VHS, VHS-C, Video 8, Hi-8, Digital8, and MiniDV

Old home movies, whether stored on VHS, Hi8, MiniDV, or film reels, are irreplaceable treasures capturing life’s most meaningful moments — birthdays, holidays, family gatherings, and milestones. However, these analog formats are vulnerable to deterioration over time. Magnetic tape degrades, film becomes brittle, and playback equipment becomes scarce or obsolete.

The Digitizing Process

Once received, your tapes will be inspected for any damage, including broken tape, mold, and damage to the physical cassette. Any items found distressed will be brought to the customer’s attention for review. We will then label and catalog your items so they may be internally tracked for completion.

Your tapes will be digitized in real time and monitored for tracking and audio issues. Our workflow includes using playback devices with a built-in Time Based Correction circuit (TBC), or a downstream standalone TBC unit to clean up the audio and video signals and reduce tracking issues and audio warble.

Our digitizing devices convert your video from analog to digital in the native resolution and aspect ratio so as not to abnormally stretch the image to fit today’s wide screens. Your videos will be converted to .mp4 format video, and the audio will be either mono or stereo, depending on the source format.

The tapes will be played in their entirety to ensure all video is captured. Any blank space at the beginning or end of the tape will be trimmed, but blank spaces within the first and last images will be retained.

Once the process is complete, your videos will be placed on your desired delivery method, either a USB Thumb Drive or a Portable Hard Drive, and delivery of your files as well as the original media will be arranged. Items can be shipped for a fee if you prefer.