ORDER · CAPTURE · WATCH
How it works.
From shelf to screen in two to five business days after we receive your tapes. Pickup or mail-in, your choice. Same per-tape pricing either way.
i. Getting in
Two ways to get tapes to us.
Pick whichever fits your situation. Pricing is identical either way. No “local convenience fee.”
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Portland metro pickup
Live in the Portland metro area? Our courier collects your tapes from your address and returns them when we’re done. No shipping costs, no trips to the post office. Pickup is included with every Basic and Advanced package.
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Mail-in (everywhere else)
Anywhere in the U.S. outside Portland metro: pack your tapes safely and ship them to us with tracking. Use any carrier you prefer. We return your originals via USPS with tracking, paid at checkout based on package weight and destination.
ii. The process
The full eight steps.
Order to playback, in order. No hidden phases.
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Place your order
Use the pricing calculator to pick your package and number of tapes. Pay online. AI Enhancement orders start by uploading your video instead.
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We email you
Portland metro: schedule a pickup window with our courier. Anywhere else: confirm our mailing address, ship the tapes, and reply with the tracking number.
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Tapes arrive and get inspected
Every tape is examined for mold, mechanical damage and sticky-shed signs. We log the inventory and confirm receipt with you. Damaged tapes get a free quote before any work begins.
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Basic capture begins
Professional decks, time base correction, calibrated audio. Two to five business days for most orders. Advanced packages do a second archival-grade pass automatically.
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Files appear in your dashboard
Stream previews, check quality, rename clips, reorder them, drop the dead air. The dashboard is the editor: you assemble the deliverable before any disc is burned.
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Optional upgrades
Want Advanced re-scan on specific clips at $0.05/min? Want AI Enhancement at $0.25/min? Mark the portions in the dashboard and we’ll bill only the minutes you select.
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Pick delivery
From your dashboard: a free year of cloud streaming, or a disc set (DVD or BluRay for Basic / Advanced Digitization). All discs are included in package price. Source files downloadable throughout your cloud subscription plus 90 days after cancellation; 30 days if you chose disc-only.
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Originals returned
Portland metro: courier brings them back. Everywhere else: USPS with tracking, in protective packaging. Your tapes always come home.
iii. Behind the scenes
What happens with your tape in our hands.
Inspection, cleaning, capture, QC. The part you don’t see.
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Inspection
Visual check of the shell, the leader tape, and the magnetic strip. Mold, sticky-shed, broken hubs: we flag everything before powering up the deck.
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Cleaning
Dust and debris are removed from the tape path. For Advanced and restoration jobs, the tape itself can be cleaned in a controlled rewind.
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Capture
Professional decks paired with time base correctors and calibrated capture cards. Audio and video are aligned and monitored in real time.
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Quality check
A real human reviews dropouts, audio sync, and color before files go into your account. Anything off, we re-capture.
The dashboard is the editor: you assemble the deliverable before any disc is burned.
iv. Your dashboard
Everything about your order, one place.
Captures live here. Edit, mark, download. All from the same view.
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Watch previews
Stream each captured clip the moment it’s processed. Confirm everything looks right before deciding on delivery format.
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Track progress
See which tapes are queued, in capture, in QC, or done. Estimated completion times update as work progresses.
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Reorder, rename, customize
Drag clips into order, give them real titles, drop dead air, lay out the disc menu yourself. We burn the assembly you finalize.
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Upgrade clip-by-clip
Mark specific clips for Advanced re-scan or AI Enhancement. You’re only charged for the minutes you select.
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Download source files
Download original MP4 files throughout your active cloud subscription, plus 90 days after cancellation as a grace window. If you chose disc-only delivery, you have 30 days from order completion.
v. Timing
How long each step takes.
Realistic ranges, not best-case marketing numbers.
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Shipping in (mail-in)
Depends on your carrier and origin. We confirm receipt as soon as packages arrive.
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Basic capture
2 to 5 business days for most orders. Larger orders or backlog can extend this. You’ll see an estimated completion date in your dashboard.
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Advanced scan
Archival-quality re-scan takes 2–3× longer per tape than basic. Timeline visible in your dashboard.
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AI Enhancement
GPU-bound. Roughly real-time to 2× per minute of source video. Dashboard shows progress and estimated finish.
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Return shipping
USPS Priority typically 2–4 business days within the U.S. We send a tracking number when the package leaves.
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Cloud delivery
Instant. As soon as a capture is complete, you can stream it.
vi. Problem tape
If your tape has problems.
Most tapes are fine. The ones that aren’t, we handle carefully, and never without your approval.
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Minor wear
Dropouts, slight color shift, weak audio: all handled as part of the standard package. Advanced scans are designed for exactly this.
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Major damage
Visible mold, broken shells, sticky-shed syndrome, snapped tape: we stop, photograph the issue, and contact you with a free restoration quote.
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Restoration
Billed hourly, scoped after inspection, approved by you in writing before any work happens. We never destroy your tapes without permission.
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Unrecoverable tape
If a tape genuinely cannot be played, we refund that tape’s portion of your order. The rest of your order proceeds normally.
Unusual tapes? Get in touch.
Unusual format, large archive, or a tape collection you’re not sure about: write to us and we’ll talk it through.