One enquiry for VHS and camcorder cassettes
A family collection can change format halfway through its history. Full-sized VHS might contain television recordings or copied family footage, while smaller camcorder tapes hold the original birthday parties and holidays. Old to New Images explicitly lists VHS, Hi8, Video 8, MiniDV and VHS-C conversion, so you can describe a mixed collection in the same enquiry. Check the writing on each cassette rather than identifying its format from size alone.
Make a short inventory with a number for each tape, its printed format and any handwritten title. Mark possible duplicates without discarding them: a copied VHS and a camcorder original may contain different edits. If relatives remember what was recorded, capture those clues now. Their recollections can help you prioritise tapes whose labels tell you very little.
MP4 for everyday viewing, DVD by choice
The provider describes the converted video as digital MP4 that can play on almost any computer or smart TV with a USB port. It also says files can be burned onto DVD if you choose. MP4 is a useful option to discuss when you want files you can copy, organise and share privately. DVD may suit a relative who already uses a disc player, but confirm what equipment the finished disc will require.
Before accepting a quote, ask how the MP4 files will be delivered, whether storage media is included and how recordings will be divided and named. A USB port alone does not settle every playback question, so mention the television or computer you expect to use. If you want both files and discs, request an itemised explanation of those choices. The published format descriptions do not establish the cost of either option.
Arrange collection or confirm the postal instructions
Old to New Images says it is based in Melbourne. Its website offers posting items to a secure mailbox or arranging a suitable collection time, with collection described as Melbourne only. The services page also advertises free home pick up and postal services. Ask whether your suburb is within the collection arrangements and clarify any postal charges before packing the project.
The website mentions Eltham, VIC 3095, while the contact page gives a Parcel Collect address in Research. Treat that postal destination as delivery information, and confirm the current instructions directly rather than assuming it is a walk-in shop. For posting, photograph the labelled tapes and your inventory, cushion each cassette and keep tracking information. For collection, agree a time and keep a copy of what you hand over.
Set the project scope before the tapes leave home
An initial enquiry should include tape formats, quantities and known faults. Ask for current prices, any duration limits, expected completion time and the approach to blank sections or recordings that stop and restart. If a cassette looks mouldy, has a damaged shell or previously jammed, mention that before trying to play it. Ask what can be assessed and whether any repair work needs separate approval.
The website says you will be messaged when work is completed to organise the return of the project and payment. Confirm what will come back, including the original cassettes and any supplied storage device. This is also the moment to agree how you will raise a problem with a finished file. Clear expectations are especially helpful when several relatives are contributing tapes to one order.
Check the files, then build the family record
When the conversion arrives, compare it with your inventory. Open every file, listen to the sound and check passages near the beginning, middle and end. Note missing recordings or playback problems promptly. Keep the original tapes and make a second digital copy in a separate location before reorganising your main set. Give files meaningful names, but preserve the tape numbers so you can trace each recording back to its source.
Memrial is a separate private family archive for the digital memories after conversion. It does not convert physical tapes or form part of Old to New Images. You can start with 2.0 GB of free storage shared across the archive, with no card needed, and invite relatives to help identify people and add stories. Check the size of your converted videos against that allowance before choosing what to upload.
Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, helping you find memories by year even when you remember only the approximate summer it was filmed. A Live Watch Party synchronises an uploaded home video, with the host controlling play, pause and seeking while relatives nearby or far away use voice or text chat. The free allowance is three hours each month with up to six participants.
For a family reunion, 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 those memories. A reunion album can sit alongside the older recordings, giving relatives somewhere to add the names and context that make the footage easier to understand.