one time events!

The young people in your life spend countless hours preparing to perform. Make sure it is enjoyed for years to come! Call us today!

Home Video Studio - Visalia
559-732-3050

Photo Video Keepsake for Graduation

Sneak Peak

Scenes of Americana Retold Through Old Home Movies

Your family’s home movies might be seen on the big silver screen. Home Video Studio is collecting old family movie films to be part of its feature-length documentary called the Great American Home Movie Project. 

Arthur Zepeda, a Home Video Studio franchise owner in Visalia is supporting this documentary film project.  “We tell families that their memories capture an era of days gone by in America.  Wouldn’t it be great to share these images with others before they disappear all together?” Zepeda says. 

Robert Hanley, the founder of the Home Video Studio franchise and an award-winning film and video producer/director, is currently archiving thousands of home movies to be part of his feature film.  This documentary is believed to be the first of its kind.  Home Video Studio is America’s leading video production franchise, with studios located throughout the United States, two in Canada and one in Sweden. 

“What I’ve seen over the past 20 years of transferring film is spectacular and it is something I think everyone should see,” says Hanley.  “ I’ve watched America unfold before my eyes through home movie footage of backyard barbeques, dance recitals, family holiday celebrations and even favorite vacation spots.” 

These 8mm, Super 8 and 16 mm home movie films offer a slice of Americana dating as far back as the 1920s.  Home Video Studio customers, who are transferring their home movies to DVD, are being asked to participate in this Great American Home Movie Project as a way to preserve nostalgia. 

“Film and VHS tapes do not have a long shelf-life and can easily deteriorate,” adds Arthur Zepeda. “This film is a great way to preserve a part of American history that is literally fading away.” 

Customer home movies will be archived and their original film will be returned intact.  They also receive a price discount for participating in this film project. 

The Great American Home Movie Project documentary is hoped to be released in movie theaters nationwide.  For more information on this project go to www.greatamericanhomemovieproject.com.