This is an in-depth review of Yes Video. If you are looking for Yes Video reviews to help you decide if it is the right video to DVD service company to digitize your family’s video memories, then you must read this article. I used my own research and personal experience in the film industry to go into great detail about this company and its services. Most importantly, I did this research in preparation for the transfer of my own home movies and videos to digital.
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Yes Video Transfers Video and Film To DVD
Yes Video provides VHS to DVD services as well as 8mm film to DVD services. It also transfers prints and slides to DVD as well as certain digital media formats to Blu-ray. It does not transfer older video and film formats to Blu-ray so, for the scope of this article, I will only focus on the transfer of analog film and video to DVD. By the end of the article you will see why I think Yes Video is a great company to transfer your VHS and film media to DVD – if price is your only concern. However, if high quality is essential to you, then Yes Video is not the right choice.
Yes Video does provide good quality – within the scope and limitations of their methods and equipment. But for me – someone who is looking for the best quality that I can afford – Yes Video does not make the grade. Don’t get me wrong. For what Yes Video offers, they do an excellent job. They make it possible to view your old home movies and videos in convenient digital formats at standard resolution. However, I am not just concerned with transferring my home movies and videos to DVD only. I also want them delivered as uncompressed high resolution video files that can be used as a digital archive for extended preservation. This will give me further options in the future as technology advances and my budget increases.
Yes Video And Its Partners
The website for Yes Video is http://www.yesvideo.com/ and the phone number is 877-817-5375. They provide an order form online so that you can either ship your film and videotapes directly to them or drop off your order at one of over 30,000 retail partners in the US, Canada, or Puerto Rico. These retail partners include:
In addition to these retail stores, Yes Video also has two online partners that offer their digital transfer services.
An Introduction To Yes Video
Yes Video, started in 1999, has two processing labs. With two locations, the company can serve their customers quickly and efficiently. The home office in Santa Clara, California serves everyone on the western half of the United States while the second lab in Norcross, Georgia speeds up orders for all of their East Coast customers. Transfer services typically take about 3 weeks. When your order is done, it is shipped back to the retail store where you dropped off your order.
Can I Trust Yes Video With My Original Home Movies?
Yes Video is probably the largest VHS to DVD transfer house in terms of the number of customers they have. Their retail partners have good reputations for their products and services. Also, Yes Video is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a collection of offices throughout the U.S. that use a standardized method to rate businesses based on feedback from customers. In the past, the BBB has consistently awarded Yes Video with an ‘A-’ or better. To see the current Better Business Bureau web page for Yes Video, click on this link.
Yes Video Tracking And Security
It takes 5-7 days from the day you drop off your order at the retailer to the day that the order is received at one of the processing labs. Once received, your media is bar-coded and tracked so you can locate your media and determine the specific stage of the transfer process. Yes Video guarantees that all of your media originals will be returned to you.
Video Formats Transferred By Yes Video
Yes Video can transfer up to two videotapes to a DVD for a combined total of two hours of footage. If the combined total exceeds the limit of one DVD, then any extra footage gets transferred to another DVD and treated as a separate order with an additional price tag. They do not mix video and film media types on one DVD. Also, tapes are transferred as a direct transfer, so footage is not edited or enhanced. Here is a list of the analog video media formats Yes Video can transfer to digital.
- Beta (BetaMax)
- VHS
- VHS-C
- S-VHS (Super VHS)
- Hi-8
- Digital 8
- 8mm Video
- MiniDV
Yes Video Tape Transfer Process
Videotapes are played using tape decks that are connected to computers. (Yes Video does not disclose the models or brand names of these tape decks.) As tapes play, footage is digitally captured to MPEG-2 format and burned to a DVD at 720 x 480 standard resolution. All footage is backed up onto Yes Video servers. Yes Video does not, at this time, convert analog video media such as VHS to Blu-ray.
Film Formats Transferred By Yes Video
Yes Video can transfer up to 1,600 feet of 8mm film or Super 8 film to DVD. They also transfer up to 3,200 feet of 16mm film. If the combined total exceeds the limit of one DVD, then all extra footage is transferred to another DVD, treated as a separate order, and charged an additional price – just like video conversions that surpass the capacity of one DVD. Also, just like video, all film is delivered onto a DVD at a standard resolution of 720 x 480. Here is a list of film formats Yes Video transfers to digital.
- 8mm film
- Super 8 film
- 16mm film
Yes Video Film Transfer Process
Yes Video will clean your film, which minimizes the effects of scratches, dirt, and dust. They also remove any old film leaders that are spliced at the beginning and end of your original film reels and any blank footage they find between your shots. All footage then gets spliced together and placed on a new 7-inch diameter (400 foot) reel with new leader. The film then gets projected into a condenser box, where it is digitally captured by a digital video camera. The captured image is sent to a computer in MPEG-2 format. It is at this stage that color and lighting are enhanced and the footage is then burned to DVD. Yes Video does not, at this time, convert old film media to Blu-ray.
What Customization Is Available With Yes Video?
Yes Video provides many choices to customize your final DVD. You can create your own title and choose from twenty unique themes, including holiday images, beach scenes, and travel themes. Each theme modifies these elements:
- DVD Case
- DVD Disc
- Main Menu
- Chapter Titles
In addition, each chapter in the menu incorporates an image from the actual footage of that chapter of the DVD, making it easier for you to find a specific shot or event. These chapter images are also printed on the DVD case as well. You can even choose background music for each DVD. To top it off, Yes Video adds three one-minute music videos with highlights of your footage to each DVD they produce. If you wish to customize your DVD even further, you can re-design your DVD and its content after the initial order is completed with an online tool that Yes Video calls MemorySafe®.
What is Memory Safe®?
MemorySafe® is an online tool and storage system that allows subscribers to do a variety of things with their transferred film and video footage. With MemorySafe® you can view, edit, and share your memories with family and friends – from a PC, Mac, iPad, or mobile device using such methods as email, Facebook, or Twitter. A free trial is provided with your digital transfer through select retail stores or online with Yes Video. After the free trial, the service is only available through a paid subscription. At this time, MemorySafe® is only available with direct orders through Yes Video or from one of these four retail stores.
If you have MemorySafe®, your footage is not only saved to Yes Video servers but is also uploaded to an online storage system as well. It lets you order additional copies of your DVD or design a new version. Here is what you can do.
- Rearrange the footage on a DVD
- Combine clips from different DVDs
- Revise your DVD soundtrack with music from your home computer
The Limitations Of Editing With Yes Video
Yes Video does not edit your old movies and videos for you and it does not deliver to you the uncompressed digital files that allow you to edit digital video at home on your computer. However, if you have read the section above about MemorySafe® you know that self service editing of your digitized footage is available at an additional cost. If you are trying to save money and are content with a simple assembly edit of your footage rather than a more detailed cut, then simple planning of your basic Yes Video order can improve your DVD. If you are going to use Yes Video, here is what I would recommend.
Since each DVD order at Yes Video requires a separate order form that must be dropped off with the media that is to be transferred, I suggest that you organize all of your media in advance. If you group your media together in groups that will fit on each DVD and number each piece of media in that group, you can achieve a more interesting sequence of events on your DVD. Keep in mind these tips.
- DVDs hold up to two videotapes for a total of two hours of video.
- DVDs hold up to 1,600 feet of 8mm or Super 8 film or 3,200 feet of 16mm film.
- You cannot mix video and film with Yes Video.
- I suggest numbering your media so that each media format is grouped together followed by other media formats. Switching from 8mm film to 16mm film and then back to 8mm film is something Yes Video cannot do. I would follow the same guidelines with video formats as well.
Are Yes Video’s Methods The Best?
YesVideo reviews their transfer methods on their website. They do not give all of the details but they explain enough to satisfy the average customer. And, from what I can see, they do such a fine job with the methods they use, that they meet most customers’ expectations. However, being tech savvy and having worked in post production for over ten years, I tend to examine things a little more closely. Here are my thoughts.
Yes Video Tape Transfers – The Pros And The Cons
As far as video transfers go, Yes Video does not go into detail about the methods they use to digitize video. This is a signal of lower – or at least average – quality. In terms of resolution, they deliver transferred videotape just like everyone else – on a DVD at a resolution of 720 pixels wide by 480 pixels high. This is called standard definition, or low resolution. The biggest problem I have with Yes Video, in addition to the lack of disclosure about the methods they use to digitize video, is that they do not enhance the color or the quality of the video in any way before or after digitizing the media and they do not deliver uncompressed digital files for editing on a home computer editing system. That is very disappointing.
Yes Video Film Transfers Are Not Perfect
For film transfers, Yes Video has even more to be desired. Even though film captures much more detail than video, Yes Video delivers the same level of quality as their video transfers. This means that you will lose detail that is there in your film original if you have Yes Video transfer your film to digital. In contrast to Yes Video, there are companies that scan film all the way up to a resolution of 1920 x 1080. At Yes Video 720 pixels wide by 480 pixels high is the best they offer for film formats. This is a huge difference. On the bright side, Yes Video is less expensive. They do clean your film footage, re-splice them into more manageable reels, and adjust color and lighting. But – again – when compared to a post production house like Pro8mm in Burbank, California which uses a true scanner or a home movie transfer service like Got Memories in Tempe, Arizona which uses a quality frame-by-frame telecine, Yes Video cannot compete. This is really something to think about.
Remember, I mentioned that I worked for over ten years in post production, where high resolution film standards are expected and the quality of each frame is scrutinized with great attention. Obviously, when you are working in the motion picture industry, the size of the viewing screen is much larger than the size of the standard television set displaying your home movie. However, TV screens are getting larger all of the time. And if yours is not, you might still want to think about using a company that converts your analog film footage to high def. Film is going to disintegrate over time so it is wise to capture your film images into a digital format at the highest possible resolution that you can afford.
The Price Is Hard To Beat
All of these flaws considered, Yes Video still offers a very reasonable cost. They offer comparatively low prices for film transfers and are quite competitive for their video transfers. Depending on the retail partner you choose, prices may vary. Some packages are only offered through Yes Video directly or certain retail outlets. Capturing original audio from your original film media can cost more. Damaged media will cost more to transfer as well. If you under-estimate your order and it turns out the media you sent does not fit on one DVD, that order will be charged extra as well. To give you a basic outline of the pricing at Yes Video, here is a current listing from their website for direct orders. Other retail store pricing may be different. Prices are based on the amount of content that gets transferred. Additional charges are incurred for the number of DVD discs used to fill your order.
- Video: $19.99 per tape
- Film: $19.99 for the first 200 feet (approximately $.10 per foot)
Closing Argument – The Pros And Cons Of Yes Video
Yes Video has the following pros:
- Convenient
- Efficient
- Good Reputation
- Moderate Pricing
However, Yes Video has a few limitations you should keep in mind:
- Does not offer color or lighting enhancement for video transfers
- Delivers standard definition resolution for film transfers (720 x 480)
- Does not deliver uncompressed digital files for editing on your home computer and for archival preservation
To be fair, I have not personally tested Yes Video. But, based on what I have learned about them, I do not want to personally test them with my family’s home movies and videos since my standards are much higher. My family memories are too precious to me. This is not to say that Yes Video does not offer a legitimate service and follow through on what they promise. They, in fact, do. However, the quality they provide is not satisfactory for me. If you feel the same way I do about quality, then keep checking back for more information on VHS to DVD transfer service companies.