DVD or computer files: make the choice first
Rowan publishes VHS-to-DVD at £14 per DVD, with copies at £6. VHS-to-computer-files is listed at £14 per 95 minutes. Those are different charging units: a DVD price should not be treated as a price per tape, and a longer recording needs a quote that explains how the 95-minute unit applies. Confirm the total and whether VAT or any other charges apply before agreeing to the work.
The VHS computer-file entry names AVI, MPEG, WMV, Quick Time and Mp4. Ask which option suits the devices you actually use, and whether you can check a sample on your television, tablet or laptop. A DVD can suit someone with a working player; a computer file can be easier to copy, organise and share privately. Decide around the people who will watch it, rather than the format that sounds most familiar.
A mixed collection needs separate labels
The video-transfer page also lists Mini DV, Hi8 and VHS-C transfers to DVD, each at £14 per DVD with copies at £6. Mini DV computer-file transfer is listed separately at £14 per 95 minutes. This is useful when a collection spans several cameras, but do not extend the Mini DV or VHS file price to another tape type without checking.
There are other media services too: 8mm cine film to computer files is listed at £15 per cine reel, and 35mm slides to JPG files at 35p per slide. If these accompany your tapes, separate the reels, slides and cassettes in your inventory. The published units belong to their respective media; combining everything into a single tape count would make an estimate harder to understand.
Agree the handover and delivery details
Rowan says computer files can be sent online, placed on a memory stick you provide, or placed on its own memory stick for an additional £6 per 32GB stick. Ask how much space the proposed files will need and how online delivery works. If providing a stick, establish its requirements before buying one. The website offers contact by email, telephone, text or WhatsApp, so you can send a concise inventory before arranging a handover.
Give each tape a simple number and photograph its handwritten label. Note estimated running times and any broken shells, loose tape or visible mould, then ask what can be assessed safely. Avoid trying to play a damaged cassette just to identify it. Agree completion timing, original-media return and any handling of problem tapes as part of the quote; a transfer listing alone does not answer those practical questions.
Check the recording before filing it away
When the files arrive, compare them with your numbered inventory. Play the beginning, middle and end of each recording, check that sound is present where expected, and look for missing sections or unexpected cut-offs. Old recordings can contain blank stretches, so ask about anything unclear rather than assuming every gap is a conversion fault.
Keep the original files in a clearly named folder and make a second copy on another device or drive. Retain the tapes too. Add a short description such as a holiday place, a birthday or the names of people appearing, while keeping uncertain details tentative. A relative may recognise a house or a voice that helps identify the occasion later.
Find a family year, then watch it together
After conversion, Memrial provides a separate private family archive for digital memories. It does not convert tapes and is not part of Rowan's service. Its free plan includes 2.0 GB of storage shared across the archive, with no card needed. Check the size of your videos before deciding what to upload, and keep your own backup copies.
Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, helping relatives find memories by year even when they can only estimate when a summer holiday took place. Live Watch Parties synchronise an uploaded home video, with the host controlling play, pause and seeking, plus voice and text chat for relatives nearby or far away. The free allowance is three hours monthly with up to six participants. A family could pause a birthday recording to identify someone, then add their recollection in comments.
Let the next gathering add to the archive
A reunion can connect the recovered footage with new photographs. Memrial's Event Memories provides a secure occasion contribution link: contributors sign in, but do not need archive membership. Their photos and videos collect in the event album. Closing the link keeps the memories already contributed, giving the occasion a lasting place alongside the older recordings.