If you've got a box of old VHS tapes gathering dust in your Bracknell loft, you're not alone. Many families in the town have cherished home videos from the 80s and 90s: birthday parties, school plays, holidays, and everyday moments that are slowly degrading. The good news is that digitising them is easier than ever, and you don't need to wait to start preserving your family's memories.
Why Digitise Your VHS Tapes?
VHS tapes degrade over time. The magnetic tape can become brittle, and the playback heads on old VCRs may not be reliable. Tapes stored in warm, damp lofts or garages are especially at risk. By digitising, you create a permanent digital copy that can be shared, backed up, and enjoyed for generations. Plus, you can finally watch those old videos on your TV, laptop, or phone without hunting for a working VCR.
Tape Care Before Digitising
Before you start the transfer process, it's important to ensure your tapes are in the best possible condition. First, store them in a cool, dry place for a few days to acclimatise if they've been in a loft. Avoid exposing them to extreme temperatures or direct sunlight. Check the tapes for any signs of mould or damage. If a tape is mouldy, do not play it in your VCR, as it can spread to other tapes and damage the machine. In such cases, a professional cleaning service is recommended. Also, rewind the tapes fully before playback to reduce tension on the tape. Proper care can prevent issues like dropouts or jamming during transfer.
How the Transfer Process Works
Digitising a VHS tape involves playing the tape and capturing the video signal as a digital file. There are two main approaches: using a transfer service or doing it yourself. A transfer service will typically take your tapes, inspect them, clean them if needed, and play them into a computer with professional-grade capture hardware. The resulting digital files are usually provided on a USB drive, DVD, or via download. The turnaround time can be a few days to a week, depending on the number of tapes. Prices vary, but it is usually charged per VHS tape and depends on the provider. Compare options using the provider checker on this page to find a service that suits your budget and needs. For a typical family with a dozen tapes, this is often the most convenient and reliable option, especially if you don't have a VCR or the technical know-how.
How to Do It Yourself
If you prefer a hands-on approach and have a VCR, you can digitise your tapes at home. You'll need a USB video capture card, which is inexpensive and easily bought from eBay or Amazon, and for its price you can expect to pay around around £20. You will also need a computer with a USB port and the capture software that comes with the card. Our step-by-step DIY guide walks you through the process: connect the VCR to the capture card via composite or S-Video cables, install the software, and play the tape while recording the video in real-time. Each tape takes the same length of time to transfer as it does to play. This method gives you full control and can be done at your own pace. However, it requires patience and a bit of technical skill, especially if you need to edit the resulting files or handle multiple tapes.
The Problem with Digitised Files
Once your tapes are digitised, you might store them on a hard drive or in a cloud folder. But here's the thing: those files can easily become as forgotten as the tapes in the loft. They sit in a folder, unlabelled, and no one watches them. The memories are saved, but they're not really alive. A hard drive can fail, a cloud subscription can lapse, and without organisation, the videos become just another digital mess.
A Better Way: Start Your Family Archive Tonight
Instead of waiting until all your tapes are digitised, you can start building a family archive right now, from your sofa, using your phone. Imagine a private, ad-free space where you and your relatives can upload photos and videos, pin dates to create a shared family timeline, and tag the people in every memory. That's what Memrial offers.
You don't need a single digitised tape to get started. Open Memrial on your phone, upload the photos and videos already on your device, and begin building your timeline. Your digitised tapes can join later, just upload the files when they're ready. And the best part? Your relatives probably have their own old photos and videos, and Memrial brings them all together in one private place.
Watch Parties and Colourisation
With Memrial, you can watch old home videos together even when you're miles apart. In a Watch Party, family far apart watch the same old video in sync, reacting together as if you're in the same room. And if you have faded or black-and-white footage, Colourisation brings it back to life, adding colour to those old scenes so they feel fresh and new.
Start Tonight, for Free
You are the archive owner with full control. It's free to start, and you can invite relatives to add their own memories. So while you're sorting out your VHS tapes, get your family history started today. Your memories deserve to be seen, not hidden away.
Ready to begin? Start your free Memrial archive now.