Sort the collection by cassette type before requesting a quote
Chicago Scanning's video list includes VHS, Mini DV, U-Matic and Betacam, HI 8 and Digital 8 tapes, VHS-C, and DVD and Mini DVD. Its separate VHS-C page explicitly describes digitizing that smaller tape format. If you have both full-size VHS cassettes and compact camcorder tapes, write down each type instead of describing the entire collection as VHS. This gives the conversation a clearer starting point.
Use the format printed on each cassette or case where you can read it. If a tape has no useful marking, photograph its front, back and label and ask the business to identify it. Give each item a simple number and keep a matching list of titles, approximate dates and known contents. Leave uncertainty visible: a label saying Christmas does not establish which year it was recorded.
Camcorder recordings and older professional tapes need separate descriptions
The website also has a dedicated Hi-8 and Digital8 conversion page. For U-matic, Chicago Scanning explicitly says it turns tapes into digital files. Betacam appears in the main video list too. These are useful distinctions if home movies sit alongside a recording made by a videographer or a tape from an older production. Ask about the precise format and variant on the label before assuming every item can be handled in the same way.
Your inventory need not be elaborate. A count by format, a note about any visible damage and an explanation of what matters most to you are enough to start. Flag a cracked case, suspected mold or a tape that previously jammed, and ask whether it can be assessed. Avoid trying repeated playback or opening a cassette yourself just to discover its contents. Discuss damaged material before agreeing to a transfer.
Agree on the files and the full cost before handing over originals
Ask Chicago Scanning to confirm the current charge for each format, how recording length affects the quote, and whether there are separate costs for delivery media or extra copies. Establish the expected completion date and how the original cassettes will be returned. These points are decisions to settle directly with the business; the published format list does not answer them.
For a family that wants to view recordings on computers and share them privately, ask for the exact digital file format and how the files will be supplied. Check whether you will receive one file per tape or separate recordings, and whether filenames can match your inventory. If you also want discs, clarify that separately. A digital file you can copy and back up is particularly useful when relatives use different devices.
Mention the device you expect to use and any archive you intend to upload to. Ask how large the files are likely to be and whether a short sample can help establish compatibility. Keep your requested result concrete: complete recordings, recognizable filenames and a clear way to match each file to its original cassette.
Plan contact and check the recordings when they return
Chicago Scanning publishes 848 W Eastman St Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60642 as its address and lists Monday-Friday 10AM - 6PM hours. Its published phone number is (312) 931 7520. Call ahead to confirm the arrangements for your collection and whether an appointment is needed before traveling with original tapes.
Once the files arrive, compare their names and counts with your inventory. Play the beginning, a middle portion and the end of each recording, checking both picture and sound. Note any missing sections or unexpected differences and raise those promptly. Keep the physical tapes, even after successful conversion, and maintain a separate backup of the files. One copy on a single device leaves the collection vulnerable to that device failing.
Let relatives help date the finished videos in Memrial
After conversion, Memrial offers a separate private family archive for digital memories. It does not convert tapes and is separate from Chicago Scanning. You can invite relatives, arrange photos and home videos in albums, and add comments and stories. The free allowance is 2.0 GB shared across the archive, with no card needed. Check file sizes before choosing which videos to upload.
Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, making memories easier to find by year even when a cassette label is vague. A relative may recognize the school uniform or remember which summer a trip happened. Live Watch Parties synchronize an uploaded home video, with the host controlling play, pause and seek and everyone using voice or text chat. The free plan includes 3 hours per month and up to 6 participants, so relatives nearby or far away can watch together.
For a reunion, Event Memories provides a secure occasion contribution link. Contributors sign in but do not need archive membership, and their photos and videos go into the event album. Closing the link keeps those memories. That gives newly converted footage a useful place beside relatives' photographs and recollections from the same occasion.