Going Digital
- Leslie Ryan
- Apr 16
- 2 min read
Ancestry wants us going digital! They finally introduced their long promised new memories preservation product this week, AncestryPreserve. What is this all about?
Back before there were digital cameras, people used to take photographs that were developed into pictures (like you can do now with your printer) or into slides that were displayed in darkened dens with a slide projector and a sheet. There was often popcorn!
These outdated formats are no longer popular, but we have dozens of video cassettes and hundreds of slides containing precious memories that go back generations. Not to mention all of those pictures stashed in boxes to be put into albums or scrapbooks that are also gathering dust.
There are several companies that will convert these into digital images that you can save on your computer and share on CD's, memory sticks, etc. How does Ancestry compare? I checked on the web for the "best digitization services in 2026" and the number once choice was a product called "iMemories."
Ancestry's pricing is competitive with theirs and others, at around $15.00 per videocassette or reel of film, and .49 cents for each photo, slide, or document (this is according to iMemories' ads claiming these are their "sale prices"). iMemories will turn your product around in two-three weeks, whereas Ancestry has no definite turnaround time. Other services say it will take at least two to three months.
Ancestry will repair your photos for an extra charge. They will send you a quote for how much more you will have to pay besides the $20 per kit price. Please note that RETURN SHIPPING COSTS of your originals is NOT INCLUDED. If you decide you don't want to use their services, Ancestry will want more money to send your things back.
Ancestry saves your memories to your account, so they can easily added to your tree. Other services will save them so you can stream them on any device like Netflix, or to USB, DVD OR Blu-Ray.
Some of the less expensive services send your images overseas for processing, so BEWARE the possible loss of privacy.
You can learn a lot about the process at the Ancestry site by clicking here:
Again, I will point out that they start with showing a large image of "$20" for a kit, but that only covers the box they send you and the shipping costs to them!
Going digital is probably already available to you at your favorite big box store such as Costco. As with any purchase do your research to decide who you will trust with those family memories!
How is your tree research coming? If you are stuck I'd be glad to take a look at what you have to see if I can give you some pointers FOR FREE! Just send me an email to the address below.
Thanks for sharing your time with me,
Leslie Ryan
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No copyright infringement is intended.
