Frequently Asked Questions about Digitization

You can either drop off your media personally at our studio at Maria-Theresien-Straße 42 in Innsbruck or send them to us by mail. For personal drop-offs, we create a detailed list of all submitted items together. For postal shipments, we ask you to include a corresponding list. We record each medium individually, check its external condition (e.g., for mold or tape breakage), and document this in your customer profile. This ensures that every item is correctly assigned and safely returned.

Yes, this is possible. We recommend shipping as an insured package with tracking. Since we offer insurance for media during transport, this is the safest method for customers outside of Innsbruck. Please pack the media securely so that they do not shift or get damaged by pressure during transport. Once the shipment arrives at our facility, you will receive a confirmation email at your provided address.

Each medium is assigned a unique internal identification number. We note the label on the cassette or reel as well as the format (e.g., VHS, Hi8, or 35mm). This list serves as the basis for naming the digital files. If you provide us with your own list of filenames or a chronological order, we are happy to implement this so that your digital archive is easy to navigate later.

Unlabeled media are recorded by us as "Unnamed [Number]". We strongly recommend keeping your own list before submission. Should we find content during digitization that suggests a specific order, we will note this in the final documentation to help you organize the files later.

We use professional hardware for conversion. For video digitization, we provide MP4 files by default in a resolution that matches the original (e.g., Standard Definition for VHS), but using modern codecs for better compression without loss of quality. For photo and slide scans, we work with a resolution of up to 6400 dpi (4K standard) to preserve maximum detail. Files are provided as TIFF or JPEG, depending on whether you wish to archive the images or share them quickly.

For video, we primarily use MP4. For audio recordings, we offer WAV (uncompressed for archival purposes) or MP3. For scans of negatives and slides, we deliver high-resolution TIFF files for further processing or optimized JPEG files. All formats are selected so that they can be played on modern computers, tablets, and smart TVs without additional software.

Yes, we have experience with various states of preservation. For tapes with mechanical damage (e.g., tape creases), we perform a careful manual repair before the medium is inserted into the device. For chemical damage, such as mold on films, we apply special cleaning processes. Please note that complete restoration is not always possible in cases of severe decay; however, we strive to achieve a high-quality result from the existing material.

Yes, in addition to pure digitization, we offer image and audio restoration. This involves reducing noise, crackling, or image interference using specialized software and manual editing. This service is charged per hour (see our price list at /en/services.html). We discuss exactly which areas should be restored in advance to achieve a natural result.

The average processing time is 10 days. In our business rules, a maximum turnaround time of 12 working days is established. This time includes recording, the actual digitization, quality control, and data provision. For very large archives (e.g., over 50 cassettes), we will agree on an individual schedule with you.

Yes, we offer an express service. For express orders, a surcharge of 50% is added to the regular price. In this case, we prioritize your order in our production queue. Please contact us in advance to check the availability of this service for your specific volume.

Our prices are based on the unit of the medium (e.g., per cassette or per meter of film). All stated prices include the statutory VAT of 20%. To start the project, we require a deposit of 30%. The remaining balance is due upon completion and delivery of the data. For B2B customers, we offer a payment term of 14 days.

We offer two main methods: first, we provide a secure download link to your personal cloud folder. This link is active for a limited period. Second, we can transfer the data to a USB stick or an external hard drive provided by you. We recommend cloud transfer for a quick first review and a physical copy for long-term archiving.

Absolutely. We treat all customer materials with the utmost confidentiality. Access to digitization stations and data storage is restricted to authorized personnel only. We do not use external cloud services for processing, but rather local, secured systems in our studio in Innsbruck. All details regarding data processing can be found in our Privacy Policy.

After successful delivery and confirmation of receipt, we keep a backup copy of your data for exactly 60 days. This serves as protection in case your own copies are damaged or the download was incomplete. After these 60 days, all digital data is irrevocably deleted from our systems.

Your originals remain your property and are returned to you in full after digitization. You can either pick them up personally at our studio or we can send them back to you by mail. We do not perform permanent storage of original media unless explicitly agreed upon for an extended restoration phase.

By placing an order, you confirm that you own the rights to the recordings or are authorized to have them digitized. We decline the digitization of commercially purchased films or music CDs/cassettes if this violates copyright law. Our detailed business conditions can be found in our Terms.