Choose a viewing copy and consider a preservation copy
Greatbear describes its video delivery options in specific terms. It offers FFV1 lossless files or 10-bit uncompressed video files in .mkv or QuickTime-compatible .mov containers, following the International Association of Sound & Audiovisual Archives guidelines for preserving video recordings. For viewing, it creates H264-encoded .mp4 files or DVD. These are options to discuss when requesting a quote, rather than a reason to choose the most technical-sounding file without knowing how you will use it.
For everyday family viewing, ask which version will work with the devices you already have. An MP4 viewing copy can be a practical starting point for sharing digital memories, while a preservation copy raises separate questions about storage space and long-term management. Ask for an estimate of the total file size, the delivery method and exactly which versions the quote includes. If you want a DVD as well, check that it suits the way your family watches recordings now.
Identify the tapes before arranging a Bristol visit
The VHS family on Greatbear's video transfer page includes the smaller VHS-C cassette as well as S-VHS and D-VHS. Read the labels on each cassette and photograph them if you are unsure what you have. Keep tape format, likely contents and running time as separate notes: a handwritten 'Christmas' label tells you about the recording, but does not establish the cassette type or its actual recorded length.
Greatbear says you can visit in person, and asks you to phone first to ensure someone will be there to meet you. Its published address is units 25 / 26, The Coach House, 2 Upper York St, Bristol, BS2 8QN. Before making a journey, use that call to describe the collection, confirm the arrangements and ask for pricing and an expected completion date. Those details are worth settling before handing over irreplaceable originals.
Make the return of your originals an explicit instruction
For sending tapes, Greatbear recommends a tracked and signed-for delivery service, particularly for material that is rare or valuable to you. Its video transfer information also explains that tapes can be returned after digitisation, packed in recycled bubble wrap and jiffy bags or boxes and sent using tracked delivery at the customer's cost. Include that return request in your arrangements and ask how the charge will be calculated.
There is a clear reason to do this early: Greatbear states that all uncollected tapes will be disposed of after 8 weeks and asks customers to communicate their wishes after digitisation. Keep a written record of whether you will collect the tapes or want them posted back. As general preparation, number your cassettes and keep a matching inventory. If a shell is cracked, the tape looks mouldy or playback previously failed, describe the problem before attempting another playback or any home repair. Ask what assessment is possible.
Check the transfer while the collection is still organised
When the files arrive, use your inventory to check that every expected recording is present. Open each viewing file and sample the beginning, middle and end, checking picture, sound and whether the recording ends where you expect. A cassette may contain several unrelated occasions, so do not assume that the first scene describes everything on it. Note any questions clearly, with the file name and approximate playback time.
Keep the originals and make more than one digital copy. A separate backup is useful even when a viewing copy is uploaded to a family archive. Give files descriptive names without replacing the original transfer files until you understand what you have received. Relatives can help identify people and places, but record uncertain dates as uncertain rather than turning a guess into a permanent family fact.
Turn watchable files into shared family context
After conversion, Memrial provides a separate private family archive for digital photos and home videos. It does not convert physical tapes and is separate from Greatbear. The free allowance is 2.0 GB shared across the archive, with no card needed. Compare your viewing files with that allowance before uploading a collection. Albums, comments and stories let invited relatives add the names and small details that a video alone cannot explain.
Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates so you can find memories by year, even when nobody remembers the precise day. For a family birthday, a Live Watch Party can synchronise an uploaded home video for relatives nearby or far away, with host play, pause and seek controls plus voice and text chat. Free Watch Parties include 3 hours per month and up to 6 participants. Event Memories can collect new birthday photos and videos through a secure occasion link: contributors sign in but need no archive membership, uploads enter the event album, and closing the link keeps the memories.