Hudson Valley Businesses That Can Restore Holiday Home Movies

Since we live in the day of having a camera/computer/music-player/phone in our pockets, it can be easy to forget that at one point, there used to be separate devices for all of those things. Children today won't understand what it was like for you to wait for your parents to get the camcorder all set and make sure that you have fresh tape.

I'm a 90's kid, so I saw the sudden boom of computers and the internet take over our lives. I witnessed how we from having the clunky camcorders and having to mail out your camera film to be developed to the accessibility that we have today. It's honestly flabbergasting how sudden the technological shift was. Things were much more simple 25 years ago.

But there are so many incredible memories that were made with a lot of the more analog equipment. Each Christmas, my mom would film us opening the presents. She'd even film our Christmas Eve party with the family. It's funny to look back and see how everyone has grown over the years. That, and see all the outdated clothing and hairstyles!

Watching home movies of holidays passed is such a beautiful tradition. Hence why we captured the moments in the first place! It's a great feeling to reminisce on times where everyone was altogether. They take you back to a time when things were simpler. You get to experience the excitement of receiving those presents again, and comment on what still works and what doesn't. You get so see and hear relatives and loved ones who may not be around anymore. These home movies are a strong connection to our past.

With technology constantly changing, and systems like the tape camcorders and VHS machines becoming outdated and hard to come by, how can you enjoy these old movies? Do they become obsolete and then you lose them altogether?

Not quite, because there are services that can preserve those memories for you. For example, my uncle got tapes from his childhood restored and saved as a digital file. He uploaded them to YouTube so that anyone in the family could access them. It's amazing watching the soundless videos that my grandmother took of my mom and her brothers as they were growing up. It's funny to see them all as kids and how they fooled around just like we did. It's a great bonding experience to enjoy those altogether and to hear about the stories behind the videos.

Hudson Valley Businesses That Transfer Old Home Movies to Digital Media

If you're looking to preserve your past, I know of a couple video restoration businesses. For instance, I saw a post on Facebook for Variety Video, a video store in Greenville, NY. Variety Video offers the magic of a Blockbuster or Hollywood Video with DVD rentals and sales along with movie posters and other great movie merchandise. With streaming services constantly exchanging the rights to your favorite films, it's nice knowing that you own a physical copy. Not just that, but they also can transfer your home movies to a digital format. The Facebook post I saw said,

Transfer Your VHS/VHS-C/Hi8/Beta/8 & Super 8 Film/Photos/Slides to DVD or FlashDrive.Lp's & Cassettes to CD.Done Locally at Variety video Rte 81 Main st. Greenville NY (518)966-4376

Another awesome Hudson Valley business that can restore an transfer all of your precious memories would be Artcraft Photoworks in Kingston, NY. Their services include:

• Audio Conversion
• Video Transfer
• Family Archive Scans
• Film Developing & Processing
• Movie Film Conversion
• Passport Photos
• Photo Restoration
• Sensor Cleaning

Not just that, but they handle personalized printing and photo products like Creative Prints, Personalized Items and Gift Ideas, Canvas Art, Fine Art, Metal Art, Acrylic Art, Posters and Collages, Home Decor, Photo Books, Banners and Signs, Cards, Calendars, and more!

Not to say there aren't other services in the Hudson Valley that can handle these services, but these businesses are fantastic at what they do to help you hold onto your precious family memories while also offering incredible services to help you make new memories.