VHS alongside the camcorder collection
The video service lists Hi8, Video 8, Digital 8, Mini DV, HDV, VHS-C, VHS, S-VHS, DV CAM and Betamax. VHS digitisation is therefore a documented service here. If your family moved from a full-size VHS camera to a compact camcorder, you can begin the conversation with a list covering both types of tape.
Read the format printed on each cassette or its case, and photograph anything you cannot identify. A small cassette is not enough information on its own. Keep film reels separate from video tapes when making your inventory: the website also lists 8mm, Super Eight, 9.5mm and 16mm film, and the similar names can cause confusion. Ask Mister Digitise to identify uncertain items before agreeing which service they need.
Understanding the published VHS price
For VHS, VHS-C and Betamax, the published price is £12 for the first hour and £6 per hour thereafter. The product page shows options of £12 for one hour, £18 for two hours, £24 for three hours and £30 for four hours. Those figures belong to that particular group of video formats; they should not be applied to every item in a mixed collection.
Use the pricing as a basis for a conversation about the actual recordings. A cassette marked with a long running time may contain only a short family occasion, or several unrelated programmes. Ask how recorded duration is assessed, how partial hours are charged and whether the first-hour rate applies separately to each cassette. Confirm the complete cost, including your chosen delivery format and any applicable tax, before handing over the collection.
Arrange the handover before travelling
Mister Digitise asks customers to get in touch to arrange drop-off or collection of their media, and also offers local collections and delivery. Its contact page gives an address in Hurstpierpoint, Hassocks. Treat the handover as something to arrange directly, including whether collection is available for your address, any associated charge and a suitable date.
Prepare a numbered inventory with a short description for each tape. Loose notes are safer than covering the cassette with new labels that could obscure its existing markings. Mention cracked cases, visible mould, loose tape or previous playback trouble when enquiring. Do not try a damaged cassette in a borrowed player just to establish its contents. Ask what assessment is possible, whether additional work would require approval and when to expect both your files and originals back.
Choose files around how the family will watch
Before commissioning a transfer, describe where you want to watch the result: on a television, computer, tablet or phone. Ask which digital file formats and delivery methods Mister Digitise can provide, and whether long tapes can be divided into separate recordings. These are choices to confirm directly, rather than features established by its published format list.
For a large collection, consider starting with a particularly meaningful recording and checking the result before proceeding with the rest. When files arrive, test picture and sound at several points, including near the end. Check that every numbered tape has a corresponding file and that each file opens on your intended device. Keep the original cassettes, save an untouched copy of the delivered files and make a second backup in a separate location.
Let relatives help put names and dates back
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 Mister Digitise. The free archive includes 2.0 GB of shared storage, with no card needed; check your files against that allowance before planning an upload of the whole collection.
Invite relatives to help identify a seaside holiday, a school performance or a familiar voice. Albums can keep related recordings together, while comments and stories add details that were never written on the cassette. Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, helping everyone find memories by year even when the original label says only something like summer in the early nineties.
Watch together and add the next occasion
Memrial Live Watch Parties synchronise an uploaded home video for relatives nearby or far away. The host controls play, pause and seek, with voice and text chat for everyone to share reactions. The free allowance is three hours per month with up to six participants, so plan a viewing around the recordings you most want to discuss.
For a family reunion, Event Memories provides a secure occasion contribution link. Contributors sign in, but do not need archive membership, to add photos and videos to the event album. Closing the link retains the collected memories. It gives the gathering a place alongside the older footage, with relatives contributing their own view of the day.