Format guides · c. 1995 – 2015
Discs and cards, off borrowed time.
'burned to DVD' was never the same as 'safe'
A generation of memories got 'preserved' onto burned DVDs and forgotten SD cards, and both are quieter time bombs than tape ever was. Moving the files to a modern drive or cloud folder makes them easy to watch, back up, and share.
What we take
DVDsCDsSD / memory cardsmicroSD
Something else in the box? Text a photo to(907) 240-2739and we'll identify it for you.
Why now
What time does to discs & cards
Disc rot
Burned (recordable) discs rely on an organic dye layer that degrades. Archivists call the failure disc rot, and it often strikes without warning.
Nothing reads discs anymore
Fewer and fewer computers and TVs can even read a disc.
Flash memory leaks its charge
Flash memory slowly leaks its charge when it sits unpowered for years. Old cards can simply go blank.
The rate
- DVD or CD to digital file
- $15 per disc
- Memory card transfer
- Starting at $25
- DVD/CD duplication
- Volume pricing, contact the studio
Files are delivered on USB, a download link, or fresh discs, your choice.
Add it up in the estimatorFrom the studio counter
Worth knowing before you drop off
- If a disc already skips or stalls, stop playing it and bring it in. Repeated read attempts don't help.
- Old camera cards you 'might have copied once' are worth checking. Blank-looking cards often still hold recoverable files.
- Even healthy discs deserve a second home. One thumb drive can carry a whole shelf of DVDs.
Quick answers
I already have DVDs from an old transfer. Why move them again?
Burned discs degrade and disc players are vanishing. Moving them to digital files on a drive makes them easy to watch anywhere, back up, and share, for $15 per disc.
What do you transfer memory cards to?
USB, a digital file link, or DVD/CD, whichever you prefer. Card transfers start at $25.
More questions answered on the FAQ page.
