Common Questions when Digitizing

RetroReels specializes in full size VHS and S-VHS. For those smaller camcorder cassette tapes, we find Hi8 to be very common with customers locally and also support VHS-C and MiniDV.

NTSC is the standard format for all American based video cassettes and players. International standards are on the PAL format which ReteoReels currently does not support.

It depends on the size of your project and the number of projects in queue. We strive to complete a project within 5-7 days. Larger projects with 20 or more tapes could take up to 4 weeks. If you are in a rush, let us know and we will do what we can to hit your deadline!

Additional post production enhancements available upon request. 

We do! With many video tapes being over 30 years old, the film inside becomes very brittle and can break before or during the digitizing process. We do offer repair options for your cassettes and always confirm with customers before starting a repair. RetroReels is not liable for any damaged or lost footage during the digitizing and repair process. 

Unfortunately, white mold will grow on the film and can be a hazard to the RetroReels team. We found that many of our competitors will not support film with mold. Knowing these memories are very important to you, we have special equipment that support your moldy tapes. Digitizing tapes with visible mold require additional charges to cover PPE materials and cleaning of our equipment.

Mold can compromise the film and could result in a film break during digitizing process. Additional repair costs are possible. 

All RetroReel projects include 3-free months of secure DropBox access to view and download your footage. Options to extend storage up to 2-years is available. 

Other options include DVD and USB flash drive.

The best option, in our opinion, is RetroReels+ where we host your digital footage that can be accessed from phone, tablet, smart TV, or online anytime and anywhere! 

We offer a wide range of post-production services to enhance your newly digital footage.

• Color correction
• Episode creation 
• Home movie creator
• Ai-based image enhancement 

Ask us how we can make your memories even better! 

It's a pain in the butt. The process to digitize 8mm film is to take a snapshot of every frame on the reel then use software to compile the photos into a movie. It takes times, it's painfully slow, and the reels are very hard to work with.

But just like you, we had 8mm reels that needed digitizing and remember the excitement when we watch the finished product for the first time. This is why we started RetroReels.

As with all our services, projects are based on the media and your add-on requests.

A small project with 3 inch reels that do not require cleaning, typically 7-10 days. Larger projects with 5 inch or larger reels, requests for post production enhancements and audio tracks can take 4-6 weeks to deliver. 

It depends on the quality of your film. Cleaning can help deliver more clarity to your film and for brittle film, we also suggest lubricating to preserve the film as it's being digitized. Too many breaks and splices to your film will result in lost memories. RetroReels only uses Film Guard products to clean and lubricant your film. 

The hard part is done, your memories are digital, but how do we make them enjoyable to watch? All reels require minor post product which is included in the price.

But remember, reels are silent films, do you want royalty-free audio tracks added to the final project? Color correction, clarity, and jitter reduction are all options available from RetroReels.

Short answer is no, unfortunately. We have not cracked the code on digitizing 8mm that have the magnetic audio strip on the film. But we can certainly digitize the video portion and add royalty-free audio tracks to final project. We also do not support 16mm film at this time. 

At this time RetroReels only supports standard audio cassette tapes, the ones used in your Walkman. 

Smaller cassettes or Microcassette tapes are not supported today. If you still have a functioning Microcassette player, we will digitize the tapes and make you an offer on the player! 

Yes, this is a very common request. We will digitize the entire cassette tape (side A and B) then break out each audio track to your preference as an add-on option. 

At this time we are researching and experementing with Ai-based software to enhance audio tracks. More news to come! 

Depending on your goal, we have the capability to speed scan 100s of photos or a smaller batch of photos to enlarge for printing. With so many options to preserve your photographs, we work with you to determine the best options for the best results. 

Yes we can! We use cutting edge software and high quality scanners to extract the most detail possible for your worn or damaged photo. With the help of Ai, photographs that were once deemed impossible to recreate are potentially salvageable today. 

Great question! This certainly takes a team effort and we rely on you to share how you want your photos categorized and shared. Whether it's by folders, specific naming conventions, or grouped by individuals, we make sure your photos are easily accessible for years of enjoyment. 

If your goal is to print your recently scanned photographs, we can professionally print and ship the enlarged prints directly to your home. Please specify what photos you would like to enlarge and to what size. This way our team scans the photo at the right scale to print without distortion. 

Do we scanned both negatives and slides, yes. Is it fun to do? No. 

We will gladly scan your negatives and slides but the process is very time consuming and most projects takes weeks to complete. For large collections, it is best to prioritize your images and perform the project in phases. 

We understand watching your digital footage can sometimes be difficult, resulting in those cherished moments forgotten once again.

With RetroReels+, we host a private and secure streaming service with your personal footage. Access from phone, smart TV, tablet, or computer with ease.

Visit our dedicated RetroReels+ page to learn more.

Sure! Whether you use RetroReels to digitize your footage or you already have digital footage, we will optimize for streaming right to your living room or mobile devices!

Visit our dedicated RetroReels+ page to learn more.

Our goal since day one was to give friends and family the ability to enjoy their memories again. This is why we have a wide range of options to enjoy RetroReels+.

A monthly subscription, 1-year, or 2-year price options.

We also understand some are tried of subscription services, us too! So we offer a Lifetime option. Visit our dedicated RetroReels+ page to learn more.

Absolutely! If you wish to cancel your monthly subscription, you are free to do so anytime. If purchased a 1 or 2 year subscription, you retain access for the remainder of that time and auto renew is turned off. 

Your footage is YOUR footage and we only use copies to host on RetroReels+. We will never hold your footage hostage and you are free to download at anytime. 

Of course you can! Remember, this is YOUR footage and you have complete control of who can access and view your digital memories. Unlike other streaming services, we prefer you share your password with friends and family to enjoy all those moments again! 

Nothing! With RetroReels+, you or family and friends can request to have footage added or we can digitize new footage and add to your private streaming account. No extra cost to host additional footage. 

Standard rates apply for digitizing footage still on video cassette tapes.