A transfer inquiry that can include sound as well as pictures
The published format list is useful because a family collection may extend beyond VHS. A recorded interview on cassette and a birthday on videotape could belong to the same family story, even though they need different transfer equipment. Reedurban names both cassette and VHS in its transfer offering, along with several other audio formats. Keep each type separate when you make an inventory so the conversation stays clear.
VHS-to-digital provision is explicitly listed. That wording does not specify the delivered file type, resolution, storage medium or editing options. Ask which digital output you would receive and whether it suits the devices your family uses. If your collection includes a format outside the published list, describe the label and cassette shape before assuming it can be handled.
Make the evaluation appointment answer the right questions
Reedurban’s website says evaluation appointments are free in Stark, Summit and Portage counties. That statement concerns evaluation appointments; it is not a published price for converting tapes. Ask how the appointment works, what to bring and how the transfer estimate will be calculated. A short written inventory can make the discussion more productive than a rough count from memory.
List the number of VHS tapes, any known recording lengths and the recordings that matter most. Note visible damage, broken cases or tapes that have been stored in damp conditions. Ask whether those items can be assessed before playback and whether any additional work would be quoted separately. Do not test a questionable tape repeatedly just to discover its contents.
The website gives a Greentown PO Box as its mailing contact. Confirm the appointment location and delivery arrangements directly before traveling or sending originals. A mailing address does not establish where an in-person evaluation will take place, so plan your visit around the arrangements agreed for your appointment.
Decide how you want to watch the finished recordings
Before agreeing to a transfer, distinguish a file you can keep from a way to watch it. A digital video file may be convenient for a computer or family archive, while a television might require a particular connection or compatible playback device. Describe your intended use and request the exact output details. Do not assume a USB drive, disc or download is included.
Ask how charges relate to tape count, running time and the chosen delivery method, and request an expected completion date for your own collection. Discuss whether the complete recording will be retained, including blank stretches or material after the main event. If you want edited highlights, clarify that separately so important scenes are not lost through an assumption about what counts as useful footage.
Let the tape labels guide you, then check the results
Photograph the cassette labels and give each tape a simple identifier before handing anything over. Record tentative dates as tentative: a label saying “summer holiday” is a clue, not proof of a particular year. Ask relatives who recognize the people or places, but keep their recollections distinguishable from information written on the original tape.
When the files arrive, compare them with your inventory and sample the beginning, middle and end of each recording. Check sound as well as picture, and confirm that every expected tape has a corresponding result. Keep the originals and make another copy of the digital files on a separate storage device. A family archive is useful for access, but a second copy helps protect the work you have put into identifying everything.
Bring distant relatives into the story after conversion
Memrial is a separate private family archive for digital memories after conversion. It does not convert physical tapes and is not part of Reedurban’s transfer service. You can add photos and home videos, organize albums, invite relatives, and collect comments and stories. The free plan includes 2.0 GB of shared archive storage with no card needed; that allowance covers the archive together, so check video sizes before planning a large upload.
Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, helping relatives find memories by year even when nobody remembers the precise day. For a family reunion, a Live Watch Party can synchronize an uploaded home video for relatives nearby or far away. The host controls play, pause and seek, with voice and text chat alongside the recording. Free Watch Parties allow 3 hours per month and up to 6 participants.
Event Memories can collect new reunion photos and videos through a secure occasion contribution link. Contributors sign in but do not need archive membership, and their uploads go to the event album. Closing the link retains the memories already collected. This gives the old recordings a useful companion: today’s relatives can add their own view of the occasion and help connect names, dates and stories across generations.