If you have a box of old VHS tapes gathering dust in your Washington home, you are not alone. Many families in Tyne and Wear have precious memories, childhood birthdays, wedding days, school nativity plays, locked away on tapes that are slowly degrading. The good news is that digitising them is easier than you might think, and there are a few routes to choose from.
How VHS Transfer Works
Transferring VHS to digital involves playing the tape while capturing the video and audio signal through a converter into a computer. There are two main approaches: using a professional service or doing it yourself. Professional services, which you can find locally in Washington and the wider Sunderland area, typically use high-quality playback decks and capture cards to ensure the best possible picture and sound. They will often clean the tape heads and adjust tracking to minimise dropouts. The cost is usually charged per VHS tape and depends on the provider, so it is worth comparing prices using the provider checker on this page. Some services also offer additional options like basic editing, chapter markers, or even converting to DVD alongside digital files. Turnaround time can vary from a few days to a couple of weeks depending on the volume. If you have many tapes or want peace of mind that the job is done properly, a professional service is the simplest choice.
Taking Care of Your Old Tapes
Before you digitise, it is important to handle your VHS tapes with care. Over time, tapes can suffer from mould growth, sticky shed syndrome (where the binder deteriorates), or simple physical wear. Store tapes in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and magnetic sources. Avoid rewinding or fast-forwarding tapes that have not been played in years, as the tape can snap or stretch. If you notice a musty smell or visible mould, do not play the tape in a standard VCR as it can contaminate the machine and other tapes. Some professional services offer tape cleaning and restoration, which may be necessary for severely degraded tapes. For tapes in good condition, a single playback for transfer should be fine, but minimise repeated playings to avoid wear. Always check that your VCR is in good working order, with clean heads, before attempting playback.
DIY Digitisation: A Step-by-Step Guide
If you are handy and want to save money, you can digitise your VHS tapes yourself. You will need a working VCR, a USB capture card (which is inexpensive and easily bought from eBay or Amazon; for its price, see around £20), and a computer with enough hard drive space. Start by connecting the VCR to the capture card using composite or S-Video cables (plus audio cables). Install the capture software that comes with the card or use free software like OBS Studio. Play the tape and begin capturing in real time, which means a two-hour tape will take two hours of your time. Monitor the capture to ensure the signal is stable. Once captured, you can trim the start and end using basic video editing software. Save the file as an MP4 or a lossless format if you have space. Label each file with the date and event for easy organising. The DIY route gives you full control but requires patience and a bit of technical know-how.
The Problem with Digitised Files Alone
Once your tapes are converted, you will have digital files, MP4s, probably, sitting on a hard drive or in a cloud folder. But here is the thing: those files can end up just as forgotten as the tapes were. They are isolated, hard to share with family, and they lack context. When was that birthday? Who is that toddler now a grown-up? The memories risk becoming orphaned data.
A Better Way: Bring Your Family Memories Together
What if you could take those digitised videos and combine them with all the photos and videos already on your phone, plus contributions from relatives? That is exactly what Memrial does. It is a private family memory archive, like a private, ad-free Facebook just for your family. You start for free today, from your phone, by uploading the photos and videos you already have. Pin dates to build a shared family timeline. Then, when your VHS tapes are digitised, you add those too. And you invite relatives to add their own old photos and videos, so the whole family history lives in one private place.
Do not let another birthday pass unseen. With Memrial, you can watch old home videos together in synced Watch Parties, imagine your family far apart watching the same old video in sync, reacting together as if you were in the same room. Or use Colourisation to bring faded or black and white footage back to life, turning sepia memories into vibrant scenes.
Start Now, No Need to Wait
You do not need to have your tapes digitised first. Start building your family timeline today with what you have. You are the archive owner with full control. Then, as you convert those VHS tapes, simply add them in. It is free to start and takes just a few minutes.
Ready to Begin?
Head over to Memrial and create your family archive. Your memories deserve a proper home.