Two routes for the same family recording
Roots Family History calls its one-tape-to-one-DVD service Classic. Its Simple service turns one video tape into one digital video file. The transfer page says you choose a thumb drive or DVD, while the Simple price listing says you can bring your own thumb drive or purchase one from the business. That makes the intended viewing setup a useful starting point for the conversation.
A DVD may suit a relative who already uses a disc player. A digital file is useful when you want to copy a recording to another drive or upload it to a private archive. Ask which file format your tape will receive and whether it will play on your intended devices. The website mentions several image and video file formats across its broader digitizing work, but that does not establish a particular video format for every tape order.
Read the tape prices with your batch in mind
For the published 0-5 tape bracket, Classic is $18.50 per tape and Simple is $17.50 per tape. For 6-19 tapes, the listed rates are $17.50 per tape for Classic and $15.50 per tape for Simple. Both price lists also show brackets for larger collections. Classic explicitly flags possible additional charges, and the Simple option requires a thumb drive supplied by you or purchased from the provider.
Request a complete quote for your actual tape count, delivery choice, and any extra work before handing over the collection. The listed transfer prices alone do not settle taxes, drive costs, or every possible charge. If your collection is large, confirm the applicable bracket directly: the published tables have boundary wording that leaves some quantities unclear. A written total is more useful than estimating from a headline per-tape figure.
Separate video tapes from film reels
The supported tape list names VHS, SVHS, 8mm, Hi8, Betacam, and Betamax. Roots Family History separately accepts 8mm, super 8mm, and 16mm film. The distinction matters when relatives have mixed different generations of recordings together: an 8mm tape and an 8mm film reel belong to different transfer services.
Make a simple inventory with one entry per tape or reel, copying labels without guessing what is inside. Photograph the containers and give each item a temporary number so you can match it to the returned material. If a shell is cracked, a tape looks moldy, or a reel seems damaged, describe the issue and ask whether it can be assessed. Avoid testing questionable tapes in a household player just to identify their contents.
Arrange pickup, then check the result
The VHS transfer page says customers are notified within 7 - 10 days to collect their video tapes and DVDs or thumb drives. Treat that as the provider's published pickup notification window and confirm the expected timing for your order, especially if you need recordings for an occasion. A separate film page gives a business-day estimate for film conversion; it should not be substituted for the tape wording.
Once the files are returned, check that every item on your inventory has a corresponding recording. Play the beginning, a middle section, and the ending, checking sound as well as picture. Raise any missing footage or playback problem promptly. Keep the original tapes and create another copy of the digital files on a separate storage device before lending the delivery drive to anyone.
Let relatives help identify the footage
Conversion preserves a recording's accessibility; family knowledge gives it context. Ask relatives to identify people, places, and approximate years while they can still recognize them. Keep uncertain dates marked as estimates rather than turning a guess into a precise anniversary. A short title such as a surname, occasion, and likely year makes a recording easier to find than a tape number alone.
Memrial is a separate private family archive for the digital memories after conversion. It does not convert tapes and is not part of Roots Family History. Its Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, helping relatives find memories by year. The free allowance is 2.0 GB shared across the archive, with no card needed. Check your video file sizes when deciding which recordings to add first, and retain your independent backups.
Make an old recording part of the next gathering
For a family reunion, you could upload a converted home video to Memrial and watch it with relatives nearby or far away. Live Watch Parties synchronize playback, with the host controlling play, pause, and seek while everyone uses voice or text chat. Free Watch Parties include 3 hours per month and up to 6 participants.
The reunion can also have an Event Memories contribution link. Contributors sign in, but they do not need archive membership to add photos or videos through the secure occasion link. Uploads collect in the event album, and closing the link retains the memories. That gives the older recording a place alongside new photographs and family stories from the gathering.