A per-tape starting point for VHS and BETA
Henley Scan publishes £20.00 per tape for converting VHS or BETA video. Its separate camcorder tapes and MiniDiscs page also lists £20.00 per tape - disk. Keep those categories distinct when making your inventory: a full-size VHS cassette and a small camcorder tape may need different handling even when the published headline price is similar.
The VHS price statement does not specify a recording-duration cap or VAT treatment. Ask for a total for your actual collection, including the chosen delivery medium and any work needed on problem tapes. A cassette with a damaged case, loose tape or visible contamination should be described before you try to play it. Ask whether it can be assessed; conversion alone is not a promise of repair or restoration.
Arrange the handover around an inventory
Drop-off and collection are by appointment. Henley Scan also says it accepts post from all over the UK and has customers across the country. For a local handover, arrange the appointment before travelling. For a postal job, agree packing, return arrangements and the full cost before sending irreplaceable recordings.
Give each cassette a simple reference such as Tape A and photograph its label. On a separate list, record the wording on the case, any known date and whether it contains several occasions. Keep uncertain descriptions uncertain: “possibly a summer holiday” is more useful than a confident guess that later becomes family history. This list will also help you match the returned files to the originals.
Henley Scan says it endeavours to reply to email enquiries within half a day. That describes an enquiry response aim, so ask separately about the expected completion date if you are planning a birthday screening or family gathering.
Choose the files and the device separately
The website lists delivery on USB memory stick, hard drive or DVD/CD, and says it normally delivers in .mp3 or .mp4 format, with other preferences open to discussion. For home video, ask specifically for the video file format you will receive and check that it plays on the device you intend to use. The general format statement covers audio as well as video; .mp3 is not a video output.
Henley Scan recommends USB. Its published delivery-device charges are £15 for a USB stick and £60 for a hard drive, on top of digitising costs, including VAT and admin time. It says that if more than four sticks are ordered per project, it can discount them to £12.50 each. Confirm the final device choice, capacity and total before ordering copies for relatives.
A USB stick can be a convenient handover medium, but make another copy of the files after receiving it. Test a sample on your television or computer before planning a group viewing. Device compatibility and the usefulness of filenames matter as much as having a physical object to put in a drawer.
Check the return before filing it away
Henley Scan states that it always gives the original back. Keep the cassettes with your inventory, even after you have made digital copies. The physical labels may hold names or dates that you only recognise later, and the originals remain part of the collection.
When the files arrive, compare their number and names with your tape list. Watch the opening, a section in the middle and the ending of each recording, listening as well as looking. Note anything unexpected and raise it promptly with the provider. Preserve an untouched copy of the delivered files before renaming or editing your everyday versions, and keep a second backup somewhere separate.
Let relatives add the context after conversion
Memrial is a separate private family archive for digital memories after conversion. It does not digitise tapes or form part of Henley Scan. You can upload home videos and photos, organise albums and invite relatives to add comments and stories. The free plan provides 2.0 GB of storage shared across the archive, with no card needed; check the size of your files before choosing what to upload.
Timeline uses exact or approximate dates to help you find memories by year. A relative might recognise the school play, holiday or anniversary that an old label leaves unexplained. Keep their explanation alongside the recording, using an approximate date when the precise day is unknown.
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 with up to six participants. For a present-day anniversary, Event Memories offers a secure contribution link: contributors sign in without needing archive membership, and their photos and videos go to the event album. Closing the link keeps the memories already collected.