VHS prices and the formats beside them
The website lists transfers from VHS / Beta, 3/4-inch Umatic, BetaCAM, and BetaCAM SP at $10 for one hour or $15 for two hours, with quantity discounts available. These are the relevant published figures for VHS enquiries. Ask how the charge applies when a cassette contains several short recordings or runs longer than two hours, and request a total for your actual collection.
One-inch video and two-inch quad tape have their own prices. For example, two-inch quad transfer has a $250 minimum for any transfer up to one hour; longer shows and order quantities may be eligible for discounts. Those specialist tape charges should not be used to estimate a household VHS order. Confirm the agreed scope and any additional charges before handing over recordings.
Keep film reels on a separate inventory
Retro Media Film Services also publishes Super 8 and 8mm transfer prices of $10 per 50-foot reel or $25 for a 400-foot reel. For 16mm, its listed 30-minute reel price is $75, or $60 per reel if you have seven or more. Its one-hour 16mm reel price is $125.00, or $85 per reel for seven or more. The website says 35mm transfers use the same pricing as 16mm, with no extra charge.
The statement that all films are machine cleaned applies to film. It does not establish a VHS cleaning service. Keep reel sizes and tape running times in separate columns so a quote stays understandable, particularly when several relatives contribute material to the same order.
Prepare the collection without experimenting on it
Give each cassette or reel a simple reference number and photograph its original label. Record any known date, people, occasion, and approximate running time. A label reading Christmas may be more useful once an older relative remembers the house or recognizes a child in the recording. Keep uncertain details marked as uncertain rather than turning a guess into a permanent description.
Avoid opening cassettes or trying to play visibly damaged tapes just to discover their contents. Describe cracked cases, loose tape, unusual smells, or visible contamination when requesting an assessment. Ask whether the material can be accepted and whether any repair or special handling would be needed. Agree how originals will be returned, and retain your inventory until every item has been accounted for.
Choose an output you can use and check
The site mentions flash drives and states that DVDs, sleeves, or plastic covers are included with all transfers. Clarify precisely what your order includes, whether flash-drive delivery carries a separate charge, and which digital file format would be supplied. If your aim is to upload home videos to a family archive, explain that before the transfer begins and ask for files suited to that use.
When the recordings come back, open every file and check the beginning, middle, and ending. Listen to speech, look for missing sections, and match each result to your inventory. Keep an untouched copy of the delivered files, then make another backup on a separate device or storage service. Save the physical originals too. Conversion gives you a more accessible copy, while labels and original media still provide useful context.
Give the videos a place in the family timeline
Memrial is a separate private family archive for digital memories after conversion. It stores and shares photos and home videos; it does not convert physical tapes and is not part of Retro Media Film Services. The free plan provides 2.0 GB of storage shared across the archive, with no card needed. Check your finished file sizes when choosing what to upload first.
Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, helping relatives find memories by year. A summer trip remembered only as in the mid nineties can still sit near related photographs. Invite relatives to add comments and stories, including who appears on screen or why an occasion mattered. Keep the original filename in your records so those new descriptions remain connected to the transferred recording.
Watch together and collect the next occasion
A converted birthday video can become a reason to get the family together. Memrial Live Watch Parties synchronize an uploaded home video, with the host controlling play, pause, and seek. Relatives nearby or far away can use voice and text chat while watching. The free allowance is three hours per month with up to six participants.
For a new reunion, Event Memories provides a secure occasion contribution link. Contributors sign in but do not need archive membership to add photos or videos, and uploads collect in the event album. Closing the link keeps the memories already gathered. That gives today's family recordings a home alongside the older footage.