Family videos are a record of history and emotion. These old photos and videos hold a revered place in most homes. However, these memories are surprisingly vulnerable to damage. Even a little bit of water damage or exposure to sunlight, and those memories are gone. Taking the time to digitize older family memories mitigates that risk, among others.
Reason 1: Security
Now, people say there’s nothing like listening to songs on vinyl, for example. However, by keeping the records only on vinyl, there are chances to lose them. That’s what’s happening to those waiting to digitize older family memories. All it takes is one natural disaster, one box drop, or one unsupervised puppy, and those memories are gone forever.
Reason 2: Shareability
In the modern world, most people connect via the internet. It’s how they talk to their families, share details of their lives, and so much more. Older media is not designed for this kind of environment. If the item in question is from 20 years ago, the only way to share it is really in person. The choice to digitize older family memories means they can go on these platforms or share out via email easier.
Reason 3: Peace of Mind
These days, the cloud is everywhere. No matter where someone is, they can access it. This differs from the box of old VHS tapes in the closet. Anything could happen to those tapes, and then the memories would be lost forever. Taking the time to digitize older family memories grants peace of mind. Not only can the memories then be accessed from anywhere, but they are safe.
Reason 4: Aging
While older technology may last forever, it is relatively fragile. The internal components can rip and tear. There’s also the issue of obsolescence. Once a product becomes obsolete, finding replacement parts becomes an expensive proposition. There’s no practical way to conduct these repairs either, especially on tapes. Once the photos fade, the recordings become fragile, and the equipment fails, there’s no safe way to digitize older family memories. They’re simply gone, and the owner may not even realize it happened.
Reason 5: Convenience
Older storage methods have specific playback methods. It’s not like the difference between Blu-ray and regular DVD. Instead, it’s a wholly distinct set of media requirements depending on which generation is in use. These days, people don’t keep that technology with their TVs. If someone has a VCR for family videos, it usually lives in the closet. That means every time someone wants to watch an old movie; they must hook up the VCR again.
Once the old mediums are digitized, all those worries go away. There’s no need to keep cables around, or old equipment for that matter. When people choose to digitize old family memories, they’re making sure those memories will be here for their family generation after generation.
