Local services · Family memories

DVD Copying Direct: VHS to DVD and USB in Wirral

The choice between a DVD and a USB matters almost as much as choosing which tapes to convert. Dvd Copying Direct in Wirral publishes both options for VHS and several camcorder formats, with separate per-tape prices. That makes it a useful business to consider when part of the family wants discs to play at home and others want digital memories they can organise and share. Before ordering, decide how you expect to watch the recordings and which originals belong in the first batch.

Published by Memrial Updated 4 October 2026 5 min read

Two transfer prices, plus return carriage

DVD Copying Direct's price page lists £6.00 per tape transferred to DVD and £12.00 per tape transferred to USB. Additional tapes carry the same respective per-tape charge. For both options, the page specifies a £6.00 fee per order for returning the tapes and finished media by Royal Mail Tracked 48. Include that return charge when comparing the advertised tape price with your likely order total.

Extra DVD copies are listed at £2.50 per tape. Extra USB copies are listed at £6.00 per tape, compiled onto a single USB. These are copy prices, so distinguish them from the initial conversion charge when requesting your order. The published wording does not settle VAT treatment or every possible requirement for an individual collection; ask for a total that reflects your chosen output and any unusual tapes.

Match the format to the way your family watches

The business's FAQ confirms transfers from VHS, VHS-C, Video 8, Mini DV, Hi8, Digital 8 and Micro mv to DVD or USB. Its DVD arrangement puts each tape onto its own DVD. If your collection contains both full-size VHS and small camcorder cassettes, record the format written on each case instead of assuming every small cassette is the same type.

A disc may suit someone who already uses a DVD player. If your main aim is computer access, backups or a private online archive, ask about the files supplied with the USB option. Confirm the file format, how recordings are named and whether your intended devices can play them. USB describes the delivery medium; it does not by itself tell you the video file type or playback compatibility.

Arrange a Birkenhead drop-off before travelling

DVD Copying Direct describes local tape drop-offs at its Birkenhead studios, and its contact page gives Unit 33b, Price Street Business Centre, Price Street, Wirral, CH41 4JQ. Its published hours need a quick check before a visit: the website header lists Monday to Friday, 9am to 12pm, while the about page gives drop-off times of Monday to Friday, 9.00 to 12.00 and 15.00 to 17.00, plus Saturday, 9.00 to 12.00.

Confirm the appropriate time for your visit and whether collection affects the return-carriage charge. For a postal order, keep an inventory and a copy of your order details before sending anything.

Let the tape labels guide the first batch

Start with recordings that people can identify: a wedding, a school performance or a holiday with a roughly known year. Number each tape and photograph its label. On a separate inventory, note likely dates, names and anything unusual about its condition. A relative may recognise a place or remember who held the camera, even if nobody remembers the exact filming date.

Ask the converter about cracked cases, loose tape or visible mould before trying to play a suspect cassette. Do not attempt a repair simply to test it. Keep any special instructions clearly associated with the relevant tape number, and agree how the business should handle a recording that cannot be read. This is preparation advice, rather than a promise of repair or restoration.

Check the returned recordings while the inventory is handy

Once the order comes back, compare the tapes and outputs with your inventory. Play the beginning, middle and end of each recording, checking sound as well as pictures. Some family tapes contain several events, so a familiar opening scene does not establish that everything later in the tape is present.

Keep the original tapes after conversion. For digital files, make a separate backup before renaming or reorganising them, and preserve a connection between each filename and its original tape number. Ask relatives to help identify people and dates while the recordings are fresh in everyone's mind.

From USB files to a private family archive

After conversion, Memrial provides a separate private family archive for digital photos and home videos. It does not convert tapes and is not part of DVD Copying Direct. The free plan includes 2.0 GB of shared archive storage, with no card needed. Check file sizes when deciding what to upload first, then invite relatives to add comments and stories.

Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, helping you find memories by year even when a cassette only says 'summer holiday'. Live Watch Parties synchronise an uploaded home video, with the host controlling play, pause and seek and relatives joining through voice or text chat from nearby or far away. The free allowance is 3 hours per month with up to 6 participants.

For a family anniversary, Event Memories offers a secure occasion contribution link. Contributors sign in but do not need archive membership, and their photos and videos collect in the event album. Closing the link keeps those memories. That gives a newly converted anniversary recording a place beside pictures and recollections contributed by the people who were there.

From the provider's website

Published service details

Website information checked 4 October 2026. Prices and availability can change. The original wording and conditions are included below.

Opening Hours: Monday - Friday 9am - 12pm

Your family space	How it works	A moment to try
TimelinePut the years back in order	Add dates to your photos and home videos, then explore them together by year. If you only know roughly when something happened, use an approximate date and let relatives help fill in the story.	Find the summer you all went away together. Add the names, place and little details that the camera never recorded.
Live Watch PartiesSame video. Same moment.	Choose a home video from your archive and invite relatives to watch online. Playback stays in sync, with the host controlling play, pause and seeking. Talk through voice or text chat while you watch, whether you are nearby or miles apart.	Put on an old birthday tape and pause when someone spots a familiar face. Hear the stories from the people who were actually there.
Event MemoriesEveryone's view, together	Open an event for a birthday, reunion, wedding or other occasion and share its secure contribution link. People sign in to add photos and videos to the event album without needing to be members of your archive. Close the link when you are finished; the contributed memories stay.	Collect this year's reunion photos in one place, then revisit an older reunion video together. The occasion gets its own album rather than another scattered message thread.
Your private archiveStart with 2.0 GB free	Keep photos, home videos and their stories in an invite-only family space. Your free storage is shared across the archive. Add a few favourite memories first, then invite relatives to contribute.	Give a short home-video clip a title your family will recognise. Ask who remembers the day, and keep their replies with the memory.