Videotape to digital conversion services

[Anonymous]

Any recs for a service that will convert old videotapes (wedding movie, family video) to digital format?

[Anonymous]

Costco does this. We did it with slides but I have had friends who have done videostapes and heard good things. It's priced well and they do a good job.

[Anonymous]

If you just want a "viewing copy" from VHS or Betamax then the commercially available services (Kodak Digitizing, etc.) will be fine. If you do this, be sure to keep the original. If you have more obscure formats and/or want a truly archival copy (digitized as uncompressed 10-bit in an AVI or MOV container), then you need to start looking at more expensive and professional-grade services. Maybe start with DC Video (I've not used them, but they have a good reputation and handle many archival formats).

If you have a large number of tapes, a computer, a working VCR, and some time, it might be most cost-effective to buy a capture card and do this yourself, or maybe hire the neighbor's kid to do it. Again, if you do this, keep the original tapes. There will be improvements in digitizing technology in the future.

[Anonymous]

Costco

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you just want a "viewing copy" from VHS or Betamax then the commercially available services (Kodak Digitizing, etc.) will be fine. If you do this, be sure to keep the original. If you have more obscure formats and/or want a truly archival copy (digitized as uncompressed 10-bit in an AVI or MOV container), then you need to start looking at more expensive and professional-grade services. Maybe start with DC Video (I've not used them, but they have a good reputation and handle many archival formats).

If you have a large number of tapes, a computer, a working VCR, and some time, it might be most cost-effective to buy a capture card and do this yourself, or maybe hire the neighbor's kid to do it. Again, if you do this, keep the original tapes. There will be improvements in digitizing technology in the future.

Thanks - the challenge is while the digitizing will improve, the source material will degrade!

[Anonymous]

Thanks - the challenge is while the digitizing will improve, the source material will degrade!

True. But keep any one-of-a-kind originals, either way. I feel so badly for the people who had home movies transferred to VHS in the 1980s and then threw away the film. If they had kept it, they would be able to have HD-quality copies today. It's not a perfect example, but it demonstrates the importance of not throwing away unique original material after a format conversion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Thanks - the challenge is while the digitizing will improve, the source material will degrade!

True. But keep any one-of-a-kind originals, either way. I feel so badly for the people who had home movies transferred to VHS in the 1980s and then threw away the film. If they had kept it, they would be able to have HD-quality copies today. It's not a perfect example, but it demonstrates the importance of not throwing away unique original material after a format conversion.

Yeah - I wouldn't discard the source. This isn't an effort to digitize and be done. On the contrary, I'm a hoarder!

[Anonymous]

Rachel Westfall is in DC and does this as her business. She transferred my mini-DV tapes to a thumbdrive. HIGHLY recommend her. Small local business, prompt, competent, kind.

https://photo-scanning-by-rachel-westfall.business.site/

[Anonymous]

Yeah, that is a really cool idea. I wanted to make an original present to my grandparents. They also had their wedding at the tape and many other clips, so I found a company that made it digital. And I prepared a video for the their anniversary celebration in movavi.io/best-free-video-editing-software-no-watermark-for-pc-en/. I merged their videos and added their favorite music. They really liked it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, that is a really cool idea. I wanted to make an original present to my grandparents. They also had their wedding at the tape and many other clips, so I found a company that made it digital. And I prepared a video for the their anniversary celebration in program I found here movavi.io/best-free-video-editing-software-no-watermark-for-pc-en/. I merged their videos and added their favorite music. They really liked it.

OMF, that is so sweet. That is a really good present.