In the midst of Covid-19, roughly a month or so after the lockdown, I discovered a bunch of VHS tapes, cassette tapes and old fashioned movie reels taken by my grandparents in the first half of the last century. They’ve been on my list to digitize for awhile now and what a better time to embark on such a project than during a time of social distancing, when we’re spending more time at home than on the road.
I had an opportunity to review the service from the folks at LegacyBox who digitize your audio and visual assets. They use state-of-the-art tracking, barcoding, and real-time updates throughout the digitizing process. I mention this first because everyone I have talked to about having this process done is first concerned with: “what if my original photos and movies get lost?”
We came up with around 20 or so items to send to them, which was a mix of VHS tapes, a few audio cassettes from my days as an exchange student and a few 8mm films, some of which I had never seen.
I was excited to go back into memory lane albeit a bit apprehensive too of course. Most of the work we do with our healing practice is all about ‘being present’ and focusing on moving forward rather than hanging out in the past. Often, when we focus too much attention on the past, rather than the present or moving forward, we can get stuck.
That said, I find that processing the past through visualization, audio/music and/or movement (see the Femme! certification I did recently which focuses on moving trauma and emotions through the body via movement), we are given an opportunity to feel into the emotions in real time, thereby letting go of some of the things that triggered our buttons along the magical journey called life.
Although diving into visual and audio memories can bring up turbulent emotions that aren’t always so pleasant, raising them with an intention to be healed can be incredibly powerful. Intention is key here.
With that in mind, I think that diving into our past — both the good and the sad — can be powerful ways to release, let go and move forward in a way that perhaps allows us to release some of the triggers which once held power over us.
And then of course, there’s the joyful happy memories of old that don’t trigger us negatively — you know, the ones that are simply there for pleasure viewing and who doesn’t want more of that? Alas, without the triggers of sadness, you can appreciate relatives who may no longer be with us in the essence of who they once were.
When we appreciate the joy they brought to our lives rather than focus on the fact that their physical bodies are no longer with us, we can dip our toes into deeper gratitude, reminding us of their beauty and love they once showed us. With more gratitude, we are always set free.
Consider what you have at home, the office, in your garage, basement or storage unit that hasn’t been viewed in awhile or perhaps ever. Wouldn’t it be cool to see what’s on those old devices or relive the times when you were a toddler or even when your parent was one?
So, how does it work exactly?
After you place your order online, they’ll send you a box which they simply call the LegacyBox. They come in different sizes depending on what you’d like to get converted and how many items of course.
Once you decide on the above option, you’ll get the box to send your memories to them, as well as a welcome guide with simple, step-by-step instructions, safety barcodes for every item and a pre-paid UPS return shipping label.
You can mix and match multiple format types from VHS tapes to Super8 film. For tapes, they support VHS-C, Hi8, Video 8, MiniDV, Betamax (this was big at one time, remember?), PAL and Digital 8.
Once they receive your LegacyBox full of your goodies, it takes around 6-8 weeks (could be longer with the coronavirus, so check with them to be sure, but for us, it took around 7-8 weeks).
They’ll return your originals of course and depending on what options you select, you’ll receive your audio and visuals in a digitized format on your choice of Thumb Drive, DVD or Digital Download. OR, you can opt for all of the above for more flexibility which allows you to be able to share with other family members who don’t live nearby.
Apparently, its a pretty detailed process in that all the analog media you send them is carefully converted by hand by a team of trained technicians.
Below are some of the DVDs that I received — I also opted for everything a thumb drive as well which is super helpful.
About LegacyBox
LegacyBox is part of a company called Southtree, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce company, which was started by two college housemates in their garage. They have a lot of history with over a decade digitizing visual and audio assets. They’ve had no shortage of press either — they were called “Best Memory Keeper” by Good Housekeeping Magazine (yes, they’re still around) and a “Must Have” by ABC’s The View.
They have a 100,000 square foot production facility, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The cool thing is that we actually went on a press trip there a few years back, so love the area – from a nature perspective, its beautiful and their food scene is better than you’d imagine as well. Oh yeah, and then there’s the music. (See the Chattanooga Travel Guide we put together from our time there)
SO, what are you waiting for? What a fun project to dive into now that you’re at home more than perhaps you’d normally be this summer.
Grab those priceless photos and clean out your closet. The other thing I’d add is that the digitized version of your memories take up a lot less space as well, so it’s a great way to get more organized. It also makes a great gift for a friend or family member, does it not?
For more information, visit the Legacybox website where you can view their offerings and prices.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
