VHS alongside the smaller camcorder tapes
Digitapes lists VHS, MiniDV, VHS-C, Video8, Hi8, Digital8, MicroMV and Betamax as supported formats. You can therefore enquire about a mixed collection without treating every small cassette as the same thing. Read the format printed on each shell, record it in a simple inventory and photograph any handwritten labels. A label such as 'Christmas at Grandma's' may become more useful than the tape's original number once several relatives start identifying people and places.
Choose an initial group with a clear purpose: perhaps the recordings needed for a birthday gathering, or the tapes belonging to an older relative who can still explain them. Where a cassette is cracked, smells damp or has visible mould, describe its condition before sending it. Ask whether it can be assessed and whether any extra work would need separate approval. Supported formats do not, by themselves, establish what is possible with damaged recordings.
The £25 tape price and the timing question
The videotape conversion product page publishes £25.00 per tape. Use that as the starting point for an enquiry, then request the complete cost for your collection. Confirm whether recording length affects the charge, how the files will be delivered, and whether VAT or other charges apply. The published figure alone does not settle those details.
Digitapes gives two levels of timing guidance. Its general description says most orders are completed within 1-2 weeks. Its FAQ says a single VHS conversion will usually take around one working day to process once received, while larger collections can take one to two weeks. These are useful expectations, rather than a guaranteed arrival date for your files. A same-day service is also advertised for selected orders, subject to availability and additional charges; contact the business by phone or email before ordering if you need that option.
Sending tapes without unnecessary playback
The ordering instructions say to package tapes securely and send them to Digitapes using the instructions provided after ordering. Its FAQ explicitly says there is no need to rewind tapes or undertake special preparation. It also suggests leaving particularly old tapes alone rather than trying them in an ageing home machine. That makes an inventory a more useful preparation task than a home playback session.
Keep a copy of your tape list and the photographs of the labels. For packing, protect the cassette shells from movement and pressure, and follow the order instructions for the parcel. Digitapes states that original media is returned free of charge along with the digital files. When everything comes back, check it against your inventory and keep the originals stored carefully even after you have confirmed the conversion.
Making MP4 files useful beyond the first viewing
Digitapes says it converts videos into MP4 format for playback on modern phones, tablets, computers and Smart TVs. Before committing a large collection, ask how you will receive those files and how individual tapes will be named. The format and the delivery method are separate choices: a playable file still needs somewhere convenient and secure to live.
After delivery, check the beginning, middle and end of each recording, including the sound. Compare the file list with the tape inventory and note any unexpected gaps to discuss with the converter. Keep an untouched copy of the delivered files, with another backup in a separate location. Working copies can have descriptive names, but retain the original tape number so a newly identified scene can always be traced back.
Let relatives help date and recognise the recordings
Once conversion is complete, Memrial provides a separate private family archive for digital photos and home videos. It does not convert tapes and is not part of Digitapes. Its free plan includes 2.0 GB of storage shared across the archive, with no card needed. Compare that allowance with your files before deciding what to upload first.
Invite relatives to help identify a holiday, a first house or an anniversary. Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, so a recording remembered only as 'summer in the early nineties' can still be found by year. Albums, comments and stories give those identifications somewhere to stay.
Live Watch Parties synchronise an uploaded home video, with the host controlling play, pause and seek and relatives using voice or text chat from nearby or far away. The free allowance is three hours monthly with up to six participants. For a family reunion, Event Memories offers a secure occasion contribution link: contributors sign in without needing archive membership, uploads collect in the event album, and closing the link retains the memories.