VHS variants and the recordings beside them
The named VHS formats help distinguish a full-size cassette from the smaller VHS-C recordings often found among family camcorder tapes. Read the markings on each cassette rather than identifying it by size alone. Make a short list of formats, quantities and any handwritten labels, then use that list when discussing the job with My Old Video.
Its website also has a page for HDD and SD memory card camcorders, while the audio transfer page lists audio open reel tapes, compact audio cassettes and Mini Disc. If your collection includes recordings in several forms, separate them before asking for a quote. The published VHS price should not be used to estimate an audio transfer or a camcorder memory card job.
Read the £13 MP4 price with its duration limit
On its VHS formats page, My Old Video publishes £13.00 to capture a video tape of up to 90 minutes and produce an MP4 digital file. That gives you a specific starting figure for that service, rather than a price for every possible recording. Ask how longer tapes are charged and whether the duration means recorded footage or the cassette's stated capacity. VAT treatment is not specified in the quoted price.
The same page says customers can supply a blank formatted hard disc drive or their own USB stick drives. Alternatively, the business offers a USB stick for £10.00. Before buying or handing over storage, ask about the required formatting and capacity, and confirm the complete quote for your collection, chosen output and storage. Keep a separate record of which tapes you submit.
An appointment before a trip to Rhostyllen
Visits are strictly by appointment only. My Old Video's website gives an address under SR Photography at 11 Parkend Walk, Esless Park, Rhostyllen, Wrexham, LL14 4EX. It publishes hours of 10.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday, 10.00am to 5.00pm Saturday and 10.00am to 4.00pm Sunday. Those hours should guide an enquiry, with an appointment arranged before travelling.
Use that conversation to agree on the handover and collection arrangements and ask for an expected completion date. Flag a cracked shell, a loose length of tape or visible mould before submitting anything. Do not try to force a damaged cassette through an old player to find out what is on it. Ask whether the condition can be assessed and what work, if any, is possible.
Choose files that fit the family's viewing habits
My Old Video describes DVD, MP4 and AVI as video transfer outputs. Consider where the recordings will actually be watched and ask which option suits those devices. If a relative prefers DVDs, discuss that alongside your own plans for digital storage. Confirm whether multiple outputs are available and what they would cost; the published MP4 figure does not settle those questions.
When the transfer comes back, open each file and check the beginning, a middle section and the ending, including sound. Compare the results with your tape list and raise any concerns promptly. Use descriptive filenames, preserving the original labels in your notes when they contain useful clues. Retain the cassettes and keep another copy of the digital files on separate storage before reorganising anything.
Keep cine reels separate from the video quote
Cine film requires a different enquiry. My Old Video's cine page says it is currently unable to offer cine transfers to DVD or MP4 and can pass enquiries to a local business specialising in 8mm and Super 8. That business would contact you directly about cost and delivery or collection. Count the reels and describe how full they are if you want to pursue that route.
From converted files to a private family archive
Once you have digital files, Memrial provides a separate private family archive for photos, home videos, albums, comments and stories. It does not convert tapes and is not part of My Old Video's transfer service. The free allowance is 2.0 GB shared across the archive, with no card needed. Check file sizes when deciding which recordings to add first.
Invite relatives to help identify people and occasions. Timeline uses exact or approximate dates so memories can be found by year, even when you can only place a summer holiday within a rough period. Live Watch Parties synchronise an uploaded home video, with host play, pause and seek controls plus voice and text chat for relatives near or far. Free Watch Parties allow three hours per month and 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 go into the event album. Closing the link keeps the memories already collected. A newly converted anniversary recording can sit alongside relatives' photographs and their recollections of the same day.