Transfer to Hard Drives Top Questions
Below are common questions we get about our hard drive transfer process. If your questions are not answered below please feel free to contact us. Or better still, drop by our brick-and-mortar store and on-site film transfer lab in Newton, MA.
You can also find frequently asked questions about our Video Tape Transfer, Memory Cards/Sticks transfer, Image Scanning, Film Transfer, audio transfer (cassettes, vinyl records, DAT) . Or return to our General FAQ page.
Q. What is a hard drive?
A hard drive is a portable object to store large computer files. Instead of transferring your videos to a DVD, you can request to transfer your videos to a hard drive. You can bring your own hard drive (must be empty), or we can purchase one for you at Amazon.com
Q. What is the benefit of transferring to a hard drive?
The customers who transfer to a hard drive intend to edit the videos. A DVD is convenient, you can simply pop a DVD into a player and watch your video right away. However, if you plan to edit the videos, you will need to rip it off the DVD, an extra step some customers want to do without. When you transfer your video files to a hard drive, you can drag and drop the files into your video editing software without the extra step.
Q. What kind of video files will be the hard drive contain?
When you request to transfer to a hard drive, we ask you if you will be using the Mac or PC. If you are using the MAC, we transfer to .MOV video files. If you are using a PC, we transfer to .AVI files. If you have other file formats you prefer your video files in, let us know.
Q. What size hard drive should I bring?
The rule of thumb is this: 1 hour of video is 15 Gig. Example, if you have 10 tapes, each with 2 hours of video, that’s a total of 20 hours. Each hour takes up 15 Gig, so your video files will take up 20 hours X 15 Gig = 300 gigs. The hard drive you want to get should be at least 100 Gig than that so you have space to manouver.
Q. Can you purchase the hard drive for us?
Yes we can. We purchase them from Amazon on your behalf. 1 T (1,000 Gig) hard drive is $125, and 500 Gig hard drive is $100. You will still need to let us know if you will be connecting the hard drive to a Mac, or PC.
Q. How much does it cost to transfer to a hard drive?
It costs $20 the first hour, and $10 for every half hour after that. It is slightly more expensive than transferring to a DVD, because the process ties up not just the video transfer deck, but a computer as well. The convenience of being able to drag the files into your video editing software is well worth it?
Q. How to decide if I should transfer to a DVD or to a hard drive?
If you plan to edit your videos, transfer to a hard drive. If you just want to watch your videos, choose the convenience of a DVD.
Q. How much does it cost?
Please see our pricing page.
Q. Where can I find more information?
Call us at (617) 332-3300.s. One of our friendly technicians will be happy to answer your specific questions. Or better still, drop by our brick-and-mortar store and on-site lab in Newton, MA.
