Digitize VHS Tapes
Own the files. Stream for six months. Not another analog copy that will rot in a different sleeve. The drive is yours. The catalog is how you find anyone in it.
Estimate a digitize jobDigitize VHS tapes to files, not another disc
Copying a cassette to DVD was the 2000s answer. The disc still needs a player, still scratches, still ages. Digitizing means a file you can move, back up, and watch without hunting for a tray. We capture to archival files on a hard drive you keep. Our Home Movies streams a viewing copy for six months. We do not re-record to DVD as the archive.
This page is about ownership and honesty. For the full offer, read VHS to digital. For how the tape is actually played, read transfer VHS to digital.
Native quality: we do not sell 4K VHS
VHS is not 4K. Selling an upscale as the master is a different business. We capture cleanly at the tape’s native resolution, stabilize where it helps, and store a master on the drive. Streaming is a viewing copy. Grain that was on the cassette stays grain. Faces that were never sharp do not become sharp.
We also take Hi8, MiniDV, and VHS-C. MiniDV is already digital on tape. Hi8 is analog on a small cassette. VHS-C is compact VHS. Identify those on the format guide. This page is the digitize-to-files argument for VHS.
Files are yours. Six months of hosting and streaming is included with digitizing, then keep watching for $12 or $20 a month, price locked.
What you keep
- Hard drive of restored files, mailed complimentary at $250+
- Cataloguing by date, person, and event
- Six months of hosting and streaming through Apple TV, iPhone, and web
- USB on request for smaller jobs. The drive is the archival default
Magnetic tape sheds. DVDs fail in a different way. Files on a drive you hold, plus a catalog you can search, is how home movies last.
Digitize VHS tapes as a gift
Searches to digitize VHS tapes rise every December. An Our Home Movies login on Christmas morning is a different present than another disc. Practical path: run the estimate on this page, ship the tapes, and they get a login plus the drive when the job is done. Turnaround is typically 2 to 4 weeks after arrival, so leave room for the box.
If the gift is about why families do this at all, start at convert home videos to digital. When you are ready to hire, use VHS to digital service.
Questions about files you keep
Is digitizing VHS tapes better than copying to DVD?
Yes. A DVD is another disc that scratches, ages, and locks you to a player. When you digitize VHS tapes you get files you own on a hard drive and can stream. We do not re-record to DVD as the archive.
What quality do I get when I digitize VHS tapes?
Capture is real-time from professional decks at the tape’s native resolution, stored as archival files for the drive and a viewing copy for streaming. VHS is not 4K. We do not sell an upscale as the master.
How long before December should I digitize VHS tapes as a gift?
Turnaround is typically 2 to 4 weeks after the tapes arrive. Order with enough time for shipping both ways. They get an Our Home Movies login and a hard drive, not a disc under the tree.
Do I get a USB stick or a hard drive?
The hard drive is the archival default. Complimentary drive mail starts at $250 of work. USB is available on request for smaller jobs.
What else is included when I digitize VHS tapes?
Cataloguing by date, person, and event, six months of hosting and streaming through Apple TV, iPhone, and web, and the originals returned with the drive. The full offer is on the VHS to digital page.
Estimate a digitize job
Cataloguing, a hard drive of restored files, and six months of hosting and streaming through Apple TV, iPhone, and web. Delivery is estimated from your ZIP.
A typical VHS T-120 holds up to two hours. Home movies are often shorter. 60 minutes is a fair start.
Complimentary hard drive mailed with orders of $250 or more.
- Physical backup: restored files on a hard drive
- Home movies cataloguing by date, person, and event
- Six months of hosting and streaming through Apple TV, iPhone, and web