When you are considering where to go to transfer your videos from older formats to DVD or digital files, you have options. More time often than not, specialized shops offer a personalized approach with an experienced staff and on-site video transfer services. However, many people look into larger retailers like Walmart and Walgreens for their video transfer needs.
While some of these services seem more convenient, are their capabilities, quality control, and customer service up to par? Let’s take a closer look at what Walmart and Walgreens offer in terms of video transfer services.
Walmart’s Video Transfer Services
You can order online or visit a Walmart location for their video transfer services. Walmart partners with the company YesVideo, which also partners with retailers like Bartell Drugs, Costco, CVS Photo, and Sam’s Club. So Walmart’s video transfers are sent to YesVideo to be processed, and in turn, Walmart is not responsible for the quality of the transfer.
For video transfers, Walmart can accept formats like VHS, S-VHS, Betamax, VHS-C, S-VHS-C, Hi-8, Digital8, 8mm, DV, DVCAM, MiniDV, and DVC formats. Walmart can provide you with a personalized DVD and copies with chapter menus and music video highlights, as well as an account with private online storage and sharing capabilities. However, you can only access your memories through their online application or the DVD you get from them.
At specialized video transfer stores, the company will usually accept all the same video formats as Walmart, as well as the addition of HDV and MicroMV. For instance, one store that provides video transfer in Atlanta is Current Pixel. They also provide a wide array of options when it comes to accessing your content, from personalized DVDs to digital files stored on USBs and CDs. In essence, such specialty providers take a more custom approach to ensuring the finished product is exactly what their customers need.
Walgreens’s Video Transfer Services
Walgreens can accept Betamax, VHS transfers, SVHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital8, MiniDV, and Micro/Mini videotapes. You can customize your videos online with organizing, labeling, and editing before transferring to DVD or Blu-ray Disc or can have your videos transferred as-is.
You will also have the option to customize a DVD or Blu-ray menu with different chapters and index. You can view, edit, and share your videos online but can only do so free for 30 days.
Walgreens partners with another major company called iMemories, which partners with other retailers like Best Buy, Kodak, and the UPS Store. So again, while Walgreens offers various options and custom features for video transfer, the level of customer service and communication may be limited given that it’s actually iMemories running the show.
Specialized Video Transfer Services
Though on the surface, Walmart and Walgreens offer similar services as specialized video transfer services, the personalized attention and face-to-face contact at such shops provide you with the best experience possible. In most cases, video transfer services are performed on-site at a local facility (not outsources) Further, the individuals handling the video transfer are experts, many of whom have decades of experience in the business.
Specialized video transfer shops typically do not outsource services to a third party, so you know your memories are safe in the hands of the right people. Even if you ship your videos to a shop, a representative with work with you individually to make sure you are informed of the status of your order every step of the way.
In addition to video transfer services for DVDs and CDs, most companies provide you with digital files of your memories, so you can save them on your computer, edit, and share them for as long as you want. On the other hand, Walmart and Walgreens only allows you access to digital files of your memories on their applications, possibly for a limited time.
You Have Options
As you have seen, you certainly have options when deciding where to transfer your videos to digital. But when you’re thinking about where to turn, remember specialized, local video transfer services are often more competent, personal, and professional.
Image by Mike Mozart
