One transfer enquiry for several generations of cameras
Exposure Therapy lists VHS, VHS-C, Video8, Hi8, MiniDV and Beta tapes, along with audio cassettes. Start by reading the format printed on each cassette rather than sorting only by size. Two small tapes can belong to different systems, and an old handwritten label may describe the occasion without identifying the recording format.
Make a short inventory with a number for each tape, its printed format and whatever the label tells you. Keep uncertain descriptions honest: “possibly graduation, early 1990s” is more useful than assigning a confident date you cannot verify. Photograph the labels before handing anything over so you retain the original clues.
If a cassette has visible mold, a broken shell or damaged tape, describe that in your initial enquiry and ask whether it can be assessed. Do not test a suspect cassette in a family player just to identify its contents. The published format list establishes compatibility, but it does not promise repair or restoration.
Read the $30 price alongside the delivery choices
The video transfer page says $30 per tape. The homepage describes transfers as starting at $30 per tape and says bulk discounts are available. Taken together, those details give you a starting budget, while a collection-specific quote should settle what you will actually pay and whether a discount applies.
Free cloud storage is included with every order, according to the transfer page. A USB drive or DVD is listed at $15 additional. Ask how that additional charge applies to your particular order, whether taxes or other charges apply, and whether tape duration affects the quote. Also request the expected completion date before committing to a family screening.
Choose delivery around how you expect to watch. A DVD may suit someone who still uses a disc player; downloadable files are useful for backups and a private family archive. Ask which file type is supplied, how downloads work and how long the cloud copy remains available. Included cloud storage should not replace a copy you control.
Brooklyn drop-off or a mailed collection
Exposure Therapy publishes drop-off and mail-in options. Its homepage also mentions drop boxes in Farmingdale and Kingston. For any drop box, confirm the exact location and instructions before traveling or leaving tapes. Those options do not by themselves establish a wider collection or delivery service.
The website gives the Brooklyn address as 615 Marcy Ave and advertises opening hours of 11:30am to 7:30pm, seven days a week. Confirm arrangements before a special trip. For a mailed order, ask about packaging, identifying your collection and returning the originals. Keep your inventory and shipping record together so you can match the completed order to the tapes you sent.
Check the digital copy before putting the tapes away
When the files arrive, compare them with your inventory and watch samples from the beginning, middle and end of each recording. Check that sound plays, the image appears and the file opens on the device your family intends to use. If anything seems missing or unexpected, report the tape number and the relevant point in the video.
Save an untouched copy of the delivered files before renaming or editing anything. Make another backup in a separate place and retain the original tapes. Agree on their return when ordering: the lab’s published 30-day holding statement concerns negatives and ordered prints, so it should not be treated as a tape-return policy.
Invite relatives to help identify faces, places and approximate years. A quick conversation about a school play or a wedding can provide context that no cassette label contains. Record uncertain memories as uncertain, and keep that information alongside the video rather than replacing it with guesses.
Turn the returned recordings into a private family archive
Memrial is a separate private family archive for digital memories after conversion. It does not transfer tapes or form part of Exposure Therapy’s service. Its free plan provides 2.0 GB shared across the archive, with no card needed. Check your file sizes when deciding which recordings and photos to add first.
Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, helping relatives find memories by year even when the day of an old recording is unknown. Live Watch Parties synchronize an uploaded home video, with the host controlling play, pause and seek while everyone uses voice or text chat. The free allowance is three hours per month with up to six participants, useful for watching a reunion recording together from different homes.
For a new reunion, 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, so the new gathering can sit alongside the older footage that prompted it.