Knowledge Blog

Portable Document Format, or PDF, is the most popular standard for electronic records.  PDF digital files contain graphics, searchable text, and other types of rich media.  Accessible on any device, you likely use PDF files from your home, work, or mobile device.

Everyone enjoys receiving a home delivery.  Criminals do too.  From "porch pirates" to texting scams, you need to employ diligence to stay safe in today's cyber-driven economy.  Good news!  You'll never have delivery problems when using Heirloom.

Porch Pirates

Doorbell cameras have helped to cut down on porch pirates.  Local police have also taken notice.  However, the best defense is to remove the criminal's opportunity by not having unattended packages visible from public access.  Request a vendor make delivery on a day you expect someone to be home, or request shipment to an alternate location, like your work address.

This past year has been full of challenges for everyone.  Despite this, we have many reasons to give thanks.  For those feeling burdened by restrictions on travel, or the commercialism of the season, please consider what Linus has to tell us about the meaning of Christmas.

The MP3 is a widely popular format for digital audio.  It is playable on any computer operating system and can be streamed through the internet.  It's possible to store thousands of hours of MP3 audio to a single flash drive smaller than your thumb.

Heirloom is all about connections.  We connect you with your photos, videos, and other cherished memories.  With cloud technology, we better connect families by providing shared access to these treasures.  But we also believe in connecting disadvantaged adults to rewarding employment.  That's why every digitizing order in 2020 generates a $10 donation to the Madison House Autism Foundation.

The MP4 is a widely popular format for digital video.  It is playable on any computer operating system and can be streamed through the internet.  It's possible to store hundreds of hours of MP4 video to a single flash drive smaller than your thumb.

The gathering is not as big, but we have many reasons to be joyful.  Pick up the phone and text or call a distant relative.  Perhaps video chat with loved ones? ...

First it was old video reels, then a transfer to VHS cassettes, and later conversion to DVDs!  Will outdated media ever stop?  Here are the top five reasons to move your family memories to the cloud.

1.  Your Loved Ones

Your memories are priceless and deserve preservation.  Have you properly secured your family's cherished photos and videos?  Barring a total loss due to a fire, flood, or storm, does your family even know the media exists?  One of the most effective habits of highly effective people is to "Begin with the end in mind."  Without sounding morbid, what will your children, grandchildren, and other heirs think as they comb through dusty boxes of old memories after your death?  Instead, might they prefer you share them today in a way that the whole family can enjoy, together?  Putting your memories on the cloud, privately or publicly, is the best way to stay connected with family and friends from any location. 

We're often asked how long it takes to digitize VHS memories.  The answer... it depends.  More importantly, who is doing the digitizing?

The Inescapable Truth

No matter who is doing the digitizing, capturing VHS signal is done in real time.  Therefore, a two hour video takes at least two hours to digitize.  One machine plays the tape, while another captures the signal into a digital format.  Most VHS cassettes hold up to six hours of signal, so good digitizers will play through the entire tape (six hours) to ensure they don't miss an important video event later in the tape. 

It's Called Military 'Service'

Veterans know how to serve.  They're defined by their selfless military duty.  Many risk their lives and deploy to hostile areas in defense of their country.  Service members leave behind spouses, children, and their favorite possessions.  They join forces to serve a cause much greater than their own desires.  Some never return, many return with physical and mental wounds, but veterans never regret fighting for the freedoms that define their nation.

Is your data locked up?

Data portability is a concept few pause to consider.  It's similar to the idea of freedom.  Freedom is something we take for granted until our liberties are restricted.  What about your favorite memories?  Is access to this data restricted in any way?  Are you free to enjoy your memories from any device, at any time?  Can you easily share this data with your friends and family, or is is locked up by some proprietary platform?

Are you cut off from the past?  Are there barriers to enjoying your old photos, videos, and other cherished memories?  Does outdated technology keep you from reliving the good times with your family?

Scrapbooks are a great place to curate memories around a common theme.  They often contain priceless photographs, handwritten notes, and newspaper clippings.  Sometimes they're adorned with colorful artwork and other decorations to make an extra special memory.  With this great time investment, perhaps you should consider making digital scrapbooks so your entire family can enjoy these priceless heirlooms forever?

Converting physical media to digital is a critical job.  Doing it yourself, the task can become an overwhelming project requiring multiple pieces of hardware, great organizational skills, and an incredible attention to detail.  This explains why most American consumers have not yet digitized their precious memories.

Long before there was PowerPoint® or the personal computer (PC), families would gather in a darkened room to experience the magic of an old time photo slide show.  Using slides, photography images were projected onto a wall or screen for friends to enjoy together.  Perhaps these photos were captured weeks prior using the family camera during summer vacation?  The thrill of enjoying these photos together is a pastime largely unknown to younger generations.

Where did I leave my keys? Why was I headed to this room?  What was the name of that person I just met?  We all experience occasional memory challenges.  Research at Johns Hopkins confirms that human brain cognition degrades with age, but more connections can improve everyone's memory.

Wise consumers insure their homes and cars, but it's impossible to replace your one-of-a-kind photos and video.  These original treasures require a robust copy to prevent a total loss.  Making digital copies of physical media, or digitizing, is the best method to preserve your priceless memories.

To quickly determine your quantity of photos, simple measure each pile.  There are approximately 100 regular size photos for every inch.  For example, a 5 inch stack contains about 500 photos.  At Heirloom, those 500 photos are each scanned as an individual JPG file at 300dpi for only $75.00.  That's only $0.15 each!

Consumers have frustratingly asked the same question since the beginnings of the personal computer (PC).  Starting in the 1980s, users wanted to know why some important files would not open or play correctly on their devices.  The files in question are typically transferred from one PC user to another user on a different PC.  Sometimes the important file contains business data, sometimes it's a compelling image, but due to the complexity of the file type, most often the file is some kind of video file.  

Your memories are priceless.  They spark powerful emotions of remembrance, nostalgia, and joy.  Family history has a whole new relevance while looking through ancestral photos.  Playing an old VHS cassette helps us to relive our childhood.  How cherished to hear the precious voice of a deceased friend!

Preserving your priceless memories is fast and safe using Heirloom's Secure Transfer Kit!  The kit ships to your door with everything you need.  Now, digitizing is easy as 1-2-3!

Those tapes are going bad.  Convert your 8mm reels, VHS, Beta, and even DVDs to a portable digital format that will last forever.  Share on the cloud so the whole family can enjoy from any device.

VCR no longer working? Do you even know what's on those VHS cassettes? No worries! At Heirloom, we inspect all videos before for signal before digitizing.

In what order should photos be scanned? Heirloom scans your photos in a logical order. This means as close as physically possible to the way you ship them.

Under COVID-19, and cancelled family reunions, how can we stay connected? Heirloom recommends digitizing your memories, then sharing them on the cloud!

COVID-19 has forced UPS and FEDEX to increase their shipping charges. This effects transporting your memories to Heirloom. It's still well worth the cost.

It's no coincidence that Heirloom was founded in the Washington, DC area. It's the home of good technology, universities, and an expertise in big data.

Decluttering your memories is a great project during the COVID-19 quarantine. Get your old media to Heirloom's digitizing facility using FEDEX home pickup.

How do I get started digitizing all my old memories?  There are many variables to consider, with cost being rather significant.

TIFF is the acronym for Tagged Image File Format, a digital standard for image files.  The TIFF is not as popular as the JPG standard, but the TIFF boasts "lossless" quality and raster graphics features.

PNG is the acronym for Portable Network Graphics, a digital standard for image files.  The PNG is not as popular as the JPG standard, but the PNG boasts "lossless" quality and supports better image editing.

VHS is the acronym for Video Home System.  VHS used a Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) to record and play analog video tapes.  VHS rose to popularity in the 1970s, but has been surpassed by the technology inherent with digital video.

Heirloom believes in digital privacy, and the commercial cloud makes that possible more than any other medium.  Your data is always encrypted while any of your devices communicates with Heirloom's cloud.  Unlike public networks like Facebook, the data on Heirloom's private network can never be shared or viewed by anyone but yourself and the intended recipients.  You would be surprised to see the reputable organizations that trust could managed private networks for their most sensitive data!

A JPG, also called JPEG, is the most popular digital format for photographic image files.  JPEG is an acronym for the Joint Photographic Experts Group who first developed this standard for digital photography in 1992.  The digital file extension .jpeg and .jpg are interchangeable.  Most often you'll see the digital file represented as *.jpg, but most people pronounce the file as a "Jay-Peg" image.

Cloud storage is more reliable and accessible than physical storage. Heirloom’s “11 nines” durability means you are 411 times more likely to get hit by a meteor than...

That's right.  No need to sort your order before shipping to Heirloom.