On Thursday, 10/17/2013 I phoned dvd transfer station to confirm viewing station format availability of HI8 and Mini DV video tapes. I was told by the owner; Michael, that they did in fact read those formats. This was great news for me. I had been doing everything I could to read some tapes I had from over 10 years ago that I no longer had cameras to see. In addition, I wanted to get these videos into my video editing software [Cyberlink Power Director] so I could edit in the fashion I have done with many recent, higher resolution formats from newer and better camcorders.
Michael didn't really sound "inviting" on the phone. I remember thinking he must be a stoned young employee who spoke very low. But I didn't care. They had a neat little service, not matched by any competitors I could find, and I wanted to avail myself of this service.
"Our free viewing station is always available for you to review your tapes & films!" That was what all his ads stated, and that was the first step in my process to inventory these seven old tapes with no cassette label that I had not played in 10 to 12 years. Once knowing what I had, I could find a way to transfer the working format to my computer.
Sorry to belabor that point. I'm sure anyone reading this review wants the same thing. As video and computer technology has grown, many of us have been left with data we can no longer read. Amen.
Here is my problem: The first cassette we played contained pornography. Admittedly; it is the only one of the 7 - I believe - that contains pornography; G/G, as it were, but I expected all of the tapes to contain Glamour and Topless Photography shoots.
By the viewing of the third tape; each viewed 5 to 20 seconds in duration, the owner made the decision he didn't want this viewable in public. I remember thinking he "could" have said that on the first tape, being porn and all. I had a computer store once, with two rental workstations, and I wouldn't allow the public to inadvertently see such material. But then again, his place of business was empty, it was 5:00 PM, I had called ahead and not been told about any "qualifying" or censorship.
Here's where it gets strange... for me. He didn't pull the plug on the first tape, nor, in his moral defense, did he encourage the viewing, the way my many years of experience finds most men's reaction. He pulled the tape from the player, conveniently provided me with a pressure sensitive label and pen, and proceeded to load the second tape to view. Tape 2 was a man's face. I believed a seminar I attended in Arlington VA years ago. We moved on to tape 3. Aww, this was Rachel, a pretty redheaded topless, nipple-pierced (my first LOL) Model who shot with me many times over a few months period.
Along the way I had emphasized that this was Metal Evaporative 8 mm tape, and I wanted the transfer to be the highest resolution I could get from the tape. Michael used this to repeat 2 or 3 times that he would not be able to satisfy my needs, took out the 3rd of 7 tapes I came to view, and shut me down. I was angry, to be sure. But I'm a 66 year old man who knows better than to be the injuring party if and when the police are called. So I reluctantly packed up my camera bag of tapes, complained that I had traveled across town, and was to be joined by a friend who I could not reach by phone, and hit the road.
If the story would have ended there, I would have had a complaint, to be sure. But I'm not sure I would have voiced my complaint, and for sure, not this loud... As it were LOL
My friend Peter walked in minutes after I left. I had sat in the car for a few short minutes, but alas, I drove away. Peter entered looking for me, since we had plans to meet there where I could conveniently give him a check. I live in North Phoenix; he in North Scottsdale. The owner of DVD Transfer Station proceeded to tell this older gentleman that I was thrown out for the pornographic material I was viewing! Michael couldn't tell me, but he could tell a 75 year old man, who just MAY have been a business client of mine I didn't want to share that private information with. Fortunately for me, he was not! LOL
That's my experience with dvdtransferstation. I hope yours is better.