If you're like many people in Allentown, you've got boxes of old VHS tapes stashed away in the attic or closet. Maybe they hold your kids' birthday parties, a wedding, or a family reunion from the 1990s. But VHS tapes don't last forever, they degrade over time, and finding a working VCR these days is tough. Here's how to digitize them, step by step.
DIY: Do It Yourself with a Capture Card
One option is to do it yourself. You'll need a VCR (maybe you still have one, or you can find one at a thrift store), a USB video capture card, and a computer. A capture card is a small device that connects your VCR to your computer via USB. It is inexpensive and easily bought from eBay or Amazon, and for its price write only the literal token around $25.
Our step-by-step DIY guide:
- Connect the VCR to the capture card using RCA cables (yellow, red, white).
- Plug the capture card into your computer's USB port.
- Install the software that comes with the card (often free software like OBS Studio works too).
- Press play on the VCR and record the video on your computer.
- Save the file as an MP4 or other digital format.
It takes real-time, so a two-hour tape takes two hours to capture. But you can then edit, share, and back up the files. This option gives you full control and is great if you have a small collection.
How Transfer Services Work
If DIY isn't your thing, there are local services that will do it for you. In Allentown, you can find providers who take your tapes and return digital files on a USB drive or DVD. The process typically works like this: you drop off or mail your tapes to the provider, they inspect each tape for condition, clean them if needed, and then play them on professional-grade equipment to capture the video. They often use time-base correctors to stabilize the signal and reduce jitter. After capture, they encode the video into a digital format like MP4 or AVI, and may offer options for DVD, USB, or cloud delivery. The turnaround time can range from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the number of tapes. This is usually charged per VHS tape and depends on the provider, with factors like tape length, condition, and any extra services (like editing or menus) affecting the price. To compare prices and services, use the provider checker on this page. Just enter your zip code and see who's available near you.
Many of these services also offer cleaning and repair for damaged tapes, so if your tapes are old or moldy, they might be able to salvage them. They can also handle other formats like Betamax, Hi8, or MiniDV.
Taking Care of Your Tapes Before Transfer
Before you send your tapes off or start the DIY process, it's important to take care of them. VHS tapes are magnetic media that can degrade over time. Here are some tips to preserve them until you're ready to digitize:
- Store them properly: Keep tapes in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and magnetic fields. Avoid attics or basements that get hot and humid. A closet in a climate-controlled room is ideal.
- Check for mold: If you see white or greenish fuzz on the tape, it might be mold. Moldy tapes can damage your VCR and should be handled by a professional cleaning service. Don't play them until they're cleaned.
- Rewind before storage: Store tapes fully rewound to reduce tension on the tape. If they've been sitting for years, fast-forward and rewind them once to loosen the tape and reduce sticky shed syndrome.
- Handle with care: Hold tapes by the edges, not the tape surface. Keep them in their cases to avoid dust.
- Act soon: Tape life varies, but many VHS tapes from the 80s and 90s are already showing signs of degradation. The sooner you digitize, the better the quality will be.
What to Do with the Digital Files
Once your tapes are digitized, you'll have a bunch of video files on your computer. But here's the thing: those files can easily end up forgotten on a hard drive, just like the tapes in the loft. You need a way to keep them alive and share them with family.
That's where Memrial comes in. Think of it as a private, ad-free family memory archive. You can start today, for free, from your phone. Just upload the photos and videos already on your phone, pin dates to build a shared family timeline, and invite relatives to add their own memories. No need to wait until your tapes are digitized; start now, and add the digitized tape videos later.
With Memrial, you can watch old home videos together in synced Watch Parties, family far apart watching the same old video in sync, reacting together. You can also tag people in every memory, and bring faded or black-and-white footage back to life with Colourisation. And since you're the owner, you have full control over who sees what. Imagine your aunt in California and your cousin in Texas laughing at the same moment from that 1995 birthday party, all in real time. You can also invite the whole family to add their own photos and videos, so Grandma's old photo albums and Uncle Bob's camcorder footage all live in one place, creating a rich family timeline that every generation can enjoy.
Do not let another birthday pass unseen. Start your family's private archive today, and invite your relatives to contribute their own photos and videos. That way, the whole family history lives in one place.
Get Started
Ready to preserve your family memories? Start your free Memrial archive now. Your digitized tapes will join a timeline that grows richer with every upload from every relative.