If you grew up in Corona, there’s a good chance your family has a box of old VHS tapes tucked away in a closet or basement. Maybe they hold your cousin’s birthday party at Flushing Meadows, Corona Park, a summer afternoon at the Lemon Ice King of Corona, or a holiday gathering on 108th Street. Those tapes are filled with moments you don’t want to lose, but VHS degrades over time. The good news? You can digitize them right here in Corona, and it’s easier than you think.
Your Options for Digitizing VHS in Corona
You have two main paths: use a local transfer service or do it yourself with a capture card. Both work well, and the best choice depends on how many tapes you have and your comfort with tech.
Local transfer services are great if you have a stack of tapes and want a professional finish. Many services in Queens will pick up and drop off, or you can mail them in. Prices are usually charged per VHS tape and depend on the provider. To find a reliable one, use the provider checker on this page to compare options near Corona. When choosing a service, look for one that cleans the tape heads and uses a time-base corrector to stabilize the video. Ask how they store your tapes and if they return the originals. Most services will provide digital files on a USB drive or via download, and some even offer basic editing like cutting out blank footage. It’s a hands-off option that saves you time, especially if you have dozens of tapes from family reunions, school events, and vacations.
DIY with a USB capture card is a smart choice if you have just a few tapes or want to save money. A capture card is inexpensive, you can find one for around around $25 on eBay or Amazon. You’ll also need a VCR (if you don’t have one, thrift stores in Corona often carry them) and a computer. Our step-by-step DIY guide walks you through connecting the cables, recording the video, and saving it as a digital file. It’s a satisfying weekend project. The process is straightforward: connect the VCR to the capture card via RCA cables, then plug the card into your computer’s USB port. Open the recording software that comes with the card or use free software like OBS Studio. Press play on the VCR and record in real time. Once done, save the file as an MP4 or another digital format. You can then edit the video to trim the beginning and end, but the original file remains untouched.
Caring for Your Tapes Before Transfer
Before you digitize, it’s important to care for your tapes to ensure the best quality. VHS tapes are magnetic and can be damaged by heat, humidity, and magnetic fields. Store them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. If a tape has been sitting for years, it may have mold or dust. Gently clean the tape case with a soft cloth. For mold, it’s best to consult a professional. Also, check the tape for any signs of sticky shed syndrome, where the binder breaks down and can clog the VCR. If the tape feels sticky or has a musty smell, consider a specialized cleaning service. Rewinding and fast-forwarding the tape once or twice before playback can loosen the tape and reduce the risk of jamming. Always use a clean VCR or have your VCR serviced if you haven’t used it in a while. Dirty heads can cause dropouts or distorted video. You can buy a head-cleaning cassette at electronics stores, but for important tapes, professional cleaning is safer.
The Problem with Digital Files Alone
Once your tapes are digitized, you’ll have shiny new MP4 files. But if you’re like most people, those files end up sitting on a hard drive or scattered across cloud folders. You open them once, then forget they exist. Sound familiar? It’s the same problem as the tapes in the loft, out of sight, out of mind.
Bring Your Memories Together in One Place
That’s where Memrial comes in. Think of it as a private, ad-free family archive where every memory has a home. You don’t need to wait until your tapes are digitized, you can start right now, from your phone, for free. Upload the photos and videos already on your phone, pin dates to build a shared family timeline, and invite relatives to add their own. That shoebox of scattered family memories finally sits in one place, in date order, for everyone to see. When your digitized tapes are ready, they join right in. And here’s the magic: relatives who shared those memories likely have their own old photos and videos tucked away. Memrial brings them all together, so no one misses a moment. You can tag the people in each memory, and even bring faded or black-and-white footage back to life with Colourisation. Imagine your family far apart, watching the same old video of a day at the Lemon Ice King of Corona, reacting together in a synced Watch Party. That’s what Memrial makes possible. And as the owner, you have full control.
Start Today
You don’t need to have everything digitized to begin. Grab your phone, upload a few photos from last summer, pin a date, and invite your mom or cousin to add theirs. It’s free to start. Your future digitized tapes will slide right in, and your family history will live in one private place, not lost on a hard drive. Ready to bring your memories together? Start your free Memrial archive today.