Converting VHS to DVD For a Gift? There’s Still Time!

The holiday season is upon us! Here at Play It Again Video, we think the gift of memories is the greatest gift of all – but remember, converting your VHS home movies to DVD (or any of the other services we provide) takes time. If you are thinking about bringing in your old home movies to transfer, now is the time. We want to make sure you receive your finished project in time for your holiday travel.

Consult this handy chart to get an idea of the time frame required for your project:

VHS to DVD 1 – 2 weeks (depending on project size)
Photos/slides scanned 1 – 2 weeks (depending on project size)
Audio (cassettes, vinyl, etc) 2 weeks
Custom video photo montage 2 – 3 weeks
Transferring to hard drive (instead of DVD) add 3 days

 

We can also do rush orders for an additional fee. Come in and see us, or call us at 617-332-3300, for more details on rush pricing.

VHS to DVD transfer for the holidays

Make sure you check it off your list in time!

Whether you are giving a DVD of an old VHS as a gift, or just want to watch your old home movies together with family when you see them over the holidays, we want to make sure you have what you need, when you need it! Don’t delay, come see us today to be sure your project will be completed in time.

Best Family Photos – 7 tips for amazing vacation photos

Smartphone vacation photos
Get a close up of the picture
People often times like to take a picture of everything that they see with their eyes. But what they don’t realize is that eye sight is so centered that they might only be focusing on one object. Taking a close up picture of the object brings a meaningful center to the memory.

Backgrounds can make or break the photo
While you spend some time thinking about the center of the photo, also take the time to consider what the backdrop should be. Plain backgrounds are great for portraits, but if you’re on vacation at the beach then use the ocean, sand, or other sights to introduce a sense of location and purpose.

Focus (blur) on the right things
Many cameras, smartphones included, have a very simple way of adjusting the focus (the amount of blur) of the picture. Take a moment to think whether you want to see every little detail of the moment, or just the expression on your family’s face.

Family Vacation Action Shot

Take action shots
In the grand scheme of things, photos are a means of storing memories. The stronger the emotion at that time, the stronger the memory will be. The same goes for photos. Taking photos of people in action will help capture the excitement and feeling of the moment, greatly preserving the memory for years to come.

Use filters that don’t distract from the photo
If you are living in the modern world then you have probably heard of filters. Filters are quick and simple editing tools that you use immediately after taking the photo. Correctly using them will enhance the atmosphere, while using too much or the incorrect one can ruin the photo. Err on the side of lightness and use filters to accentuate key details.

Smartphone cameras are legitimate as well
Here are a few tips for those of us who use smartphones as our cameras of choice. While the smartphone lens is usually pretty small, using the below suggestions as well as the above, can help bring the memory to life.

  • Take many photos in succession. There are a lot of apps out there that allow the smartphone to take multiple photos at a time, allowing you to find that perfect one.
  • Crop don’t zoom. There are a few advantages but the main reason is to not limit the use of the small lens in the camera.
  • Avoid flash. Smartphones are notorious for red eye and the flash itself will mostly detract from the picture.

Enjoy the moments as much as taking memories
Last but not least. Whether you are taking the picture or are getting your picture taken, remember to enjoy the moment and that the point of the photo is to preserve it. Don’t force a photo and keep a good sense of humor, this will help preserve the emotion and feeling and will lead to a great photo, not to mention a great memory.


Digital photos are the way of the future and for those of you who haven’t yet adapted, now might be a good time. Hard copies of photos are a great way to keep them in plain sight but not a good storage method. They crinkle and tear. And if you leave them alone for long enough, then the moisture in the air will get to them. It’s time for those memories to enter the digital age where there is no risk of deteriorating quality.

It’s not difficult to find a photo scanning service in your area.

Need photos scanned or restored? Want to hear what others have to say?
Scan photos to a HD and share them with family.
Restore photos back to their original quality.
Watch testimonials from people all around Boston.

Happy Holidays Macareindeer Video

Happy Holidays from all of us at Play it Again Video. Hope you enjoy the silly video above. The sentiment is sincere though. We thank you for choosing Play it Again Video over and over again.

2014 will be our 28th year! If not for your support, business, repeat business and stories, we would not still be here.

We’ve been feeling extra creative lately. In addition to our Holiday Greeting Macareindeer video above, we created a special gift for you: An ebook of 101 Memory Gift Ideas you can download at:

http://playitagainvideo.com/101memorygifts

We wish you a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year!

Play it Again Video Team,
Andy, Alison, Matt, Myrtha, Natasha and Qiu

100% Quality Guarantee

In the event there is any problem with your order, please notify us immediately.  We’re not an online store, drop by and talk to a warm body who will be eager to resolve your issue.

Due to the large file size of video we do not keep movies on file . In the case of a technical problem with the transfer, we need to have your home movie materials returned in order to correct the problem.

10-Day Re-transfer Policy for Video or Film Transfer

We are confident we are the best in the world at what we do. If you are not satisfied with the quality of our transfer, you may pursue a video or film retransfer or request a refund within 10 business days. Simply follow these steps:

  1. Contact Play it Again Video within 10 days of your order’s most recent ship date, according to the shipment’s tracking number. We will e-mail you a Refund or Retransfer Confirmation Form. Our contact information is located here.
  2. Return all of the DVD or hard drive that we produced for the order as well as the original video in case we need to redo the transfer.
  3. Retransfers will be completed as promptly as possible and then returned to you. In the event that we cannot transfer the media, a Refund will be credited back to you.

Before pursuing a refund we highly recommend you have your film or video transferred by another company. We have never had an instance where another company’s transfer surpassed our own. We are confident that you will find our transfer to be superior and a refund unnecessary.  All edits and copy orders must be completed within 10 days of picking up your order.  Please call us right away if you need an extension.  We reserve the right to refuse a refund or retransfer after 10 days.

Compatibility Guarantee

We guarantee all our products, including DVD and hard drives, meet universal standards and specifications. Our DVD-R discs will play in over 95% of players in existence and most all players made in the past couple years.  We use high quality name brand discs and print your titles directly on the DVD, no stick-on DVD labels are used as these can cause spin problems.

Other Services

We think we do it all when it comes to transferring old media into today’s technology and convenience.
8mm Film, Super 8, 16mm, Polavision film, VHS, VHS-C, minDV, Hi8, Video8, audio cassettes, vinyl records, reel-to-reel, photos, slides …

But if you just unearth something from an old closet somewhere, or inherit unrecognizable media not listed above, call us at (617) 332-3300.
If we cannot process it in our lab, we will refer you to other video transfer service providers in the area.

Video Editing & Production

We provide video editing services to turn your raw video footage into a polished, professional production.

Over the years, families have worked with our video editors in our on-site production lab in Newton, MA to produce:

  • Sports Highlights DVD
  • Audition tape for college application
  • Family legacy video
  • Vacation Highlights video
  • Family Reunion Videos
  • Training videos
  • Public Relations video

Our video editors will guide you through the process of articulating your goals, planning, gathering the materials, choreographing the timeline.

Every video editing project project is different.  But one thing is always the same: The more you prepare, think ahead, organize your materials, the quicker our video editor can accomplish what you need, the lower the cost.  Video editing fees are $125 an hour.

Hear what a raving fan says about our video editing service:


The End of Slide Shows

It’s a crime to bore your guests. Sure, anyone can create a string of photos that fade in and out into the next photo. But where’s the art in that?

Our video montage, which we called Scattered Pictures, is artistically choreographed, stunning, and will wow your guests. Watch the sample below:

What you provide:

  • Photos – Choose your favorite photos. We can take photo prints, 35mm slides, or digital JPG images.
  • Videos – Even with just still photos, our video montage is so sophisticated it looks like a video. Additionally, you can add video clips to intersperse with your photos. We can take the videos from your VHS, Hi8 tapes, or from your digital source such as thumbdrive, flash drive, external hard drive.
  • Music – is at the heart of a Play it Again video montage. It’s what makes the whole production so moving, so emotional. If you don’t have a music in mind, our choreographer can help you choose the perfect piece to go with your photos and the occassion.
  • Custom Titles – Your special message to the birthday girl turning sweet 16, the newlyweds, the 80th birthday boy…

What we create for you:
We take your photos, videos, music, custom titles and turn them into a stunning video montage. We get really insulted if you call them slide shows. This one will not put your guests to sleep. This one will keep them sitting straight, laughing, crying …

Pricing starts at $139. Call us for a free consultation.
For more details, go to: www.ScatteredPictures.com

Here what our customers rave about their Scattered Pictures product:

Fredda B raves about her Mom’s 90th birthday Scattered Pictures video montage:

Liz T raves about her husband’s 80th birthday Scattered Pictures video montage:

Vinyl Records to CD

Our on-site audio transfer lab in Newton, MA can transfer LP’s, 33’s, 45’s, 78’s, PLUS cassettes, 1/4 inch reel to reel, DATS to CD with very satisfying, often amazing results.

Utilizing an effective combination of analog and digital hardware, software, and specially designed computer equipment, we are able to bring your treasured recordings on vinyl and tape, which have a very limited shelf life, to the digital domain format that will not degrade. The vinyl records we see are a piece of history in the owner’s life. We see mint condition recordings the owners who would like to keep that way and be able to enjoy with convenience, we see a lot of vinyl records home-produced in the 60’s, as well as vinyl records created in recording booths: Around the 1950s, you could go into a recording booth, record a message to a loved one, and the booth would issue a vinyl record there and then, much like modern photo booths.

The vinyl on these records were very cheaply made. Copies found today usually have vinyl chipping off the edges as well as cracks throughout, we use a combination of cleaning processes, professional equipment and software to re-produce these audio messages.

Families and individuals who bring their records to Play it Again audio lab in Newton, MA, can be any of the following:

– Record collectors who wish to preserve their album collections before they degrade
– Folks who wish to make their favorite treasured songs more portable
– People that cannot find their favorite vinyl on CD
– Those looking for a unique special gift for the person who has everything …

Click here for Vinyl Records to CD or DVD Pricing.

Audio Cassette to CD

I’m not that old, but it doesn’t seem too long ago when I was still listening to audio books on cassettes in my car. At the end of Side A, I would pop the cassette out, turn it around and continue the saga of “The World According to Garp” on Side B of the cassette. These days, the only place you can find audio cassette players is on eBay.

Thinking of transferring your favorite songs on cassettes to CD? Before you transfer your cassettes to CD, go online and spend some time searching to see if there is a CD version of your favorite songs available. If so, it’s more economical to purchase the commercially-produced CD, plus you get a nice CD case and artwork with it. If stored in your cassettes are voice recordings of loved ones, audio recordings of one-time events, or just not available in any other format, you have no choice but to convert the tapes to CD.

Our tapes to CD transfer is done on-site. We will not ship your tapes out of town, out of state, or out of country. All work is done in our on-site audio lab in our store in Newton, MA – which has been transferring record albums, LPs, DAT tapes, reel-to-reel and audio cassettes since 1986.

Click here for Audio Cassettes to CD Pricing.

Photos Scanning Service

Your photos were not meant to last forever.

Printed photographs become faded, develop a dull yellowish tinge, and become more prone to tears. New technology allows you to take these old faded photos and restore the sharpness and color to them, but it’s a labor-intensive process and not inexpensive. Why not digitize your photos now before you need to resort to such measures? Once you scan and digitize your photos, they will retain the same brilliant color and clarity every time you pull them up on the computer screen.

Digital photos are much more versatile. You can turn them into slideshows or video montage projects, upload them onto online albums, create beautiful photo books with the numerous online services available today, or simply email a special photo from the past to a friend or family member.

If you are like me, you’ve collected hundreds of photos, maybe even thousands over the years. Invest in the time to go through them so you don’t spend money scanning photos you don’t care about. I find that as I get older, photos with people and faces are much more precious to me than photos of inanimate objects. Remember all the photos of the Eiffel tower you took, or of Mt. Everest? You can find much more stunning photos of the same objects online. But the photos with your mother the way she looked 30 years ago, your child’s 1st birthday, your grandparents, thanksgiving gatherings, those are the ones you want to scan and preserve forever.

Once you’ve selected your photos, you have a choice of organizing them into groups or not. If you group your photos, we will organize the scanned digital photos into folders on the DVD so it will be easier for you to view them or incorporate into projects. By the way, after all of your photos are scanned it is a good idea to perform a windows backup to ensure that a second copy of your picture files are stored in a safe place.

At Play it Again Video, your photos are never sent out of town, out of state, out of country. They stay right here until you pick them up. Because we scan your photos on-site, it also means our turnaround is a lot quicker. If you have a precious photo you need right away, we can even scan it for you while you wait.

Photo Scanning Service at Play it Again:

  • Professional dedicated Kodak photo scanner (not consumer flatbed)
  • Standard scanning resolution for loose photos  is 600 DPI, High resolution, up to 1,200 DPI available upon request
  • Scan photos up to 11″ by 14″ (scrapbook size), starting at 300 DPI (flatbed scan)
  • Quick turnaround of 3 to 5 days, depending on quantity.
  • All work done on-site.

Call us today for your photo scanning questions. Is your photo ripped, damaged, stained? Check out our Photo Restoration Service.


http://youtu.be/tScl25mIZww

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