Local services · Family memories

Mr Scan VHS and camcorder digitisation in Farnham

A collection that spans full-size VHS tapes, smaller camcorder cassettes and old camera cards needs more than one format check. Mr Scan, listed in Farnham, publishes home-video conversion alongside a range of camcorder and memory-card services. That makes it a useful option to consider when family recordings sit across several generations of equipment. The key decisions are which items to send, how to receive the digital files and what the complete order will cost.

Published by Memrial Updated 4 October 2026 5 min read

Match the cassette to the conversion service

Mr Scan's price list explicitly includes VHS, Betamax and camcorder home video. Its camcorder page names MiniDV, Hi8, Video8, Digital8 and VHS-C, as well as MiniDVD camcorders and those with built-in hard drives. For the camcorder service, it describes MP4 digital files supplied on USB or by secure download. Ask which output applies to your particular VHS or Betamax order before choosing a delivery method.

Start with a simple inventory organised by format rather than presumed age. Write down each cassette's label, give it a reference number and photograph any handwritten notes. A wedding may be on VHS while later holidays sit on MiniDV; keeping those identities together helps you recognise the returned files. If a cassette has no clear format marking, send a photograph when enquiring instead of guessing from its size.

Read the price list with the whole order in mind

The published price list is effective from 30 July 2026 and says all prices exclude VAT. Its home-video entry covers VHS, Betamax or camcorder tapes up to three hours per tape, with figures of £15.00, £13.50, £12.50 and £11.25. The extracted entry does not establish which quantity band applies to each figure, so use it as a starting point for an itemised quotation rather than assigning yourself a rate.

The camcorder page separately advertises home-video conversion from £11.25 and lists Betamax to digital MP4 at £17.50. Those published presentations are a reason to confirm the service and total for your own collection. Include tape count, estimated running times and output preference in the enquiry, then ask about VAT, delivery media, return postage and any longer recordings. Mr Scan's homepage also states that no payment is required upfront.

Arrange a visit, and flag tapes that need attention

Mr Scan offers local drop-off and a nationwide postal service. Personal visits are strictly by appointment: its contact page says visitors arriving without one cannot be assisted. Decide which route suits your collection, then agree the handover or packing arrangements before travelling or sending anything. Keep your inventory and photographs as your own record of the items supplied.

Its tape-repair service lists a £10.00 price and describes jammed, mouldy and snapped tapes. The camcorder page adds that repairs are available only with a digital conversion, that playable footage will be converted, and that a tape which will not play at all is returned unconverted. Describe visible damage and ask about assessment and repair charges; these statements do not guarantee that every recording can be recovered. Avoid repeatedly testing a struggling tape or trying to clean mould yourself.

Choose files you can check and keep

USB and secure download are the published camcorder delivery options. Choose according to how you will copy, watch and back up the results. A USB is a carrier, so make another copy after it arrives. For a download, ask how long access remains available and whether you need to retrieve individual files or a complete folder. These are useful order questions, not stated Mr Scan policies.

Mr Scan says original camcorder tapes are returned with the completed order. Keep them after conversion. Check each digital recording near the beginning, middle and end, listening to the sound as well as watching the picture. Compare the contents with your inventory before renaming files. Preserve an untouched copy of the delivered files and keep a separate backup away from the device used for everyday viewing.

Turn the transferred recordings into shared family history

After conversion, Memrial provides a separate private family archive for the digital memories. It does not convert tapes and is not part of Mr Scan's service. The free allowance is 2.0 GB shared across the archive, with no card needed. Add photos and home videos to albums, invite relatives and use comments to collect names or stories. Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, helping you find a recording by year even when the cassette only says 'summer holiday'.

For a family anniversary, an uploaded home video can become a Live Watch Party. Playback stays synchronised through the host's play, pause and seek controls, with voice and text chat for relatives nearby or far away. The free plan includes three hours per month and up to six participants. Event Memories offers a secure occasion contribution link: contributors sign in without needing archive membership, uploads collect in the event album, and closing the link keeps the memories already gathered.

From the provider's website

Published service details

Website information checked 4 October 2026. Prices and availability can change. The original wording and conditions are included below.

Hours: (Studio) Monday to Thursday, 9:00am - 4pm Friday 8:30am - 12.30pm (Phone) Monday to Friday, 9am - 4pm

Your family space	How it works	A moment to try
TimelinePut the years back in order	Add dates to your photos and home videos, then explore them together by year. If you only know roughly when something happened, use an approximate date and let relatives help fill in the story.	Find the summer you all went away together. Add the names, place and little details that the camera never recorded.
Live Watch PartiesSame video. Same moment.	Choose a home video from your archive and invite relatives to watch online. Playback stays in sync, with the host controlling play, pause and seeking. Talk through voice or text chat while you watch, whether you are nearby or miles apart.	Put on an old birthday tape and pause when someone spots a familiar face. Hear the stories from the people who were actually there.
Event MemoriesEveryone's view, together	Open an event for a birthday, reunion, wedding or other occasion and share its secure contribution link. People sign in to add photos and videos to the event album without needing to be members of your archive. Close the link when you are finished; the contributed memories stay.	Collect this year's reunion photos in one place, then revisit an older reunion video together. The occasion gets its own album rather than another scattered message thread.
Your private archiveStart with 2.0 GB free	Keep photos, home videos and their stories in an invite-only family space. Your free storage is shared across the archive. Add a few favourite memories first, then invite relatives to contribute.	Give a short home-video clip a title your family will recognise. Ask who remembers the day, and keep their replies with the memory.

Match the cassette to the conversion service

Read the price list with the whole order in mind

Arrange a visit, and flag tapes that need attention

Choose files you can check and keep

Turn the transferred recordings into shared family history

Published service details

Make them part of family life again

Questions about Mr Scan and your family videos

More services listed in Farnham

Digitize Media VHS Digitisation and Scanning in Farnham

The Video Co UK: VHS Digitisation in Farnham

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