Read the tape price bands carefully
The video transfer page lists one tape at £10.00, three to five tapes at £8.00 each, and five to ten tapes at £5.00 each. Extra copies are listed at £5.00 each. These figures belong specifically to the tape transfer service, which names DVD and USB memory stick as its outputs.
Five tapes appear in both published quantity bands, so ask which rate applies to your batch. The page also leaves the two-tape price unresolved. Before booking, request a total for your actual number of tapes, confirm whether any recording-length limit applies, and ask whether the USB stick or DVD media and any tax are included. This lets you compare a complete quotation rather than relying on the lowest per-tape figure.
Choose DVD or USB around how you will watch
Chorley Video Productions publishes both DVD and USB memory stick options. A DVD may suit a relative who already uses a disc player; digital files may be more convenient for a computer, family archive or future copies. The output medium alone does not tell you the file type or how a long recording will be divided, so make those questions part of your enquiry.
For USB delivery, ask what file format you will receive and whether it works with the devices you intend to use. For DVD, ask about playback compatibility. If you want both, request a combined quotation and clarify what the extra-copy charge covers. Do not assume that transferring an old tape will remove every tracking fault or improve the original camera footage; discuss any particular picture or sound problems before handing it over.
Keep reels and slides separate from the tape count
The business also advertises transfers of cine films, photos, slides, audiotapes and vinyl records. This broader offering could help you bring related family material into one project, but each medium needs its own estimate. The tape price bands should not be used to calculate a cine-film or slide order.
For cine film, the published rates are £25.00 for one to four small 7cm spools, with each small spool thereafter at £5.00. One large 18cm spool is £25.00, with each large spool thereafter at £10.00. Slides are listed at £25.00 for the first 30, then £00.10 for each additional slide. Ask for confirmation when combining different spool sizes or media types.
A simple inventory helps: record the medium, its existing label and the likely occasion. Keep uncertain identifications tentative. A relative may recognise a wedding venue or the people in a slide, giving you a better description than an invented date.
Agree the handover, then check the returned memories
The contact page publishes an address at 33 Elmwood, Astley Village, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 1UU, together with a mobile number and email address. Contact the business to agree how you should deliver your collection, the expected completion date and the return of your originals. An address on a website does not establish drop-in hours or an appointment arrangement.
Number each tape and photograph its label before packing it. Mention cracked cases, loose tape, damp exposure or suspected mould, and ask whether the item can be assessed; avoid trying to play a visibly damaged cassette yourself. When the converted material comes back, check the beginning, middle and end of each recording, along with sound and file names. Keep the originals and make a second digital copy on a separate device.
Let relatives add the dates and stories afterwards
Conversion gives you digital recordings; Memrial is a separate private family archive for organising and sharing them afterwards. It does not convert physical tapes or form part of this provider. The free plan includes 2.0 GB of storage shared across the archive, with no card needed. Check your file sizes before deciding how much to upload.
Invite relatives to help identify people and occasions. Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, making it easier to find memories by year even when nobody remembers the day. Live Watch Parties synchronise an uploaded home video, with the host controlling play, pause and seek while relatives nearby or far away use voice and text chat. The free allowance is three hours per month and up to six participants.
For a family anniversary, Event Memories provides a secure occasion contribution link. Contributors sign in but do not need archive membership; their photos and videos collect in the event album. Closing the link keeps the memories already gathered. A newly converted anniversary recording could sit alongside relatives' recent photographs and comments, giving the next generation context as well as footage.