Sort the VHS tapes from the camera formats
The published tape list is specific enough to help you prepare an inventory. Keep full-size VHS, compact VHS-C and the other camcorder formats in separate groups, using the printed labels to identify each one. Video8 and Hi8 are videotapes; a reel of 8mm movie film is a different medium. All on DVD and Flash also lists 8mm, Super 8 and Super 8 Sound film, so identify reels separately when describing a mixed collection.
Give every tape a simple number and note any label, likely year and known event. A description such as 'school concert, probably early nineties' is more useful than guessing an exact date. Photograph existing labels before adding removable identifiers. If a cassette has a cracked case, visible mold or loose tape, describe the problem and ask about assessment before trying to play it. A repair charge does not establish that every damaged recording can be recovered.
Arrange the Smithtown handover first
Local drop-off in Smithtown is by appointment only, with the website giving Tuesday through Thursday, 12:00 to 6:00 PM. Texting or calling the published number is a practical way to arrange that appointment and explain the collection. The business also accepts direct shipping and states that no deposit is required. Confirm the order instructions before sending irreplaceable originals.
Take a copy of your inventory to a drop-off or put one inside the parcel while retaining your own copy. Ask how the recordings will be identified throughout the order and how original videotapes will come back to you. For shipping, use protective packaging and keep the tracking details. Establish a completion estimate for the particular tapes you are submitting: the website's discussion of most orders taking six to eight weeks sits within its movie-film service description, so it should not be treated as a VHS turnaround promise.
Match the quote to your actual recordings
One published adjustment is a credit of up to 10% when a videotape is shorter than 30 minutes. That wording means the credit can vary; it is not a guaranteed 10% reduction. The site also says blank tapes and tapes containing TV shows are not transferred and attract no charge. These details can matter when a collection includes home recordings alongside old television recordings.
The same published passage lists a $15.00 tape repair charge and a required $20.00 flash drive purchase. Elsewhere, the site says a flash drive is included with most services. Ask for an itemized quote explaining which statement applies to your videotape order, the transfer charge and any repair or drive costs. Confirm tax and any other charges at the same time. Do not use the site's audio-cassette or film pricing as a substitute for a VHS quote.
Choose files you can watch and preserve
All on DVD and Flash advertises digital flash drive or DVD output. For a family planning to organize recordings on a computer and share selected memories privately, ask what video file type the flash drive contains. Also ask whether each tape becomes a separate file, how long recordings are divided and whether the files will work on the devices you use. A flash drive describes the carrier, not the file format.
When the results arrive, compare them with your inventory and play the beginning, middle and end of every recording. Check sound as well as picture, and review important scenes fully. Report anything unexpected with the tape number and playback position. Keep the originals, retain the supplied digital copy and create another backup on a separate device before relying on one drive for the whole collection.
Let relatives help identify the finished memories
After conversion, Memrial offers a separate private family archive for digital photos and home videos. It does not convert tapes and is not part of All on DVD and Flash. The free allowance is 2.0 GB shared across the archive, with no card needed. Check the size of your converted files when deciding what to upload first.
Invite relatives to help identify people and add stories. Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, making a recording easier to find by year even when its label is vague. For example, an aunt might recognize which summer a family picnic took place without remembering the day.
Live Watch Parties synchronize an uploaded home video, with the host controlling play, pause and seek while relatives nearby or far away use voice or text chat. The free plan provides three hours each month and up to six participants. For a reunion, Event Memories supplies a secure occasion contribution link: contributors sign in without needing archive membership, their photos and videos collect in the event album, and closing the link keeps the memories.