Old Memories Get New Life

By Elizabeth O'Brien

It’s the ultimate in grandpa tech: A small company out of Omaha, Neb., is converting old media like home movies and printed photos into a digital format for storage and for sharing with friends and relatives. The Wall Street Journal’s Walter S. Mossberg tested the service, called PeggyBank, with his own family memories — some VHS video tapes, old photo prints and audiotapes. For $272, the company converted each successfully into a digital format.

One point the story didn’t mention was that the the service, which uses Adobe Flash, can’t translate old films into high definition. So the resulting movies would look good on YouTube, for example, but not as sharp on a big screen for a viewing party. Still, if the choice is between enjoying fuzzy memories or watching said memories collect dust in the basement, it’s a no brainer.