My Memories Matter

The New York Times on Video Conversion

2010-04-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

We were excited to see New York Times tech columnist David Pogue recently considering options for transferring old home movies from old media to newer digital options. Though, we empathized with his quandary. His recent articles, “Moving Taped Past Into Hard Drive Future” and “Why We Make Home Videos,” tapped into a crucial question that many of us face: how to migrate older photos and home movies to newer, “friendlier” digital formats, to media that we can share easily with others and that can be preserved for many years to come.

A suggestion to take some of that burden off of David’s shoulders: check out our MemorySafe service. MemorySafe is available to YesVideo’s customers who have converted old photos and videos from analog media (such as 8 mm, VHS, etc.) to DVD using the YesDVD service at Walgreens and CVS. MemorySafe is a subscription service that gives you the ability to preserve YesDVDs online. Here’s the part we believe will catch Mr. Pogue’s eye – MemorySafe’s digital archive makes it possible to convert footage in the future into other popular viewing formats, so that memories can continually enter a new digital era!

Imagine:

Grandma and Grandpa’s wedding transferred from disintegrating film reels and shared with relatives across the country online via MemorySafe and preserved perfectly for years to come.
Laugh again at your brother’s first birthday party, once recorded on VHS and now archived for him to access while away at college and beyond.
Take the best slides from your family’s trips to Cape Cod decades ago, transfer them YesDVD and share them with your friends on Facebook.

And, families can easily access their full collection of YesDVDs in MemorySafe's Memory Manager. Generations of family memories that were originally recorded on videotapes, reels and slides can all be organized into one online library which makes sorting, sharing and viewing a breeze.

It’s easy to get started. YesDVDs ordered at any CVS/Pharmacy or Walgreens location automatically include 30 days of free MemorySafe access.

We hope more people realize that conversion and archiving services are readily available to them more and more precious memories can be saved from fading away.

Make a Commitment to Family Memories

2010-01-19T17:49:00.000-08:00

We are a few weeks into the New Year and many people have already lapsed on their resolutions. Let’s move beyond resolutions and towards a simple approach for capturing, saving and sharing family memories.

We encourage you to make a commitment to your families memories. When it comes to your family memories, try to set goals that inspire and motivate you. Use your family’s hobbies and interests as inspiration. Use special occasion dates as motivational goals.

Here are three simple mantras to approach and tackle this commitment.

1. I will take my camera with me. Avoid missing outstanding photo opportunities by making a habit of having your camera in your purse or bag. Check out “project 365” to find clever ideas for daily photos.

2. I will protect my memories. We used to save negatives in a fireproof box, but your whole computer can’t live inside that box. Backup your images to external hard drives, data DVDs or online storage sites.

3. I will share my photos with others. Your pictures are not pleasing anyone sitting on your hard drive or in a box. Upload your images to a sharing site. Print doubles and hand them out to family members. Keep several frames for rotating images. Create custom or personalize photo gift for family members.

If you follow these three mantras you will end up with incredible memories that are organized and shared!

How to Save and Easily Share Generations of Memories

2010-01-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

VHS and camcorder tapes were once a suitable way to capture life's special moments, but an imperfect way to store them. Over time, home videotapes degrade and deteriorate with each viewing. Protect your family memories by digitizing your old media with video conversion.

Step 1
Understand the Benefits of Conversion

Transferring videotapes, movie reels and still photos to a digital format, such as DVD, provide several benefits including:

• Video and images are easy to watch and share on a DVD player. DVDs are organized into menus and chapters that make it easy to find your favorite scene.

• Sharing images with others in finally an option since the slides and prints are converted to digital files, which are easy to share via email and on the web.

• Having slides and photo prints transferred to DVD is a great way to archive and organize one's collection.

• Converting to digital will make it easier to move footage onto whatever medium technology advances bring us, thus securing footage and images for future generation 20, 30, 50 years from today.

• Video conversion preserves those memories without any further losses in video or audio quality.

Step 2

Sort Through Generations of Memories

Collect all your old media such as photo prints, 35mm projector slides, 8mm movie film, VHS and camcorder tapes and decide which memories you want to preserve.

Step 3

Choose The Right Transfer Service

Once you are ready to digitize your old media, select a transfer service. Many companies offer digitization services for video and images. Some things to consider when evaluating media conversions services include: convenience, media formats, quality, security, pricing, personalization, organization, online viewing, sharing and archiving.

Step 4

Complete Your Order

After selecting your transfer service, it's time to complete your order. Many national retail locations like Costco, CVS/pharmacy, Rite Aid, Ritz/Wolf Camera, and Walgreens offer a drop-off service through companies such as YesVideo's YesDVD transfer service, a trusted name in video conversion. Simply bring your tapes, reel and slides to the photo counter and pick up your finished order in about 3 weeks.

Resources
Film Forever: The Home Film Preservation Guide
YesVideo: Video Transfer Frequently Asked Questions

Organize, Relive, and Share Home Movies and Videos

2010-01-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

New Year’s has always been a time for reflecting upon the past, and more importantly, resolving to follow through with changes we need to make in the coming year. Is getting organized one of your resolutions this year? If you answered “Yes!”, here are some ideas for organizing and sharing your photos, movie film and video memories. Organization doesn’t have to be scary.

Take baby steps.
Focus on recent memories. The holidays are fresh on your mind; start with organizing and sharing these memories first.

You've snapped digital photos and filmed video of cookie decorating, ice skating, singing carols, and present opening. Now what do you do with them all? We recommend choosing your favorite photos and videos and creating a SmileShow YesDVD. Present your family and friends with one final unique memento.

Time is the enemy.
Keep the momentum going and use the same organization process to tackle that box of aging home movies. Motivate yourself with a project goal and reward.

Goal: Set a realistic date to transfer your old media to DVD (give yourself a few months) and mark the date
on a calendar — making it “real” goal.

Reward: Plan a family movie night and relive those memories after the project is complete.

Wouldn’t it be nice to watch and relive birthday celebrations, your child’s first steps and other special moments captured on movie film, slides and videotapes? These memories have been packed away in boxes, you haven’t seen them in years and storage has taken a toll on these old film reels and videotapes. Heat, humidity, improper storage and time cause deterioration. By converting those old film reels, slides and VHS tapes to a digital format, you can effectively stop deterioration in its tracks. The digital format also allows you to use your computer to edit out the boring and blooper moments, add music, and make extra copies for your family and friends.

Protecting your memories.
Now that you have organized and transferred your old media to DVD, you should consider how you are going to store and protect these DVDs.

We recommend protecting your transferred media on MemorySafe, but there are other options.
Fireproof Safe - You can buy or burn a second copy every time you have something new to save.
PC Backup Service - You can pay for a backup service, upload and manage the large files yourself.
Expensive Equipment - You can buy a $200 external hard drive, backup your media and hope nothing tragic happens to your home.
No Backup - You can do nothing and not worry about backing up your media.

Priceless memories.
Now that you have successfully organized your memories, don’t wait for New Year’s 2011 to reflect upon the past; relive, enjoy and share your memories throughout the year. You might want to consider giving these priceless memories as gifts for Mother’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, Anniversaries and other sentimental occasions.

Happy Holidays and a Joyful New Year from YesVideo

2009-12-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

As the holiday season winds down and another year comes to an end, we want to take this time to thank each of you for making 2009 so memorable. We wish all of you well and look forward to a new year full of creating, capturing, and future-proofing memories together.

With 2010 just around the corner, we have already begun to think about New Year’s resolutions and are sure you have begun to think the same. The beginning of a new year is such an exciting time as it offers all of us a fresh start to so many things. Maybe you have a new home project you are ready to tackle or are determined to finally clean out that garage. Whatever the case may be, we wish you much success in your upcoming endeavors and hope that you remember to take the time to document your life moments through photo and video.

Finally, we want to say a very special thank you to our soldiers and their families, especially those who are unable to spend the holidays with their loved ones this year. We understand how a video from home can touch a person’s heart, especially when miles away from home. We ask that you please keep these amazing men and women in your hearts this holiday and encourage all of you to record and send a heartwarming holiday video message to our troops by clicking here.

Best wishes for a very Happy Holiday and a truly memorable New Year!

Cheers,
YesVideo

Capture the Holiday Spirit with Photo and Video Memories

2009-12-16T05:53:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is a time for celebration and joy and in many cases, one of the seldom occasions where the entire family comes together. YesVideo encourages you to take advantage of this precious time and capture all the magical moments on photo and video. To make sure that every last memory is future proofed, YesVideo has devised a sure-fire method for recording all of the seasons highlights.

Plan Ahead
In addition to planning your holiday dinner menu, think ahead about what you want to remember about this special time of year when you have all of your family members under one roof. Create a list in advance of all the “must have” photos and video that you want and use it as a guide when all the guests have arrived.

Notify Guests
To ensure that your guests arrive camera-ready and won’t become camera shy at the last minute, let them know in advance that hope to document your time with them through photo and video. This way all your expectations will be fulfilled and no one will feel uncomfortable during the process.

Don’t Stop Shooting
There are so many opportunities for creating memories during the holidays. Our suggestion is to just keep shooting so that nothing is missed. Here is a list of some great events to catch:
• Guests arriving at your home
• Family portraits and group shots
• Children opening gifts
• Household pets in their holiday attire
• Décor (both inside and outside the home)
• The holiday feast and all the fixings
• Ask guests a festive question and record their answers

Let YesVideo Help You Create New Holiday Traditions

2009-12-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

There is something about the holiday season that makes us feel nostalgic and we think that is in part due to the ever present family traditions that come into play during this special time. This got us thinking, how does one go about creating new holiday traditions? We thought we would share our ideas here with you and want to encourage you to share yours with us by submitting your comments on our blog, Facebook or Twitter pages.

Family Movie Night – Be the Star of Your Own Film
Piece together photos and videos of your favorite past holiday memories to create a SmileShow DVD (reminder that the holiday shipping deadline for Holiday SmileShow is December 14th) and watch it together as a family as you come together each year. Include photos of distant relatives and lost ones to make for a truly special reminder of what the holiday season is really about.

Remind One Another Why You Fell So In Love
Take the time each holiday season to reflect back on all the little things that made you fall head over heels in love with another. Create a montage of your early dating photos and/or wedding photos and surprise your special someone with a loving holiday gift that will last a lifetime.

It seems that creating new holiday traditions is not only on our minds this holiday season, but a few others as well. Here is a list of some of our favorites.

Ten Ways to Create Meaningful (and Frugal) Holiday Traditions – WTEN.com

Creating Holiday Memories and Traditions – Type-A Mom

New Decade, New Traditions – Scholastic.com

6 Weeks Till Christmas: Create a New Family Tradition – Simple Mom

Memorable Holiday Gift Ideas from YesVideo

2009-12-03T05:55:00.000-08:00

Here we are, in the throes of the holiday season. As is the usual this time of year, each day huge shipments of YesDVD orders arrive and we’re are very excited to see our customers sharing their memories with Smileshow. Folks sharing photos simply warms our hearts!

If you’re still at a loss on what to get your friends and loved ones, we jotted down some of our ideas:

The Gift of Shared History
We get it. We all procrastinate so here’s a reason to take those old home movies on 8mm and VHS tapes to your local retailer for transfer today: they make great gifts for family members! Transfer your parents’ wedding video, the films of your childhood birthday parties and other occasions onto a Hollywood-style YesDVD, complete with chapter titles and fun music videos.

To get started, head to our website and prepare your order. Then drop off your films at your local retailer. That’s it. Doesn’t get much easier than that!

Oh wait, it sure does get easier! If you’ve recently transferred your home movies through Walgreens, CVS/pharmacy or Bartell Drugs, your YesDVDs may be securely viewed and shared online with MemorySafe™, YesVideo's new digital archive program.

2009: The Movie
Take a few minutes to cull through your favorite photos and videos from this year. Add a special touch by scanning in children’s artwork and keepsakes like event tickets and scrapbook pages. Combine the digital images and videos using the Smileshow DVD service at www.smileshowdvd.com. You can add music and select from chapter and menu themes to complete the movie slideshow.

Smileshow DVDs and YesDVDs can be viewed on any standard DVD player and make wonderful gifts sure to please. The deadline for YesDVD holiday orders is today, December 3 and Smileshow orders need to be in by December 14 for delivery by December 24.

For more ideas on creative and personal holiday gifts and keepsakes, check out some of these ideas from some of our favorite sites:

Christmas Tree Ornament Time Capsule from FamilyFun
Homemade Gift Tags from Good Housekeeping
DIY Photo Calendar from About.com
Holiday Card Keepsake Book from Creating Keepsakes

Are you planning to send a personalized or homemade holiday gift this year? Comment below or join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter.

Photo and Video Holiday DVD "Cards" for Your Friends and Family

2009-11-24T13:43:00.000-08:00

We are all looking forward to spending time with loved ones on Thanksgiving but as soon as the dishes are put away, we are jumping into full-on holiday mode. On the list, holiday cards! It’s always a struggle to pick out just one or two images to share on the annual holiday card so YesVideo has found a solution – send out a whole slideshow of your favorite pictures from this year!

With the new Holiday Smileshow service, you can choose from two holiday-inspired DVD menu themes and festive holiday music mixes. Quick and simple to create, the YesDVD Holiday Smileshow service is available online directly from YesVideo at http://www.smileshowdvd.com .

YesDVD Holiday Smileshows start at $4.99 for a single DVD which includes:

A movie slideshow (MPEG-2 format) from 50 digital photos
Three music video highlights from your photos
Original photo and video files archived on the DVD
Digital scrapbook PC software (Learn more at www.digitalscrapbookdvd.com)

Want to add video clips or extra photos to the slideshow? Adding video footage will cost $0.50 per minute. You can add extra photos to your slideshow for $0.05 each.

Once you've customized your DVD, place your order and we will send your DVD directly to your friends and family. To send a copy to 2-9 loved ones, each DVD copy costs $4.00. Save 60% ($2.00 each DVD copy) when you order 10 or more copies.

To get your Smileshows by December 24, we recommend that you place your order by December 14.

And, if you are in the Salt Lake City area, check out Creating Keepsakes’ Creative Editor Megan Hoeppner’s appearance on Studio 5. On Monday, November 30, Megan will demonstrate how to make a fun and festive holiday card with the YesDVD Holiday Smileshow!

Are Your Home Video and Photo Memories Future Proofed?

2009-11-19T06:25:00.000-08:00

We’ve launched a very exciting service here at YesVideo! MemorySafe™ is the new digital archive companion program for videos and photos transferred to YesDVD®, our digital transfer service. In a nutshell, when we transfer your home videos and photos to DVD, the MemorySafe service enables you to view and share your video online. The service is free for the first 30 days and then available only as a subscription-based service.

Too often we hear stories about fires and water damage where precious family histories, photo albums, scrapbooks, keepsakes, home movies, were destroyed so the value of an online back-up is evident. MemorySafe also is a great service if you want to share your videos online with family and friends or order additional copies. But what’s especially cool is we’re ensuring that whatever the latest viewing format is – three – five – ten years from now, home movies and photos can be available and converted to the mainstream format du jour. MemorySafe is now available for all new YesDVD orders placed at Bartell Drugs, CVS/pharmacy and Walgreens stores nationwide. For more information about the YesVideo's MemorySafe archive program, click here.

Just think about it – regardless of loss or damage to your tapes, reels or even DVDs, your great grandkids could be watching your wedding on their televisions. So, look into your crystal ball…what do you think the future media format will be? And what scenes from your life would you like your grandkids to see?

New DVD Menu Themes for YesDVD Smileshow!

2009-11-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

When you create a YesDVD Smileshow from your photos and video clips, you now have 6 new DVD themes that you can select for your menus. The standard set of themes include Standard YesDVD, Baby, Celebration, Children, Inspiration, Paradise and Wedding. Now you can choose one of those or one of these new ones: Blur, Blue Streaks, Family History, Movie Theater, Movie Stars and Scrapbook.

These are not yet available for the standard YesDVD service (video, movie film, slides, photo prints to DVD), but we're working on it.

Note that the DVD themes only apply to the menus, and that themes do not change the appearance of your photo movie slideshows.

Which new DVD menu themes would you like to see next?

Sending a Bit of Home to Our Soldiers

2009-11-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

With more than 350,000 American soldiers deployed overseas, it’s a challenge to keep those soldiers closest in our hearts feeling near to home. Pictures and videos are one way to keep them posted on the family adventures. Even if just for a moment, images of home can take them away from the action and provide a reminder of why they make the sacrifices they do.

With Veteran’s Day today, consider creating a care package for someone you know serving overseas. It doesn’t need to be a husband or mother, but perhaps a friend who you may just want to surprise with a bit of home. Here are some ideas on what to include and how to make the delivery something special.

Touches of home: Pictures and home videos (For instance, A Smileshow DVD created from a combination of photos and video clips), children’s artwork, holiday decorations and personal letters
Entertainment: Magazines, games and books
Personal Items: Lip balm, razors, powder laundry detergent; toothbrushes
Consumables: Powdered drink mixes, Non-perishable snacks, candy (no chocolate – it melts!)

Once you’ve gathered up the items you’d like to include, consider personalizing the packaging. Decorate envelopes and small boxes by covering them with drawings and photos – a great kid-friendly activity. Or gather friends to write a quick personal message on thick paper which can then be wrapped around the box. Whatever you choose make sure to pack your decorated packages tightly in a box to last the rigors of transit.

Looking for more ways to get involved? Here are some organizations doing great things to support our soldiers:

Any Soldier – civilian group organizes care packages to soldiers

Books for Soldiers – arranges for the distribution of books, DVDs and games to military

Portraits of Love – photographers donate their time to send professional family portraits to deployed loved ones

Operation Gratitude – sends care packages addressed to U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions and on military ships at sea.

Smileshow (Digital Photos & Video Clips in a DVD Movie Slideshow) featured in Creating Keepsakes’ December issue!

2009-11-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

We love reading about great ideas…especially when they include YesVideo! In the latest issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine, Smileshow, YesVideo's new service that creates a movie slideshow from digital photos and video clips, is included in this month’s Tips & Tricks column. Check it out along with all the other cool projects and articles featured in the magazine.

Now that Halloween is behind us, we’re already thinking about the many to-do’s on our year-end / holiday list. Putting aside all the gift-giving and holiday parties, what I love about this time of year is take the opportunity to reflect on the year past and share some of those memories with loved ones. In my family, we have a bunch of big family get-togethers and chat about our achievements and the major events from the year. As a tradition, I put together a quick photo collage documenting all the highlights for my family to keep in an album. It’s our alternative to the family update letter.

In a recent blog post, CK Creative Editor Megan Hoeppner shows readers how to make a holiday-themed DVD holder – perfect for delivering your Smileshow to friends and families while serving double-duty as a holiday greeting card.

Whether it be a family cookie swap, the annual update letter, a photo book or a YesDVD or Smileshow, we want to hear how will you celebrate and reflect on 2009. Post a comment or join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter.

Happy November!

Terrific and Terrifying Halloween Photo Tips

2009-10-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here at YesVideo, we love Halloween. What’s better than getting to dress up in a fun costume? Dressing up in a fun costume and eating candy! Halloween is hands-down one of the most popular photo-taking holidays we want to see yours. Head to our Facebook page (if you are not already a fan, join us!) and share your favorite photos or videos from Halloween 2009 and years past!

Here are some tips for taking terrific and terrifying photos this Halloween.

Terrific:

Take notes on who is under what mask…five and ten years down the road you’ll want to remember who was under the Scooby Doo mask and who was Batman. Transfer those notes to the print, photo book or Smileshow – whatever you choose to share and display.
Try and snap photos right at dusk – this is some of the best light for snapshots and you can skip the flash.
Have fun! Encourage the kids to act out their costumes and take photos with their friends. Halloween is all about having fun and posing can be a buzz kill. Keep up the energy and the result will be some great photos to cherish.

Terrifying:

Don’t forget to stock up on extra batteries or make sure to charge in advance. You don’t want to run out of juice before trick-or-treat bags are halfway filled.
With all the time and energy put into the decorations, don’t miss out on photos of the house, foliage, jack-o-lanterns and of course, the family pet.
Don’t forget to jump in a few of the photos yourself. Ask your neighbors to take a moment to snap a shot of you and your little ones. You’ll love looking back on all the wonderful Halloween memories.

We love comments - tell us what you, your kids or grandkids are dressing up as for Halloween and how you plan to save and share so those special memories! Post on our Facebook wall or in the comments section here. If you have some tips to share we want to hear those, too.

Have a safe and spooktacular Halloween weekend!

To Transfer or Not to Transfer

2009-10-23T05:54:00.000-07:00

Last week’s blog entry highlighted Home Movie Day where there were several live regional events around the country, some even resulting in media coverage including local newspaper and broadcast pieces in Rochester, Orlando and Baltimore and other cities nationwide. In most locations professional archivists were on site and available to inspect participants 8mm, 16mm, and Super 8 film, to ensure the film was not damaged and to encourage attendees to preserve their memories. Not as many experts, however, were on site to discuss transferring the film to digital formats.

Decades ago, movie film was a great way to capture special moments. But with time, that film can break down. Viewing those special moments can also be inconvenient, because film projectors have become obsolete, and they’re too difficult to set up and operate. The reels of memories have often been thrown into boxes and stored in closets and basements, just to become forgotten and faded. Many film archivists and preservation experts may simply suggest NOT transferring the film format to DVD, because if you take care of the film properly it will last. They emphasize the importance of preserving the footage in the original formats for occasional viewing using old film projectors. However, the physical media is still susceptible to loss and damage. For example, if a flood, fire or even accidentally throwing away an old box of 8mm film occurs, how do you recover your memories?

On a digital format, the memories are easier to view and share with others. More importantly, unlike the physical medial, digital formats do not fade with time. Additionally, if you are like most of the population, watching your old memories on bulky old film projectors isn't a realistic option, simply because you either don't have the proper working equipment or it's difficult to set up and use.

In the world of video and film and conversion, there are many business and tools out there. Consider transferring your memories to DVD. And also hang onto your old media once it has already been digitized. Transferring old movies to DVD does not in and of itself harms the original media, but it provides extra assurance that your memories will live on.

Home Movie Day 2009

2009-10-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

Home Movie Day is this Saturday, October 17, so start digging in your attics and basements for your 8mm, Super 8mm and 16mm movie film reels, VHS or 35mm slides.

Home Movie Day will be observed in more than 50 cities worldwide. The event, celebrating its seventh year honoring home movie memories, is an opportunity to share your home movie memories with the community and learn about film and video care, storage and transfer Many people have boxes full of family memories that they've never seen because they lack the proper equipment or are afraid that the films are too fragile to be viewed again. Bring your old memories back to life.

Why home movies? These little films, yours or your grandmother's are unique and personal, interesting, funny and certainly worth a watch. Rifle through your attics, dig through your closets, call up your relatives, search out your family's home movies and bring them to the nearest Home Movie Day this Saturday.

All are welcome to find the nearest Home Movie Day location and bring out your old VHS, 8mm, 16mm, 35mm slides or Super 8 film. To find the nearest Home Movie Day activities in your community visit www.homemovieday.com.

For information on hosting your own local Home Movie Day event, visit http://www.homemovieday.com/get_involved.html

For tips on converting movies to DVD, please visit YesVideo at http://www.yesvideo.com/services/filmtodvd/.

YesDVD Service Expands In South Dakota

2009-10-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

YesVideo is proud to share that its YesDVD service is now available to Lewis Drug customers across South Dakota. The YesDVD service provides transfer of videotape, movie film, slides and photo prints to DVD along with a wide selection of customization options including music and theme selections, color enhancement and music video highlights. With the YesDVD service at Lewis Drug, local customers will have lifelong-lasting access to their home movies and images – all on a DVD that’s perfectly personalized to them.

Like South Dakota’s motto, "Great Faces. Great Places," YesDVD is an easy and affordable way for consumers to preserve the “great faces” in their home movies and photographs on a professionally-featured, Hollywood-style DVD. Innovative features include:

Automatic, intelligently-selected chapter scenes with DVD chapter menus for easy searching and viewing
Three 60-second music videos, with video highlights automatically set to music
A customer YesDVD case cover, with the YesDVD’s titled and thumbnail images to represent each chapter
Customer’s choice of background music (for film, slides and prints to DVD orders) and DVD theme

Customers can visit www.yesvideo.com to find the nearest Lewis Drug store nearest them. And, they can save time and enjoy the simple ordering process with the new web-based Order Form Wizard, while continuing the benefit from convenient drop-off and pick-up at South Dakota store locations. The Order Form Wizard is an online tool that simplifies the ordering process for YesDVD video and photo transfer services.

The price for this YesDVD service starts at $29.99. This week only (the week of October 5) customers can receive a free 2nd DVD copy with an order placed at www.lewisdrug.com or www.lewisdvd.com.

Share Your AWKWARD Memories?!

2009-09-29T19:41:00.001-07:00

At YesVideo, we are constantly trying to communicate the importance of preserving and sharing treasured family memories. The baby's first steps...The special Christmas gathering...The first dance at your wedding. We preach that these moments aren't meant to be stored away in shoeboxes in closets and garages; they should be preserved and everyone should remember these beautiful memories forever.

But this picture isn't always as beautiful and perfect as we'd like to remember it. What we never mention is that many of our family memories are downright embarrassing! The glasses, braces, bad skin! The teenage years! The 70's and 80's fashion! Let's face it -- there are a lot of memories we'd really like to forget....

The other morning I caught an interesting segment on Rachael Ray's show. I was already hours late for work so I decided to sit and watch it. She was interviewing "Mike and Doug," two buddies who started a cool website called awkwardfamilyphotos.com. Awkward Family Photos is a blog where people can submit their bad family photos - bizarre poses, funny fashion, and other family quirks.

Working in an industry where numerous consumer photo and video websites showcase perfect family memories, the common image of a family is a set of attractive parents with their young children, all wearing matching outfits, laughing and skipping through a beach in the sun. What we will never see is the one kid in the background, caught picking his nose on camera or the perfect family portrait - oops - the mom's dress is see-though! Awkward Family Photos is a collection of these forgettable moments.

I immediately thought of a dozen photos my parents have stored, that can top the awkwardness level of most of the pictures on this site! (My sisters would probably kill me if I posted them!) Most people can really relate to this. Almost everyone has old pictures that expose their family history in an embarrassing or but fun way. Awkward Family Photos is a place where people embrace this side of their family histories.

Introducing YesDVD Smileshow Beta!

2009-07-23T00:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted a blog entry. As I become buried with many projects, I have found myself giving into the temptation of posting the YesVideo updates as a short status on our YesDVD Facebook page and as a 140-character Tweets.

One of the projects we've been busy developing is now in its Beta testing phase and we need some digital camera users to try it out for free!

Introducing YesDVD Smileshow!

Until now, YesVideo could digitize your memories from analog formats (videotapes, movie film reels, slides and prints). Now we are offering the same DVDs from digital camera photos and video clips. You can order your free YesDVD Smileshow from the website; no photo counter drop-off is required. We will send your DVD(s) directly to you.

How to Order:
1. Go to http://www.smileshowdvd.com
2. Create an account
3. Upload JPEG photo files and video clips
4. Customize your Smileshow (title, theme, music, TV format)
5. At checkout use the code BLOG for $15.00 credit towards your order.

How much is a $15.00 credit really worth?

The "real" price is $4.99 for the first 50 photos.
Extra photos cost $0.05 each and any video clips cost $0.50 per minute.
Shipping and handling costs $1.99.

It's FREE, but what's the catch?
In exchange for your free DVD, we'll ask you to take a short survey to tell us what you think about the Smileshow experience and how we can make it better. That's all!

U.S. Women's Expo This Weekend!

2009-06-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

Bay Area folks, come check us out at this weekend's U.S. Women's Expo!

June 26 - 28th
Santa Clara Convention Center
Halls C&D
Booth #1138

Jobs in Norcross, GA

2009-06-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

YesVideo's production facility in Norcross, GA is accepting applications for positions in video and film to DVD production, including shipping, receiving, quality assurance, order entry and capture technicians.

If you are interested in applying for a position, please download the application (in DOC or PDF format). Fax completed applications to 678-380-1222.

YesVideo Special Offers and Events This Week

2009-05-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

CVS/pharmacy and Longs Drugs stores: Free 2nd DVD copy when you order a DVD transfer from videotapes, movie film reels, slides or photo prints. Good thru 5/16/09.

Rite Aid Pharmacy:
Free 2nd DVD copy when you order a DVD transfer from videotapes, movie film reels, slides or photo prints. Good thru 5/16/09.

Bartell Drugs:
Free 2nd DVD copy when you order a DVD transfer from videotapes, movie film reels, slides or photo prints. Good thru 5/17/09.

Mommin' It Up:

YesVideo is proud to be among the sponsors of tonight’s charity auction, hosted by Emily and Jenny of the blog Mommin’ It Up. This Ohio event, one of a series of JOHNSON’s Body Care Cause Parties going on around the country, will bring together friends to eat, drink, try out Johnson's new line of lotions and body washes and to raise money for a great cause – the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Party-goers will have the opportunity to win YesVideo mail-in transfer kits as part of the event.

Avoid Mold on your Memories!

2009-05-06T16:17:00.001-07:00

Hello Bloggers! My name is Jexter & I am the Production Manager of video transfers at YesVideo. I have been working w/ video all through out my personal life & for the last 8 eight years w/ YesVideo. I would like to share my experiences & knowledge with you in this & future posts.

The image above is an unfortunate (and all too common) example of a perfectly good videotape gone bad. The likely culprit…improper storage.

At YesVideo we have a strict policy of refusing service on a “dirty” tape. Videotapes with foreign substances, such as mold, could be damaging to our equipment & expensive to repair.

Any foreign substance on the videotape will affect the playback. It will also accelerate the deterioration of the tape, which, if played back could further damage it. It saddens me to know that this could have been prevented by proper storage & due diligence.

Here are some simple tips to prolong the shelf life of your videotapes & keep your memories clean.

Store at 59-77 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity of 40-60%. Not too hot or cold & not too dry or damp. Opt for the hallway closet instead of the hot dry attic or the cold damp basement.*
Protect your tapes from a harmful environment. Avoid exposing them to direct sunlight, moisture, smoke, & strong magnets.*
Store your tapes upright in their cases & use a foil-lined corrugated box to store multiple tapes.*
Allow your tapes to breath. Fast-forward & rewind your tapes every three years.*
Transfer your videotape content to a YesDVD! :)

You could find more details on proper tape storage & other helpful tips here.

* Dr. Robert G. Nulph, “Getting Started: Videotape Storage.” VideoMaker Magazine. 1998

< http://www.videomaker.com/article/3345/>.

National Photo Month

2009-05-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

May is National Photo Month, and what this means to you is that you should expect most photo retailers and websites to celebrate by holding promotions and contests. Most of them will are currently offering some Mother's Day photo gift specials also. Throughout this month, we'll find the offers and post them on this Blog. Here are a few to start:

CVS (www.cvsphoto.com): Get 40 prints for the price of 30 prints. Use the code 40FOR30 at checkout. Good thru May 4, 2009.

Walgreens/W Photo (photo.walgreens.com): 50 prints for $5.00. Use the code FIFTYPIC at checkout. Good thru May 2, 2009 (that's tomorrow).

Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com): $5.00 off your order of $25 or more. Use the code TAKE5 at checkout. Good thru May 6, 2009.

Interview with a Costco Member

2009-04-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, Chicago resident Tom Sappanos submitted some home movies to Costco for transfer to DVD. Weeks later, he was pleased with the outcome and allowed us to publish this nice note about his experience:

“I can't begin to tell you how great the quality of this reproduction is. I was amazed especially since the film dated back as early as 1933!!! The music added greatly to the viewing experience, and I'm sure my older family members are really going to enjoy this. There's 5 thousand more feet of 16mm film coming your way!!!”

He told us was even happier with his next DVD order, so I contacted him to see if he would share his story with us.

ME: What kind of footage did you have on your home movie reels?

TOM: I had over 5,000 feet of 16 mm film covering our family from 1932 to 1977. This included travel, holidays, summer camp, athletics, and basically everyday life. All irreplaceable.

ME: Before you decided to have them transferred, how and where were you storing them? How were you viewing them and how often?

TOM: I was keeping them in as dry and cool of an area as possible. This was in a closet at home, but in Chicago, this can be challenging due to the summer heat and humidity. I actually stopped watching them years ago due to the fear of the film itself turning brittle due to age. Also, I was concerned because of the heat of the projector lamp which we all know can damage older film. I actually never watched the films covering 1932-1938 because I feared they would deteriorate.

ME: What made you decide to have your home movies finally digitized onto DVD?

TOM: They represent family history, and are irreplaceable. I also wanted a durable rendition that I could distribute to family members. Obviously, transferring them preserves the history, and allows me to distribute them. This could not be done without your service.

ME: How did you hear about YesVideo's DVD service at Costco? Did you research any other companies who provide these DVD services? What made you choose to try it out at Costco?

TOM: I did some research with local companies, and then researched outside digital service companies. Costco introduced me to your services, and I found your company offered exactly what I was looking for, at what I considered very fair pricing. I also enjoyed how easy the entire process was, including the quickness of return.

ME: When you watched your DVDs what were your first reactions?

TOM: I was absolutely struck by the resolution quality. The detail and sharpness were vastly improved over the original film...and this was on a 52 INCH WIDESCREEN TV!!!! The music tracks added greatly to the enjoyment of viewing.

ME: Now that your home movies are on DVD, has it been easier to share them?

TOM: Absolutely....I'm still getting phone calls from distant family members thanking me.

ME: Is there anything else that you want people to know about transferring their memories to DVD?

TOM: My advice...don't wait. Defer the cost by spreading out the processing, but get it done as soon as possible because you don't want to risk loosing valuable family memories to time and deterioration. You'll be surprised by the quality. Add the music for additional viewing enjoyment. I used different music styles for different time periods, and it worked out great.

YesDVDs at Bartell Drugs!

2009-04-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

Bartell, a drugstore chain of 55 stores in Washington (state), is now working directly with YesVideo to offer YesDVD services (home movies to DVD, slides and photo prints scanning to DVD)!

We've launched the website http://www.bartelldvd.com for Bartell customers to find out more information about the DVD service and to prepare DVD orders, using the online order form.

Car Wash Fundraiser in Santa Clara

2009-04-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

Today's post is for our local SF Bay Area readers and is not related to videos, photos or DVDs. I'd like to pass on a note from Tammy, a YesVideo employee who has been part of this team for several years.

Tammy and her family will be hosting a car wash in Santa Clara to raise donations for the memorial of Tammy's 22 year old niece, Brittany, who passed away unexpectedly last week on April 16th.

Details:
Free car wash with a donation. Hot dogs, sodas, water, baked goods for sale also.
WHEN: Saturday, April 25th, 2009
TIME: 9:00am - 3:00pm
WHERE: Santa Clara High School (3300 Benton Street, Santa Clara, CA)

If you live in the area and need a car wash, please come on by!

MOM-A-THON! Free Personalized Mother's Day Card

2009-04-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

It's Friday afternoon, and I'm so ready to go home after a long work week. But I came across this promotion while cruising around KodakGallery.com for yesterday's post, and I would be remiss for not passing it on.

KodakGallery is giving away 1 million free personalized Mother's Day cards ($2.49 value and does not include shipping, which is about a dollar for standard)!

Start off by choosing a template from about 20 choices. Then, within the template, you can choose your photo layout. Then you start customizing your card by adding photos from your Gallery to the front and back and adding your greeting or other text. You can even print a preview, so you know how your real card will turn out. Choose an envelope color, preview your order and choose the quantity. It costs $2.49 per card and goes down to $2.29 if you order more than 10. Use the code FREECARD at checkout to redeem the Mom-a-thon giveaway.

Changes to KodakGallery.com

2009-04-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from KodakGallery.com. I have accounts with several photo websites, for both business and personal reasons, but my account with KodakGallery is my oldest, as I've got digital photo albums from 2001, when it was called Ofoto.com.

The email was to notify me of a new Terms of Service that requires a minimum yearly purchase to keep your account active. I was told that for my account that holds under 2 GB if data, I must purchase a $4.99 minimum of photo prints, gifts, or anything from that site, and was given a deadline of about 2 months to do this. For accounts that hold over 2 GB of photos, the minimum annual purchase is $19.99.

So first I thought, with so many accounts with different websites, maybe I should just close my KodakGallery account and move my photos over. Understandibly, they need to make money and don't make this a very easy process. My first thought was to order a Gallery Archive CD from the images that I wanted to save, which did not include the entire collection because I know I would be able to track down about half of them on my PC or from other websites or DVDs. It counted my images and calculated that it would cost $54.90.

Plan B. Maybe i can just download the full-resolution files. It wasn't a clear option, so I searched for this feature in the Help section. The answer: I will be able to access the full-resolution files, but only with a Gallery Premier subscription for $24.99 per year.

My solution: I ordered an 8x10 collage of some photos for $4.99 + about a dollar for shipping. (Whoa...a 5x7 collage costs $1.99 and an 8x10 collage costs $4.99, but when you jump to 16x20 the price also jumps to $22.99!). This should satisfy the requirement until May 2010. Unless I become more organized with my original photo files and get them all into one place (or duplicated to 2 places for safe backup), I'll probably do the same next year.

Q & A: YesDVD Background Music for Your Home Movies, Slides and Photos to DVD

2009-04-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

Today's topic is one that has been due for some clarification: Can I add background music to my YesDVD?

If you have VHS or camcorder tapes, then the original audio from your video footage will be retained. No background music will be added.

If you have 8mm film reels, then you can choose one of our instrumental music categories as a soundtrack to your film footage.

If you have Super 8 or 16mm film reels, then you can either choose one of the instrumental music categories, or choose your original audio if you know that there is audio on the original reels. Make sure to read our post about choosing original audio before you select this.

If you have 35mm slides or photo prints, then you can choose one of our instrumental music categories as a soundtrack to your image slideshow.

About the Music
The current music choices are Baby, Celebration, Children, Inspiration, Wedding, Paradise, Winter, Classical, Big Band, Country, Rock & Roll and Jazz. Each music category includes a collection of licensed tracks, each about 3-5 minutes in duration.

Unfortunately, you can't add your own music from CDs or MP3s. YesVideo does not have the rights to music from popular artists (like Madonna, U2, Michael Jackson, etc.).

You can also choose no music at all (unless you have videotapes).

We just posted a new page where you can listen to the background music categories. We've included some sample footage so you can see how the music pairs with the footage. Just click on a music category on the right side and wait a few seconds for the music and video sample to load on the screen. It would take a long time for you to sample each track in full length, so we show a 15-20 second excerpt of the sample and then fade out, and then move onto the next excerpt within that category.

Note that one your DVD, we randomize the order of tracks. We decided to do this, for the case that you have a bunch of orders with the same music category requested -- then you will have some variety.

We are honestly looking for feedback and comments about this music. Would you prefer that the music stay in a set (not random) order? Or are we missing a music category that you would like to have on your DVD? Or would having licensed music by popular artists make your DVD so much better? Email me and let me know!

Photo Time Capsule

2009-04-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

It's a really simple concept...and a fun way to remember your photo memories from a year ago. With your Flickr account, Photojojo's Photo Time Capsule sends you an email on the first and fifteenth of each month, with a photo from one year ago.

I just signed up for an account and it took less than a minute. First, you sign into your Flickr account (or sign up for one if you don't have one). Then you click a button, giving permission for Photojojo to link up to your Flickr account. Then you specify the email address where you want your messages sent. They'll send you a sample email within seconds.

If you don't already have a Flickr account, then you won't get photos for a while, but when you add new photos, there's a text field for you to add a message that will be sent to you a year later!

Photojojo made this Photo Time Capsule because they think that people shoot a lot more photos than ever, and with so many photos, some of them become forgotten. This is pretty true. Think about the time before you had a digital camera. You probably didn't want to "waste" any of your shots and prints. Now, with a digital camera and a large memory card, it's very common to take a lot of pictures, even if you'd never think about getting them printed. So Photojojo says they'll pick the most interesting ones (based on number of views, comments, etc.).

If you don't use Flickr and prefer a different photo site, Photojojo is interested in knowing which site(s) you use (probably a survey to figure out which photo websites to partner with next).

Free 2nd DVD Copy at Walgreens

2009-04-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

We didn't mean to have consecutive posts about Walgreens, but they ran an offer for our DVD service in their Weekly Ad. If you order a home movie, slides or photo prints to DVD transfer by Saturday, April 11th, you get a second copy of that DVD for free.

Just like the previous Walgreens ad a few weeks ago, it's not valid in all locations, so please visit www.walgreens.com and check the Weekly Ad for your zip code.

Saturday, April 4th - Photo Fun Day at Walgreens

2009-04-03T00:22:00.000-07:00

This Saturday is W Photo Fun Day at your local Walgreens. This time they feature Background Magic(tm), where they can take your picture on a solid background and put in some fun backgrounds, like tourist spots and billboards. You can get your 4x6, 5x7 or 8x10 print it in an hour or less.

I received a 50% off coupon in my email newsletter from W Photo. I quickly scoured the W Photo site to see if this offer was open to everyone, and didn't find any additional information. You can sign up on the Walgreens.com home page to receive emails about special offers like this (except most of the offers are for 4x6 prints).

Happy Birthday, Photojojo!

2009-04-02T00:34:00.000-07:00

Photojojo, who publishes our favorite photo newsletter, turned 3 today! If you've never heard of Photojojo, they're a San Francisco-based company who sends out email newsletter with fun tips and creative things to do with your photos. And I'm not talking about your typical photo gifts like mugs and mousepads that you can order at most photo counters and photo websites. And not the typical digital effects and filters you spend hours playing with when you are first learning Photoshop. Their ideas are often zany, quirky and "out of the box" arts and crafts projects that I would never have come up with (and I consider myself a pretty creative person).

Turn an old Scrabble board into a picture frame? Scrabble letters accompany the pictures, as captions. It needs to be the standard board game version though (not like the plastic deluxe version I grew up with).

Photojojo welcomes your ideas, so if you have tips for sharing or displaying your photos in a fun and different way, submit them on their website.

Recycle Those Old VHS Tapes

2009-03-31T18:36:00.001-07:00

Here are some suggestions for getting rid of those VHS tapes you never watch anymore, without tossing them in a landfill.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/388272/recycle_those_old_vhs_tapes.html

Top 10 Reasons to Digitize Your Scrapbook

2009-03-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Reasons to Digitize Your Scrapbook
By Sasha Byers

Digital scrapbook pages have become all the rage in scrapbooking. Even diehard traditional scrappers have begun to integrate some digital scrapbook pages into their layouts and albums. More and more, they're realizing it's an exciting, yet simple way to expand and enhance creativity while helping to preserve their memories for generations to come.

To create your first digital scrapbook pages, you don't need to be a computer guru, nor do you have to learn complicated software.

Moreover, unlike traditional scrapbooking, digital scrapbook layouts enable you to easily try out different types of backgrounds, designs and embellishments before you commit. Anything you do to your page can be redone many times over without wasting time, effort and money. And that's only the beginning of the advantages that going digital has to offer the modern-day scrapper.

Top 10 Reasons to Go Digital

1. Timesaver

Implementing digital scrapbook pages will save you time. It's no longer necessary to print your pictures before you put them into your scrapbook pages. Just download your digital pictures to your computer or scan your hard copy photos. You can buy premade scrapbook layouts with spaces for your photos and then simply drag and drop your digital pictures onto the scrapbook pages. No need to redo handmade scrapbook pages; no need to spend hours going from one store to another looking for the right color paper.

2. Tidier

Traditional scrappers have required a permanent space in their homes for their volumes of paper, ribbon, lace and other embellishments, along with unfinished projects vulnerable to accidents. Digital scrapping means no mess on your dining room table, no need for extra physical storage space, no cutting your photos. Save all your layouts and supplies directly to your computer or external storage device.

3. Greener

Digital scrapbook pages allow you to literally reuse any digital scrapbook element as many times as you like, so say goodbye to buying extra paper to avoid running out of a certain pattern or color. Goodbye to the glue and piles of leftover paper scraps and unrecyclable materials. Good riddance, reject scrapbook pages- you can quickly fix them before printing!

4. Cheaper

If you already own a computer, all you need to buy is the scrapbook layout software and digital scrapbook kits, which are fairly inexpensive and include paper and embellishments. The equivalent in physical materials is far more expensive, and once you use them, they're gone. Digital kits can be used indefinitely. And because there's no need to spend hours going from one store to another looking for the right color paper, you'll save money in gas too!

5. Goof Proof

Photos are often the most precious items in your scrapbooks, so why risk butchering them with scissors? With digital scrapbooking, there's no chance of destroying the only photo you have of your mom's mom's mom. Scan the photo and make as many copies as you like. Digital scrapbook pages allow you to experiment with infinite combinations until they look just the way you want. And if you misspell a word in your journaling, you're free to correct it without damaging your scrapbook layouts.

6. Photo Doctor

Basic photo editing programs allow you to restore old photos to make them look just like new. Conversely, you can take current photos and make them looked aged. Vanish wrinkles, blemishes and moles, and fix that pervasive red eye. Resize, crop, sharpen, and correct lighting. Nearly every photo you take can be improved with a little doctoring.

7. Professional

Cropped photos always have perfect edges, computer text is always straight, and computer font is always legible! Digital scrapbook pages look professional and boost the pride we feel in our creations.

8. Versatile

Take any design you like and turn it into just about anything you want. Adjust the colors, sizes, patterns, arrangements ... your options are limitless.

9. Easy to Share

One of the biggest advantages of digital scrapbook pages is that they can be easily shared in so many ways. Print multiple copies to share with family, upload pages to a family Web site or blog, or e-mail pages to relatives wherever they live.

10. Endless Supplies

You'll always have what you need in the right size, color and style, and you'll never need to worry about running out of glue. With digital scrapbook layouts, you'll always have the supplies you need.

With both traditional and digital scrapbook layouts, you're limited by only one thing: your imagination. If you're a scrapper, you owe it to your craft to try digital scrapbooking! An infinite assortment of exciting new scrapbook layouts awaits, and it's only a few clicks away.

Digital scrapbooking diva Sasha Byers explores the world of documenting memories digitally, providing insight and ideas on how to create digital photo collages and scrapbooks. She offers tips on scrapbooking important events, travels and major life periods such as childhood, school athletics and a child's transition out of the nest. She also debunks common myths about digital scrapbooking and addresses frequent questions on this popular new hobby. Sasha's blogs provide answers, tips and digital scrapbooking ideas to help you create sharper, more attractive scrapbooks in half the time. Learn more about our photo collage maker at the Artopia Photo Collage Maker Community. Connect with others and share your scrapbook layouts at the Artopia Photo Collage Maker Community.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sasha_Byers http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-10-Reasons-to-Digitize-Your-Scrapbook&id=2082165

Q & A: How can I tell if there is a sound track on my film reel? Should I have the original audio transferred to DVD?

2009-03-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

Today I had a short discussion with Eric, our guy who runs the production teams for YesVideo's film to DVD and slides/prints scanning services. He's been with this company for several years and has spent a lot of time understanding the conversion process and video technology. I periodically bug him for recommendations on how customers can get the most out of our film transfer service. Today's topic was audio from film reels.

ME: We receive a lot of old footage from decades ago. What's the audio quality like on these reels?

ERIC: When there is audio, the quality usually isn't that good. With this old footage, the audio is typically the first part that degrades. It also depends on how the reels have been stored.

ME: What's the best way to store these old movie reels?

ERIC: Film reels should be stored in a cool, dark place. Extreme temperatures and extreme humidity should be avoided. It's a bad idea to store reels in an attic if it gets really hot up there.

ME: So which type of reels have audio and which ones can YesVideo support?

ERIC: YesVideo transfers 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm reels to DVD. Any of these can have an audio track. For Super 8 and 16mm reels, we can retain the audio during the transfer. We don't currently have the projector that transfers audio from 8mm reels.

ME: Is there a way to check if the film reel has audio?

ERIC: Check the reel for a brown or copper strip. This will indicate that the reel had the capability to record audio. Whether that audio was really recorded on that reel is a different story. There's no way to check for this by looking at the reel, and unfortunately our technicians won't know until it's actually being recorded.

ME: Several of YesVideo's retail partners charge an extra $10.00 to have this audio transferred. Why the extra charge?

ERIC: Film to DVD orders with audio require extra work from our QA team. It takes more time to check if the audio has been transferred properly and is synched up correctly.

ME: What if a customer chooses the $10.00 audio option and it turns out that there's no audio?

ERIC: In that case we'll call the customer to let them know. At that point they can choose background music or no audio at all.

ME: Anything else you'd like the customers to know about audio on film?

ERIC: Because of the typical poor quality of the original audio on the film, I actually recommend choosing one of the background music tracks instead of original audio. What some customers also don't realize is that when there are several reels in the same DVD order, only one or some of them might have a sound track, and it's silent the rest of the time.

DVD Offer at Walgreens Thru 3/28

2009-03-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

This week Walgreens is advertising a free 2nd DVD copy ($7.99 value) with your DVD transfer order. You can submit your videotapes, movie reels, slides or prints at the photo counter and get a second copy of the DVD at no cost.

We found out that this ad is valid in most U.S. Walgreens locations, but unfortunately not good in Detroit, New York or San Francisco areas. We recommend that you double check with Walgreens before you place your order.

You can check this on the Walgreens website:

Go to http://www.walgreens.com
Click on the "Weekly Ad" link (it's under the tabs).
Enter your zip code
Under the picture of the ads, click on "Browse this Weekly Ad."
Keep clicking on "Next >>" until you see the photo page
You'll see a list of items on the right side. Look for the "2nd DVD copy" ad.

New YesDVD Website for CVS Customers

2009-03-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

CVS Pharmacy and YesVideo just launched a new website at http://www.cvsyesdvd.com. CVS customers can reach this site from the CVS photo site.

The new website's got all the video transfer pricing for orders placed at CVS. YesVideo works with several retail chains, who offer slightly different services and have different pricing for these video to DVD products, so sometimes it's hard to communicate all of these details on YesVideo's website.

You can prepare your DVD order by filling out the step-by-step order form online. Just print out the completed form at home and bring it with your tapes, reels, slides or prints to the CVS photo counter. This should save you a lot of time, but please be patient if the photo employee hasn't seen this form yet -- it's still very new. Just tell them to give YesVideo a call (1-877-817-5375) and we'll walk them through it.

Open House in YesVideo's Norcross Facility

2009-03-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photo updates from YesVideo's new facility in Norcross, GA.

Our YesVideo sign is up now! That's Marty, our VP of Engineering.

This past weekend we held an Open House to welcome our new employees. This is a picture of Bill, our GM, giving an overview of YesVideo's business.

Q & A: I want YesVideo to transfer my videos to DVD, but the store has never even heard of this service! What do I do?

2009-03-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about YesVideo's transfer services is the convenience of drop-off and pick-up at your nearby drugstore. However, the biggest drawback with this type of program is that with 27,000-ish locations, that's a whole lot of photo counter employees to train, and with new staff coming in and out of these stores so frequently, this only becomes more challenging. While we have routine training programs, keep in mind that with so many locations and employees, there will sometimes be miscommunication, but we've got a customer care team who's here to fix that.

So if you bring your VHS tapes or movie reels to the photo counter, and the employee can't answer your questions, or doesn't have the right order forms, or if they have outdated brochures or pricing, you probably wouldn't feel good about handing over your memories. We don't blame you -- we wouldn't feel good either! But if you come across this unfortunate situation, here's what to do:

Prepare your DVD order online. We've built a new step-by-step order form that you can fill out on your computer, print it out at home and take it to the store. This form shows you all of your DVD options and features, many of which you won't be able to see when ordering at the photo counter.
Call YesVideo's customer care team! We're here to help! We'll call the store and make sure that they have all the information and materials needed. Then we'll work directly with you and an employee at that store, to get your order placed correctly and safely sent to us.

Geni.com - Social Network for Family History (and for Dead People?)

2009-03-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

One of my second cousins recently invited me to join our family tree on Geni.com. At first I was a little hesitant because it sounded like just another social network -- yet another account for me to manage and maintain. But I explored it a little, then signed up and realized that it's one of the coolest sites I've ever been a part of!

I knew I had a huge family, but in the last few weeks we've managed to build our family tree to include 370 people (254 blood-related) over 10 generations!! No, this doesn't mean that I'm "friends" with 370 people or that 370 family members now have Geni accounts. It just means that some people in my family are more connected and can add information missing relatives, their spouses and children. And then naturally, the spouses enter all of their family information and build their own family tree, and suddenly you've got a interweaving networks of families!

Having said all this, just because a family member is "added" to the tree does not mean that they have an actual Geni account. Anyone in the family tree can build a family member's profile, even if the person is deceased. My maternal grandfather passed away two years ago, so it freaked me out a little to see that he had his own profile. My sisters and I built his profile page, adding some pictures of him and adding "timeline" events, such as his birthday and wedding date. We started receiving messages from distant aunts and uncles about how happy they were to see the pictures of my grandfather.

I guess the drawback in having this level of control over the family is that I've added profile pictures for my sisters and a bunch of cousins, and I could easily have embarrassed them by uploading terrible photos (but I'm nice). The reality is that not everyone gets so involved with these types of things, so it's nice to have a few people who like to add the information and invite people. But apparently it's not so difficult to sign up, because both of my parents were able to create accounts!

Geni sends me emails in a "family newsletter" format that shows who recently signed up and any upcoming birthdays and anniversaries. Maybe they send these update emails too frequently, but I'm sure if I dig a little deeper I can adjust that in my account settings.

Caution: Customer's Memories Inside

2009-03-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

A few hours ago, I met with a specialist to discuss some of YesVideo's PR needs. I greeted him in our lobby and while I walked us over to our main conference room, he noticed one of our production guys passing, rolling a bin full of DVD orders waiting to be captured. He said something like "I like your company's sense of humor...a garbage can that says 'Memories Inside'." We laughed about the irony, and I explained that they're not garbage cans. We use bins to separate orders by date, type and store locations.

We've got about 300 of these bins, which have wheels so they're easy to roll to the next processing station. They all have locks, labels and unique bar codes, for more security and easy tracking. And no one in the building mistakes them for garbage cans, but as an added reminder, we had "CAUTION: CUSTOMER'S MEMORIES INSIDE" screen-printed on the sides. Every time I walk by the bins, I can't help but cringe because "Customer's" should really have the apostrophe after the "S." Oh well, we'll make sure to get it right the next time we order 300 more of these "garbage cans."

Happy St. Patrick's Day and Happy Birthday Keith!

2009-03-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

Not all of us showed up in green today, but here are a few photos from this afternoon's small St. Patrick's Day celebration.

Today we are also celebrating Keith's birthday! Here's a photo of some of our customer service folks and Keith, their fearless leader (in red).

YesVideo's New Norcross Facility

2009-03-16T12:29:00.001-07:00

Marty, our head engineer guy, sent this "before" shot of YesVideo's new production facility near Atlanta. He and a few others are spending these next few weeks getting our operations up and running. He reports that the layout is nicer than our West Coast building and that the community has been very welcoming and excited to see us open up in their neighborhood.

Why You Shouldn't Wait to Preserve Memories: My Personal Experience

2009-03-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

This morning my mother called me at work. Recently retired, she's been able to catch up with some long-neglected projects around the house. One of them was to empty out the old tool shed in the backyard -- a two-decade collection of my father's unusable old tools, machinery and other random junk he found for free or at garage sales, along with old stuff that belonged to my sisters and me when we were younger. No one had bothered to rummage through these things for many years until this week.

MOM: I finally got around to digging though the stuff in the tool shed and found a box of the BetaMax movies of you and [your sister's] Ballet recitals. Uhhh...you haven't by any chance have transferred those to DVD yet, have you? I know your company does that stuff.

ME: No I haven't seen those in about 20 years. I've been bugging you guys to give me the tapes so I can have them transferred!

MOM: Uhhh, well...they're totally damaged. I guess all those years they've been sitting in there, shifting around every time we put more stuff in the shed, getting dirty, and probably being exposed to all the weather changes...probably not the best way to store them, huh?

ME: Yeah, definitely not. So now that you have time, see if you can dig up any more of our old tapes and even the albums of photos. Let me transfer them all NOW!

So I've lost my old Ballet performances from 20+ years ago. I think my mom's a little sad about this. It would have been nice to reminisce (sans the big glass, braces, bad perm and pre-teen skin!).

For someone who constantly preaches about the importance of preserving onto digital formats, I failed at having my own personal history archived. But now my family has learned the urgency of saving these memories.

50 Prints for $5 at Walgreens

2009-03-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

Until March 14th, you can order 50 4x6 prints for $5.00 from the Walgreens "W Photo" site. Use the code MARCH at checkout. You have to have an account with W Photo, and can use this offer up to 5 times. I'm not sure that the deal is necessarily related to St. Patrick's Day (since St. Patrick's Day comes a few days after this coupon expires!), but who can resist such a great offer?

Photo Contests!

2009-03-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Like to enter your photos in web photo contests? There's actually someone who finds these photo contests and posts links to them in a Twitter account. Check out http://twitter.com/photo_contests to see the list. This account is based in Toronto, Canada, but most of the posts I saw aren't regionally specific. Looks like there's a range of topics, from Best Looking Food to people and scenery, and some of them have handsome prizes (and entry fees).

What is Twitter?
Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send updates (otherwise known as "tweets"), which are short text-based posts. This account is made up of short posts with links to photo contests.

Have a Twitter Account?
You can follow YesVideo for short news updates. Check us out at http://twitter.com/yesvideo and click on the "Follow" button.

Recycling Old VHS Tapes

2009-03-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

LifeHackery.com, a fun blog that posts "Useful, Unusual and (Sometimes) Ironic Tips and Tricks to Hack Your Life into Shape," suggests some ways to reuse old VHS tapes. As most households are embracing digital technology and new video formats, what should you do with your old media? I'll bet you've never thought of recycling your VHS tapes into serving dishes, insulation, fly swatters or storage devices? The author does make a note that before trying these, make sure to have the video content transferred onto optical media, such as CD or DVD, or hard drive.
Read more...

No Longer Accepting Applications

2009-03-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

We'd like to thank you for all the interest in the positions at YesVideo's new production facility in Norcross, GA. We are excited to open the new office this month. Because of the overwhelming response, we are no longer accepting employment applications at this time.

For inquiries about vendors, supplies, advertising and other sales, we're all set for now as well.

YesVideo is Expanding!

2009-02-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

Growth to create 300 jobs
Firm to build new center in Norcross

YesVideo Jobs in Atlanta Area

2009-02-19T00:39:00.000-08:00

For those who have reached this page looking for information about YesVideo's job openings in Norcross, GA, we will be posting the information on http://www.yesvideo.com/jobs on Thursday 2/19. If you check this page and nothing is there yet, just hold tight and check again a little later. Keep in mind that we're 3 hours behind on the West Coast...thanks for your patience :)

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

YesVideo wishes you and your loved ones a happy, safe and warm Holiday season. The YesBlogger will be on a short vacation, so see you in the new year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T12:27:00.000-08:00

The entire staff at YesVideo would like to wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving. We hope that in these hectic times, you enjoy spending time and making new memories with your loved ones.

Don't forget that this Friday, November 28th, is the Holiday deadline for DVD orders. So while you are shopping around for deals, or recovering from your Thanksgiving feast, don't forget to drop off your videotapes or movie reels at your nearby Walgreens, CVS, Costco, Ritz Camera or Rite Aid photo counter.

Cut-off Date for Holiday Orders is Friday 11/28/08 - Only 5 Days Left!

2008-11-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

This week you are probably thinking of your short work week…and turkey…and maybe some shopping! With so much going on, don't forget to place your DVD orders for Holiday gifts!

It might seem too early to be planning for the Holidays, but because DVD orders can take 3-4 weeks to return, the orders must be placed in the store by Friday, November 28th to have your DVD(s) returned to the store before Christmas*. See below for special offers at Walgreens and CVS this week.

* Some orders experience technical issues or require additional attention during processing, and would require extra time to complete the order. If any extra processing time is needed for your order, YesVideo will contact you.

Ordering after Friday 11/28/08
For orders that are placed after November 28th, we will attempt to complete the order promptly and return it before Christmas, but cannot guarantee that it will be returned in time.

FREE 2nd DVD Copy at Walgreens and CVS- Good Thru 11/29/08
We've got 2 offers this week. When you order any transfer to DVD at CVS or Walgreens, you receive a second copy of that DVD for FREE! Note that even though the offer expires this Saturday, November 29th, the Holiday order cut-off date is still Friday, November 28th.

CVS and Walgreens - Free 2nd DVD

2008-11-06T14:35:00.000-08:00

Thru 11/7/08 - We've got 2 offers for you this week. When you order any transfer to DVD at CVS or Walgreens, you receive a second copy of that DVD for FREE! CVS is running this promotion for another week -- this is an incentive to place your Holiday orders now, and not wait until our busy December month.

Note that no coupon is required for either of these offers. Visit www.yesvideo.com to find a store near you.

Sweet Treats from Walgreens

2008-10-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

Cutest Costumed Kid 2008 Photo Contest
Here's a chance to show off your adorable little trick-or-treater! Submit a photo of your child in a Halloween costume. Voters will choose the winner!

What are the Prizes?
Walgreens says they're giving away 130 prizes, including a $250 W Photo gift card and a Walgreens.com photo package valued at $250. More details...

CONTEST DATES
Photo Submission: Oct 24, 2008 - Nov 5, 2008
Voting Dates: Oct 24, 2008 - Nov 7, 2008
Winners Announced: November 24, 2008

Enter the Contest (You will need to log in or sign up for an account)
View Photos and Vote

Walgreens Halloween Photo Shoot
October 31, 2008 12pm-5pm
$0.31 Halloween photo package includes:
Photo CD with your child's image
Halloween photo greeting card with your child's image
Find your nearest Walgreens location

CVS - Special Offer Extended!

2008-10-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

CVS is running another ad this week for a free second DVD copy with any YesVideo transfer to DVD. The regular price for a copy is $9.99. This offer expires on 11/1/08.

Can I order copies of this DVD later?
It's so much more convenient and less expensive to order extra copies at time of original order. We can duplicate the DVD for you at a later time (this will include the DVD case with pictures and disc label with title), but this requires resubmitting it as an original order.

Pet Photo Halloween Contest

2008-10-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

2008 Yorkie Haven Pet Photo Halloween Contest

All entries must be received by Tuesday, October 28th at 12:00 noon CST. Winners will be announced on October 31st. The winners will be notifed by email and also posted on the Yorkie Haven website. Entry fee for each picture is $5.00 and each vote will be $1.00. Each entry will get 5 beginning votes. All proceeds will go towards the veterinary care of the Haven pups. All of our pups will be allowed to receive votes since this is a fundraiser for the fosters, but Yorkie Haven members will not be eligible to win prizes.

All types of pets are welcome here!

Watch the video!

DVD Gifts and the Holiday Rush

2008-10-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

It might seem too early to think about Holiday gifts, but the Holiday season is just around the corner! We won't spend time raving about YesDVDs as Holiday gifts, but we want to let you know about the Holiday rush that we typically experience and strongly urge you to plan ahead.

If you're thinking about ordering DVDs as Holiday gifts, don't wait to place your order!

November and December are extremely busy months here at YesVideo. Our production teams will be processing DVDs around the clock and we're sure that all equipment will be worked to the max! Some orders can take around 4 weeks to process, and even longer if we encounter any technical issues. We understand how important it will be for you to have your DVD orders returned in time. You can really save yourself the hassle by allowing extra time for your orders.

FREE 2nd DVD Copy at CVS and Rite Aid - Good Thru 10/25

2008-10-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

When you order any transfer to DVD at CVS or Rite Aid, you receive a second copy of that DVD for FREE! ($9.99 value)

If you want us to send you emails when there are specials or coupons, sign up at www.yesvideo.com. We haven't sent out an update in a while, but we're trying to get back on track :-)

YesVideo Is Now Twittering

2008-10-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

Want to follow what YesVideo is doing? Check us out at http://twitter.com/yesvideo

DVD Players That Are Not Compatible with YesDVD

2008-08-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

We are often asked about the compatibility of our YesDVDs, so we thought it was worth a post here. When YesVideo started the video to DVD transfer business in 2000, we published a list of DVD player models that we knew would have problems reading our discs. Since then, DVD players have become very widespread and DVD media has become more standardized. We can confidently say that YesDVDs will play successfully in almost all standalone DVD players.

YesDVDs are published on DVD-R media. If you bought your DVD player after 2001 and if your DVD player can play DVD-R discs, then it is very likely that your DVD player will play YesDVD discs.

If you're not sure about your DVD player, the VideoHelp website has a directory of DVD players. Just enter the model of your player. If the chart shows "DVD-R" with a strike-thru (crossed out with a black line), then your player will likely have a problem reading our discs. No strike-thru indicates that your player should have no problem playing YesDVDs.

National Scrapbooking Day is Tomorrow!

2008-05-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

The weekend is here, and it's time to crop! Since 1994, the first Saturday in May has been the day for scrapbookers to celebrate their memories through scrapbooking.

See iScrap.net's listing of National Scrapbooking Day events all over the country.

Check out BellaOnline's list of the top ten fun activities for National Scrapbooking Day.

Get your official National Scrapbooking Day gear.

YesVideo is Hiring

2008-04-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

Call Center Representative/Technical Support (Santa Clara, CA)

YesVideo is looking for a motivated individual to join our Customer Service/Call Center Department. This position will work with customers over the phone to answer questions, train new users, identify and resolve technical problems. The right candidate must be a positive team player with excellent written and verbal skills and excellent computer knowledge. Excellent follow-through and flexibility is a must! Prior Customer Service/Call Center experience is a plus. The schedule is Monday – Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm.

Qualifications:
- Advanced troubleshooting and analytical skills
- Windows XP and Vista experience
- Understand the difference in 32 vs. 64 bits
- Experience using different DVD software
- Coaching and training experience
- MAC and PC experience
- Customer-focused

Please submit your resume if you possess the following attributes:
- A passion to help others
- Effective interpersonal skills
- Excellent communication skills
- Excellent technical and troubleshooting skills
- Team player attitude
- Pleasant and upbeat personality
- Self-confidence
- Flexibility
- Sense of humor

Please email resumes to kgibson@yesvideo.com

YesDVD on a Mac!

2008-04-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

Many of you have asked about how the YesDVD works on a Macintosh computer, so we've built this guide. Hope it helps!

To Play a YesDVD on a Mac:
YesDVDs can be played and watched on most Mac computers with a DVD drive and DVD playback software.

What you need: Mac OS X system software and a DVD drive.

Insert your YesDVD into your Mac’s DVD drive and it should open up automatically.

- or -

1. Open the DVD Player application located in the application folder of your hard drive directory

2. Click on the "File" menu and choose Open DVD Media. Select your DVD title.

If for any reason your YesDVD still does not play, visit your nearest Apple Dealer and sign into the Genius Bar for technical assistance. You may have a problem with your Mac's DVD drive or settings.

To Edit a Movie Clip from your YesDVD:
Digital Scrapbook will not work on a Mac…but savvy and experienced Mac users can still access movie clips by using third-party Mac applications. These applications convert DVD contents into a file format that can be edited using iMovie or other movie editing software.

Which version of Mac OS X do you have?

For Mac OS X 10.4 or higher

1. Download the third party Mac OS X application Handbrake at: www.handbrake.frThis application will convert your YesDVD’s content into an MPEG-4 file, which you can then edit using iMovie or other movie editing software. Detailed instructions can be found at http://www.handbrake.fr/.

2. Import the MPEG-4 video file into iMovie or your movie editing software of choice.

For older versions of the Mac OS X (Advanced users only!)

1. Download the third-party Mac OS X application MAC the RIPPER at: www.mactheripper.orgThis application will copy your YesDVD’s contents into a VOB file on your hard drive.

2. Using MAC the RIPPER, copy the YesDVD’s content using the "MTR" setting. This will create a VOB video file on your hard drive. Follow the detailed instructions given on http://www.mactheripper.org/

3. Next download another application called MPEG Streamclip at: www.squared5.comorDVDxDV $25 at: http://www.dvdxdv.com/ or ExportToQT (part of the $10 MPEG2Works suite of tools - requires you to purchase the $20 Apple QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component) at: http://www.mpeg2works.com/

4. Using the one of the conversion application listed above convert the VOB file into a movie format that your movie editing software supports.

5. Import your video file into your movie editing application, such as iMovie.

2008 Epson National Scrapbooking Day Essay Contest

2008-04-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

What does Scrapbooking mean to you? Share your story with Scrapbooking.com for a chance at hundreds of dollars worth of prizes from Epson, Ellison and Crayola. Answer either of these topics:

1. Why I scrapbook...
2. The one thing I want people to remember about my scrapbooks is...Why?

The rules:
- 400 words or less
- Include one scrapbook layout to help tell your story
- Top 3 will be chosen for prizes
- Entries due April 30, 2008
- Winners announced on National Scrapbooking Day, May 3rd, 2008.

Submit your story here

Green National Scrapbooking Day Contest

2008-04-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

National Scrapbooking Day is May 3rd. Among many creative contests and events that Scrapbooking companies are sponsoring around the country, Creative Imaginations is adding an eco-friendly angle to National Scrapbooking Day. With a recent announcement that their new domestic papers will be FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified, Creative Imaginations wants to see your scrapbook page, made with either their papers or items that people would otherwise throw out. Entries will be accepted until May 4th. Winners will receive prize packages from Creative Imaginations and will be featured on their blog.

Check out this flyer for more details about the contest.
See a gallery of Green Scrapbooking Day contest entries.

Photo-Personalized Reusable Shopping Bags

2008-04-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of Earth Day, we highlight a unique photo product that promotes eco-friendly practices. Reusable canvas shopping bags have become very popular in many stores. Less plastic and paper go to waste. But is it a good idea to buy canvas shopping bags for each store? That's a lot of bags to own and a bunch of store logos to sport. Why don't you have some that you can use at every store? Why not make them stylish and personalized?

Flashbags (www.flashbags.com) makes custom bags. On their website, you can upload your photo (at least 150 dpi, at least the same dimensions as the bag, no copyrighted material) and customize your own shopping bag. I must warn you that at $54-$98 each, they are much more pricey than the $1 grocery shopping bag. The good news is that they are very sturdy and can be used for everyday activities, not just shopping. The better news is that your favorite photo can come with you wherever you go...and everyone can see it!

15 Reasons to Smile on Tax Day!

2008-04-14T18:02:00.001-07:00

Taxes got you down? Walgreens is giving out some relief! W Photo (this is the new name for their photo center. It looks like a catchy abbreviation but "W Photo" is actually longer to say than "Walgreens Photo") is giving 15 FREE 4x6 prints on. In addition, 5x7 prints are only a dollar each when you order 2 or more. This is a great deal and is only valid tomorrow, April 15th. Place your order at http://photo.walgreens.com and use the code TAXDAY when you check out.

Recycling Your DVDs and CDs

2008-04-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

"Each year, billions of CDs and DVDs are manufactured, while millions of these discs end up in landfills and incinerators. If you use, sell, promote, distribute, or manufacture compact discs, it is your responsibility to promote how to recycle them. Compacts Discs, when recycled properly, will stop unnecessary pollution, conserve natural resources, and help slow global warming."
- CD Recycling Center of America

At YesVideo, we use several discs each week for all kinds of testing (the kinds of tests to make sure our software works and testing to make sure that we choose the disc formats that are compatible with as many DVD player models as possible). We also end up with hundreds of product demo discs that become outdated and we can no longer distribute them. We take our environmental responsibilities seriously; Instead of throwing them out with the garbage, these discs are collected and recycled through Weyerhaeuser.

It's time for spring cleaning, but if you have DVDs or CDs that you need to discard, don't throw them out! Here are the websites of some companies who can help:

http://www.cdrecyclingcenter.com/

http://www.cdrecyclingforfree.com/

http://www.greendisk.com/

Need to throw out your old digital cameras? Last year I posted an article about how to recycle them, and thought it would be appropriate to link back to it here. More about recycling digital cameras...

DVDs at Costco!

2008-04-03T18:01:00.001-07:00

Yay! You can now order our DVDs from video, film or slides at any Costco 1-Hour Photo! Their photo counter is called "1-Hour Photo" but note that the DVD orders are still sent out and take about 3 weeks.

Call 1-866-463-7694 for more information. The article below is from The Costco Connection magazine.

Second Harvest Food Bank - Awards Ceremony

2008-03-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening was the Second Harvest Food Bank's 2007 Awards and Recognition Ceremony. Julie, our IT specialist, attended and represented YesVideo. She reported that it was a very moving event that showed how important these food drives really are and the impact it makes on those who need our help.

Here is a picture of Julie, with our Silver Award, toasting everyone who supported the cause.

Error -996: Digital Scrapbook in Windows Vista

2008-03-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

Some of our customers have been receiving the -996 error when trying to use Digital Scrapbook software with Windows Vista. If you find that you are receiving this error or are encountering similar software compatibility issues, please give us a call (toll-free 1-877-817-5375) or send us a note (support@yesvideo.com)!

We can most likely walk you through the steps to get the software running. Or if applicable, we would be happy to offer appropriate DVD replacement, re-do or upgrade.

Food Drive Success!

2008-03-03T14:25:00.000-08:00

Last December our company took part in a Holiday food drive. YesVideo employees donated food and money to the 2nd Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. We just received word that YesVideo is receiving a Silver Award for our big contributions in 2007. Way to go, employees!

Interested in donating to the food bank or want to start your own food drive, check out the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Upcoming Scrapbooking Event Calendar

2008-02-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

YesVideo is proud to be a sponsor of the following events around the country:

Alabama Scrapfest

Saturday, February 23, 2008
10:00am - 11:00pm
Holiday Inn, Dothan, AL

$30.00 (includes: 3' x 4' cropping space, door prizes and free goodies, tool center, Make ‘n Takes, onsite vendors for one-stop shopping and cropping)
http://www.alabamascrapfest.com/

***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Crop for FA Scrapbooking Fundraiser
to support the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund (http://www.fanconi.org/)
Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008
1:00pm - 9:00pm
Fort Gibson School Cafeteria
500 S. Ross Fort Gibson, OK

Tickets for the crop are $10.00... Sign up today!!!
Pre-registration is now open Jan 5, 2008 through February 16, 2008
100% of the Crop donation goes to the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund

The fun starts at 1:00 p.m. and lasts until 9:00 p.m. You won't want to miss out! Bring your photos and scrapbook supplies to settle down for a day filled with finished pages, a silent auction, shopping, freebies and lots of fun! Refreshments available for minimal charge. You will also receive a goodie bag for attending the crop. See you there!!
*Spots are limited for the crop so register now*

RSVP: 478-8926 email: jrhanna2000@sbcglobal.net

SILENT AUCTION, VENDORS, DOOR PRIZES AND LOTS OF FUN!!! Please attend the silent auction and visit the vendors anytime from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. No ticket required to come and buy from the vendors and participate in the auction!!

***** ***** ***** ***** *****
2nd Annual All Day Scrap
Raising Money for the March of Dimes
March 1, 2008
Location: TBA, Schaller, IA
Contact Sarah at 3deits@evertek.net

***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Crop out Cancer!
Bulemore Bash! Out Cancer Team
12-Hour Crop
Saturday, March 1, 2008
10:00am - 10:00pm
Knights of Columbus Hall
1259 E M21 - Owosso, MI
989-725-8348
$40.00 per person

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Crop Out Diabetes
Saturday, March 15th
8:30am - 5:30pm
Thompson Center
Appleton, WI
This event benefits the Wisconsin chapter of JDRF.

Crop Out Diabetes
Saturday, April 12th
8:30am-5:30pm
Horner Park, Lebanon, IL
This event benefits the St. Louis chapter of JDRF.

Crop Out Diabetes is a scrapbook fundraiser which benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation ("JDRF"). Type 1 Diabetes was once referred to as "Juvenile Diabetes." Not to be confused with Type 2 Diabetes, Type 1 occurs when the body's pancreas stops producing insulin - it is not genetic and does not occur as a result of physical stature or weight. A diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes requires that the patient inject insulin into his or her body multiple times a day in order to remain alive. While insulin keeps a Type 1 patient alive, it is not a cure. All proceeds from this event go to each event location's local chapter of JDRF.

Founded in 2005 in metro-Atlanta, Georgia, Crop Out has expanded across the country in 2007 with events in Georgia, California, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri and Tennessee. All day crops in each of these states will include goodie bags and give-aways of awesome scrapbook products from national companies, on-site vendors demonstrating products and techniques through make 'n takes, lunch, snacks and drinks (several sites will have massage therapists). For details on how to register, visit the website: http://www.cropoutdiabetes.org/.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I found an "add your own photo" e-card. The music is corny, but it's a nice, personal last-minute card if you have not found one yet :)

http://www1.yahoo.americangreetings.com/ecards/display.pd?prodnum=3067456&path=40779

Coupons and PMA

2008-02-13T15:06:00.000-08:00

YesDVD Coupons - Free 2nd DVD Copy
Until Saturday, Feb. 16th, you can order a video to DVD transfer from Walgreens or Rite Aid and get a second copy of the DVD for FREE!

YesVideo at the Photo Marketing Association trade show
From January 31st to February 2nd, YesVideo exhibited at the annual PMA show in Las Vegas. We were able to meet with our retail, software and photo-specialty store partners as well as some competitors. This is a great show for us to learn about trends in the photo industry. I saw plenty of cool new photo preserving, sharing and gift ideas. I will share some of them with you in the upcoming weeks.

Showing our YesDVD products at the YesVideo booth

Marty, Sharleen, Bill and Hank at the PMA show

Faithbooking

2008-01-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

Faithsisters.com is a website community started by 3 women who seek to express their faith in creative ways. They have mixed their religious inspiration with their scrapbooking hobby and built a website with a shop, gallery, forum and resources. Using a forum structure, members easily contribute to the challenges, which are sets of themes or headlines, such as "I Am Thankful For..." or "The Reason for the Season."

Scrapbookers typically find passion in preserving cherished memories. The FaithSisters' mission is to help their members "leave a legacy of faith." For their members, they value the reinforcement of family values and beliefs in the form of creating and sharing their memories on scrapbooks. They refer to this scrapbooking theme as "Faithbooking."

Save 30% on Print Enlargements at Kodak Gallery

2007-12-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the start of the New Year, KodakGallery.com offers 30% all print enlargements and posters until 1/3/08.

To have high-quality enlargements, your original digital photos must be of suitable quality. A photo file of medium quality will not scale well onto a 20x30" poster. 640x480 is the minimum resolution recommended for wallets and 4x6" prints. See Kodak's chart for minimum resolutions.

Photos from Video
Did you know that most new YesDVDs from video include about 80 still JPEGs extracted from the video. YesVideo's software automatically extracts them and includes them on the DVD. If your local photo center has a photo kiosk that accepts DVDs, you can print them there. You might find some unique shots not captured by still cameras, where the subjects are often posing. The drawback is that because these were captured from video, the quality isn't expected to be as high as shots taken from a still camera. Because of this, we don't recommend enlarging the captured photos by too much.

Happy Holidays from YesVideo

2007-12-24T10:40:00.000-08:00

YesVideo wishes you and your families a happy, safe and memorable Holiday and New Year!

All month long our operations team has been working around the clock with all equipment at full capacity, trying to tackle the Holiday rush and process and return as many DVD orders as possible before Christmas. We were able to complete most of them, but to those of you who did not receive your DVDs yet, we sincerely apologize and want you to know that we tried our hardest and will continue to work around the clock to have your orders completed promptly.

Please note the Holiday hours for Customer Support below:
New Year's Eve, 12/31/07, 6am-3pm PST
New Year's Day, 1/1/08, CLOSED

Starting 1/2/08 we will be back on normal hours (6am-7pm PST)

Free 2nd DVD Copy at Walgreens

2007-11-28T02:35:00.000-08:00

Drop off your tapes now to get your DVDs back by Christmas!

$20 Video to DVD Transfer
All Additional Tapes: 25%Off
From a maximum of 2 videotapes.

*FREE copy is of original transfer. Submit coupon with order. Limit one coupon per order. Service or Pricing Questions? Call 1-877-817-5375. Good thru Sat. 12/1/07.

Mug Root Beer's "Mug Shots" Contest

2007-11-21T08:09:00.000-08:00

What a clever promotion! At first I wondered what dogs and photos had to do with root beer...ohh - MUGshots from MUG...And I did just notice that their mascot is a bulldog...or is it a PUG (which is even more clever)

So just like every other web photo contest, participants can submit their favorite photos and view a gallery of submitted pictures. Mug (owned by Pepsi) will judge weekly and the overall winner gets $500. First 5000 participants will receive a Mug brand dog tag. And throughout the experience, users get many opportunities to obtain a coupon for a discount on Mug Root Beer.

So I couldn't resist but to submit a couple favorite shots of my family's puppies.

Happy Puppies Behind Bars

Dano Passed Out

Holiday Scrapbooking Sale at Jo-Ann

2007-11-15T17:37:00.000-08:00

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores are having a sale for 40% off DCWV (Die Cuts With a View) brand Christmas Stack Value Packs. Paper, mats, die-cuts, stickers, card kits. Sale prices range from $5.99 to $11.99.

If you shop online you get 50% one regular price item. This coupon expires 11/17/07. Of course there are some restrictions. Check out http://www.joann.com/ for details. I also found a section of cool scrapbooking projects on their website. But I'll include those in a later post!

Transferring Slides to DVD

2007-11-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

I know that the purpose of a Company Blog is not to toot our own horn but I want to share this story with you. I recently spoke to a customer who was able to use YesVideo's transfer solutions to digitize and build 18 YesDVDs from 52 years worth of memories on 35mm slides.

Bob Lindgren of Long Beach, CA has accumulated 252 boxes and carousels of 33,200 slides. After sorting through them, he transferred 13,800 of them to YesDVDs at a local CVS pharmacy's photo center.

"What a huge project and what wonderful results" he says. "Now my wife and I can conveniently enjoy our 52 years of marriage, trips, children and grandchildren because of YesDVDs."

What is his favorite part of the experience? That the YesDVDs are an easy way to pass on their memories to their children and grandchildren. "You can only imagine what they would do, overwhelmed with 252 boxes of slides!"

35mm Slides to DVD conversion is one of the digital transfer services that YesVideo offers. Although not as heavily advertised as our video or film to DVD services, customers are finding great value in having their slide images more easily accessible in a digital format.

Because Rectangles Are Boring...

2007-11-13T10:55:00.000-08:00

Here's another new way to display your favorite photo prints. Cut them into perfect circles! At the Photojojo.com store you can buy a Photo Circle Cutter for $14 (+ $6 shipping).

According to Photojojo.com this Photo Circle Cutter can make 3 different circle diameters (2.4, 3.4, 3.7), comes with spare blades, is easy and safe to use and includes clips for connecting the photos together. And...they guarantee your happiness 100%! You can't go wrong with that!

The Photo Circle Cutter is a must have for scrapbookers and a great tool for people looking for creative and different projects for their photos.

Sony ImageStation is Closing

2007-11-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

As of today, Sony ImageStation members will no longer be able to purchase prints or gifts from imagestation.com. Members can still access their albums, but will not be able to upload new images, order prints or gifts, share albums or edit projects. The whole site will be powered down on February 1, 2008. No copies will be kept. Before then, ImageStation strongly encourages its members to save their photos.

Members can:

1. Transfer their photos to Shutterfly
2. Order a CD or DVD archive
3. Download their images to the computer

Halloween Fun at YesVideo!

2007-11-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

October has been a very busy month for us, so we ended the month with a small Halloween celebration.

Halloween Photo Contest!

2007-10-12T12:33:00.001-07:00

Halloween is only 19 days away! Calling all photos of cute kids and critters in their costumes. Submit your photo entries to www.walgreens.com/photocontest by November 3, 2007. Enter to win one of 130 prizes, including Walgreens gift cards, Walgreens photo packages and more. Winners will be decided by viewer votes, which start on November 5th.

(Here is my favorite random-funny Halloween costume photo)

Recycle Your Old Digital Cameras

2007-10-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

What do you do with your old digital camera when you buy a new model? Does it get downgraded to the bottom of a drawer or closet, only to be forgotten or added to other clutter? Recycle it!

Recycle for Breast Cancer, a national recycling initiative, is focused on keeping electronic waste out of the landfills. The electronic waste releases toxic chemicals into the environment, and studies have linked these chemicals to cancer. Recycle for Breast Cancer believes that prevention is just as important as finding a cure. They collect digital cameras and other electronics and recycle them in an environmentally responsible manner.

They make it very easy to participate. Simply enter your contact information on their website and they will send you pre-paid shipping labels. Then just send in your old camera at no cost!

This program also recycles cell phones, pagers, ink jet and laser toner cartridges, PDAs, mp3 players, computers and computer parts and other electronics. They have drop-off locations for some of the items also.

An Interactive Nationwide Photo Exhibition

2007-10-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

Art House, run by two college kids in Decatur, GA, has been trying out a cool new idea. "A Million Little Pictures" is back for its second round, and anyone can participate.

Start off by paying $16 for a disposable camera. Nothing fancy -- they don't want super professional or digitally-edited work. Once they send you the camera, you start taking pictures. The theme for this round is ADVENTURE. Once you have used up all the shots on the camera, simply stick the camera into the supplied mailer. Postage is pre-paid.

The city who submits the most cameras will host the exhibit, which will feature all the submitted photos.

Visit the A Million Little Pictures website (www.amillionlittlepictures.com) to order your camera. The deadline for ordering is October 10th, so act now.

$1.25 of your $16 entry fee goes one of these charities (you choose) : Humane Society of the U.S.(http://www.hsus.org), National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (http://www.ncadv.org), National Suicide Hotline (http://www.hopeline.com) or World Wildlife Fund (http://www.worldwildlife.org).

Personalized Photo Flash Cards

2007-10-05T16:52:00.001-07:00

Photo mugs, mouse pads and t-shirts are quickly becoming old ideas, as more unique and creative new applications for photos are surfacing at a super fast rate. I just found yet another in PMA Magazine (Photo Marketing Association's magazine).

Through Goosie LLC (a company named after the nickname of founder's son) parents can create photo flash cards online. They simply upload their photos and choose their text. They can also choose from stock collections such as letters and numbers, colors, shapes and animals. Cards are kid-friendly -- thick and laminated to last a long time.

A set of 10 cards costs $28 and comes packaged in a bright box with stickers and tattoos. Gift certificates are available for special occasions.

Goosie's lists these main benefits in creating personalized flash cards for young children:

- Customized by you to creatively teach your child about their world.
- Innovative learning tool designed to engage your child.
- Helps your child learn visual object recognition.
- Stimulates brain development and natural curiosity.
- Encourages early language acquisition and makes learning fun!

Picture Perfect - Family Photo Contest

2007-10-04T23:35:00.000-07:00

OC Family and Inland Empire Family, 2 parenting magazines that serve the Southern California communities, are holding a monthly family photo contest.

There are five categories: First Years (Birth - 2 years), Early Years (2 - 6 years), Middle Years (7 - 12 years), Teen Years (13 - 18 years), Families In Their Worlds (other or misc.).

Digital entries must be received by the end of each month. The description doesn't state that there's a specific prize, but winning photos are used in future issues of the publications.

View complete contest rules.

View the photo gallery of past winners.

Scrapbooking - Sales, Product Reviews and General Information

2007-10-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this cool blog called 3 Scrap-booking Ladies, made by 3 women who enjoy blogging and scrapbooking together. This is a great site that rounds up scrapbooking supply sales and discounts and contests.

These avid scrapbookers promote some of their own pre-made 12x12 pages for sale on Etsy.com. If you want to put together a scrapbook but lack the time (and/or creativity!), then check out these pages. The pages are offered in a bunch of different popular scrapbooking themes and run for about $10-$20.

Here is a link to the "My Memories" Blog of Sheila, one of the 3 Scrap-booking Ladies (I'm actually adding her graphic link here as part of her contest for a The Jungle Book DVD giveaway!):

Notes from Bay Area Parent's Education Fair

2007-10-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we set up another YesDVD demo exhibit, this time in San Jose's Westgate Mall as part of Bay Area Parent's Education Fair. There were about 70 booths and most were schools, daycares and tutoring clubs. We ended up with a visible corner in between Ross (Dress for Less) and this parlor who holds fancy makeover parties for little girls at about $30 a head. The vendors and attendees asked us a lot of good questions.

I will post the most common questions asked, as they might be your questions too:

1. I want to combine a few minutes of several tapes onto one DVD. Can YesVideo edit my footage?
While we can accommodate certain requests, such as queued start and end times, YesVideo's process is automated and we cannot customize the DVDs to this level of detail.

2. Does YesVideo convert foreign (PAL) tapes to DVD?
Yes! There's usually an extra charge of about $5.00 per tape, depending on which retailer you choose.

3. I have some REALLY old film reels. They are really brittle and I'm concerned about how they will be handled.
YesVideo handles the film very carefully, but if we are concerned about damaging very fragile and brittle film, we will send it back unprocessed rather than risking the damage.

4. I think my videotapes are degrading faster than my old 8mm reels. Can this be true?
Yes, it has been reported that film reels do not bring about the same level of concern for degradation as videotapes. However, footage on reels is still difficult to watch and organized and should be transferred to DVD.

Storing Your Photo Prints

2007-09-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

Lisa Fleming, owner of Scrapbook Town LLC (www.scrapbooktown.com), recommends these tips in caring for your photo prints.

She warns that many old photo albums are not photo-safe, those photos should be removed as soon as possible.
If you want to label your photos, don't use regular pens and pencils because the ink or lead can damage the photo. There are pens designed specifically for labeling photos.
Protect photos from heat, humidity and light. Don't store them in attics, garages or in direct sunlight.
Store photos in containers that are acid-free and lignin-free. Use a photo case rather than envelopes or accordions.

Read more of her photo care tips in the full article, "Tips for Organizing your Scrapbook Photos."

YesVideo at the Kidsfaire Expo

2007-09-27T23:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend YesVideo displayed the YesDVD product at the Kidsfaire expo in Pleasanton, CA. Despite the rain on Saturday, we were able to meet a lot of potential customers and our booth generated a constant flow of traffic throughout the weekend.

The most interesting comment was that people knew they shouldn't wait to convert their videos to DVD, but the act of finding and organizing all their old tapes or reels was a dreaded project in itself.

Many asked if we edit the footage. The answer is no, with the exception of color enhancements and scratch reduction on movie film to DVD transfers.

Here are some pictures of the YesVideo staff:

This Saturday 9/29 we will be demonstration YesDVD again, this time at Bay Area Parent magazine's Education Fair at Westgate mall in San Jose.

Scrapbooking - Getting Started - Part 1

2007-09-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

You've seen full aisles of these supplies at the crafts store. Sheets of paper in every color, pattern, texture and representing every possible interest, occasion and theme. Dozens of kinds of scissors, stickers, shapes and other decorative pieces. What's this all about? It's called scrapbooking and many think that making these photo collage books one of the most fun and creative ways to store your family stories.

Here are a few websites that will help you get started in scrapbooking:

Back to School Scrapbooking

2007-09-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

Looking for a new scrapbooking layout idea? Kaboose.com shows an idea for a creative one that is reminiscent of classroom bulletin boards in elementary school.

This isn't a digital layout -- you will need a Fiskars Paper Crimper, a Borderlines Wavy Ruler, and most importantly, your favorite school pictures.

See the full instructions in Kaboose.com's Crafts section.

See YesVideo at the AARP Life@50+ Convention

2007-09-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

Boston Convention &Exhibition Center
Boston, MA

It started today and ends Friday. YesVideo is booth #981.

Hank Kettelhodt, the National Sales Manager of YesVideo, is there to demo the YesDVD and Digital Scrapbook. He reported that after today, he is all out of free pens and notepads but continues to give away special offer coupons that can be redeemed at Walgreens photo counters in the Boston area.