Sort VHS and camcorder tapes into separate groups
Lizz Converts explicitly offers VHS digitisation to digital file or DVD. Its listed camcorder formats include VHS-C, Mini-DV and Hi-8/8mm. If a drawer contains both full-size VHS cassettes and smaller camera tapes, those labels are worth recording before you make contact. Photograph unfamiliar markings rather than guessing the format from the cassette's size.
A cassette’s printed capacity does not necessarily match the length of its recorded material. Note any handwritten running time, but distinguish it from the cassette's capacity. Ask how recorded duration is established for pricing when you cannot check it yourself. An inventory with one number per cassette also makes it easier to match the returned files to their originals.
Use the published prices to frame your quote
The price list gives £20 for VHS up to two hours and £30 for VHS over two hours, under conversion to DVD or digital file. Mini-DV, 8mm/Hi-8 and VHS-C are listed at £20 per tape. Mouldy VHS has a separate £45 listing. These distinctions matter more than the total number of cassettes: two similar-looking VHS tapes may fall into different price categories.
Before committing, request a total for your actual collection and chosen output, including any delivery or storage-medium charges and applicable tax treatment. The published figures do not settle those details. If a cassette has visible mould, a cracked case or loose tape, describe the problem and ask whether it can be accepted. A mouldy-tape price is not a guarantee that every damaged recording can be recovered. Avoid trying to play or clean a visibly affected cassette at home.
Arrange the handover around Maidenhead
For people living in or near Maidenhead, Lizz Converts says it can offer collection or accept a visit to drop items off. Its terms advise using a safe, signed-for delivery service when posting videos and say it will do the same on the return journey. They also state that the business cannot be held responsible for videos lost in the post.
Agree the handover arrangements before travelling or sending anything. Ask about the expected completion date, the return arrangements and what should accompany the tapes. Keep your own inventory and photograph the cassette labels before packing. A relative may recognise an otherwise cryptic label such as 'summer holiday'; record their explanation separately so the original wording remains available.
Choose files or DVDs with the eventual viewers in mind
The published VHS and camcorder service offers digital file or DVD. For tapes, the exact digital file format is a question to settle before ordering. Lizz Converts separately specifies MP4 or DVD for Regular 8 and Super 8 cine film, and MP3 or CD for audio cassettes. Those are distinct services; the film's stated MP4 output should not be assumed to describe a VHS transfer.
Digital files are useful when relatives want to watch on different devices or add memories to an archive. DVDs may suit someone who already uses a disc player. Ask how files will be delivered and whether they will play on your intended devices. On receipt, compare the files with your inventory, sample the beginning, middle and end, and check sound as well as picture. Keep the original cassettes and a separate backup of the converted files.
Let relatives add the dates and stories after conversion
Once you have digital memories, Memrial offers a separate private family archive. It does not convert tapes and is not part of Lizz Converts. The free allowance is 2.0 GB shared across the archive, with no card needed. Invite relatives to help identify people and places, add comments and organise photos and home videos into albums. Keep a backup outside the archive too.
Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, so a recording remembered only as 'around the late nineties' can still be found by year. A Live Watch Party synchronises an uploaded home video while the host controls play, pause and seek; relatives nearby or far away can talk through voice or text chat. The free allowance is three hours per month with up to six participants.
For a family anniversary, Event Memories provides 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 the memories already contributed. It is a useful way to bring a newly converted anniversary recording together with photographs relatives have kept elsewhere.