One project across different video formats
LGD's published video list covers Beta, VHS, VHS-C, Hi8, Digital8, Video8, 8mm Video, MiniDV and MicroMV, as well as DVD and MiniDVD. That makes it worth considering when a family's recordings are divided between full-size tapes, compact camcorder cassettes and discs. Its stated outputs are MP4 or DVD. Ask how mixed formats will be grouped in your order and whether both outputs are available for the same recording.
For a private online family archive, request digital files you can upload. A DVD may suit a relative who already watches discs, but decide how everyone will actually view the recordings before choosing. Confirm how files will be delivered and what storage you need to provide or purchase; the published output choices alone do not settle those practical details.
Arrange the handoff before packing
LGD's process allows shipping your memories or arranging drop-off or pick-up. Our listing places the business in Cedarburg, WI, while its contact page publishes a PO Box in Grafton. Confirm the appropriate destination or meeting arrangement directly before traveling or mailing irreplaceable originals. A mailing address is not enough to establish where a customer should arrive for a handoff.
Make an inventory with a simple identifier for each tape, photograph its label and keep a copy yourself. Record anything you know about the occasion or people shown without guessing missing dates. If a cassette has mold, a cracked shell, loose tape or a history of playback trouble, describe that condition to LGD first and ask whether it can be accepted. Avoid testing a visibly damaged tape in an old player just to find out what is on it.
Allow time for numbered files and a first review
LGD publishes a typical turnaround of 3-4 weeks and says it may take longer between October and January. Its process also states that return shipping is free via USPS media mail with tracking. Confirm timing for your particular order before planning a reunion screening or holiday gift around its completion.
The same page says video projects are no longer rewound; requested rewinding is billed at $35/hour. It also says files receive corresponding numbers rather than descriptive names. Ask how those numbers connect to your inventory. Once the files arrive, preserve their original numbers while adding readable titles such as an occasion and year. Play each recording, check sound as well as picture, and inspect points near the beginning, middle and end.
The 14-day window matters after delivery
LGD says it keeps a project on file for 14 calendar days after you receive your order. Requests for additional copies should be made during that period, and it says no copy remains with LGD afterward. Set aside time to review the delivery promptly and contact the business within that window if you want extra copies. This retention period should not be treated as a promise about repairs or complaint handling.
Keep your original tapes after conversion, along with a record of which files came from each one. Store digital copies in more than one place, ideally with one backup separate from your everyday device. Before renaming or organizing everything, make a copy of the delivered folder so that you can recover the original numbering if a relative identifies a recording later.
Bring the digital recordings into a private family archive
After conversion, Memrial provides a separate private family archive for digital photos and home videos. It does not convert physical tapes and is not part of LGD Media. The free plan includes 2.0 GB of storage shared across the archive, with no card needed. Check your video file sizes before deciding how much of a collection will fit.
Invite relatives to help identify faces and add stories. Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, so a recording remembered only as a summer in the 1990s can still become easier to find by year. For a birthday gathering, Live Watch Parties synchronize an uploaded home video using the host's play, pause and seek controls, with voice and text chat for relatives nearby or far away. Free Watch Parties allow 3 hours monthly and up to 6 participants.
Event Memories can collect new photos and videos around that birthday through a secure occasion contribution link. Contributors sign in but do not need archive membership; their uploads go into the event album. Closing the link keeps the collected memories, allowing the older recording and today's celebration to sit within the family's continuing story.