Match the cassette to the right transfer category
Stilson's videotape page names VHS, S-VHS, VHS-C, Betamax, Video8, Hi8, Digital8, DV, MiniDV, HDV and MicroMV. If your collection includes several sizes, keep the format names visible when making an inventory. A small cassette is not automatically the same format as another small cassette; read its printed label rather than guessing from its shape.
The pricing page lists $35 per tape for VHS, S-VHS, VHS-C, Betamax, Video8, Hi8, Digital8, MiniDV and MicroMV. It lists $45 per tape for a category including HDV, DVCAM, BetacamSP and 3/4 Umatic. Although HDV appears on the consumer-format service page, the price page places it in the $45 category. DV is named as transferable but does not have a separate price in these details. Ask for the applicable rate if your labels are ambiguous.
Choose delivery before counting the final cost
Stilson publishes several delivery choices alongside its transfer prices. USB flash drives are listed at $25 each for 32 GB, $40 for 64 GB, $50 for 128 GB and $60 for 256 GB. Authoring and burning a master DVD, including disc labeling, is listed at $40 each. Ask which option suits the amount of material and what the complete order will cost, including any applicable tax.
Its streaming service is listed at $79.99 per year, with a $5 charge per video file upload and an invitation to ask about current promotions. Before choosing streaming, ask how you receive and retain your own files. For a family planning to save videos on computers or upload them to an archive, also confirm the file format and whether the chosen delivery includes downloadable video files. The published delivery labels alone do not specify that detail.
Build an order around the tapes that matter first
Give each cassette a simple number and photograph its case and handwritten label. Record what you think it contains, using phrases such as 'possibly an early nineties summer' where needed. Keep your notes separate from guesses made by other relatives so uncertainty stays visible. If the collection is large, you might begin with a few tapes that have clear labels and include events people want to see again.
Set aside tapes with broken cases, visible contamination or tangled tape and describe their condition before handing them over. Ask whether assessment or repair is available and whether it changes the quote. Avoid trying to force a reluctant cassette through an old player. Agree on the order of work, any deadline and how the originals will be returned before the transfer starts.
Arrange the Solon handover
The website gives Stilson's address as 6240 SOM Center Road, Suite 140, Solon, Ohio 44139. Published hours are Monday through Wednesday, 10am to 5pm; Thursday, noon to 5pm; and Friday, 10am to 4pm. Saturday is by appointment only and Sunday is closed. Appointments are encouraged, so arrange your visit before bringing a mixed collection that may need discussion.
The site also invites customers to ask about shipping an order. Treat that as an enquiry: confirm packing instructions, delivery arrangements and the return process before sending originals. For a visit or a shipped order, a copy of your numbered inventory gives you a straightforward way to agree what has been received.
Check the transfer while your notes are handy
When the files arrive, compare them with your inventory. Open every file, listen to the sound and sample the beginning, middle and end. Check that filenames let you connect each recording with its original cassette. If something looks incomplete or unexpected, note the file and playback time when contacting the provider.
Keep the physical tapes and make a second digital copy in a separate place. Ask relatives to help identify people, places and dates after watching. Their recollections can turn an anonymous recording into something the next generation can find, while an approximate date is more useful than an invented exact one.
Bring the converted recordings into a private family archive
Memrial is a separate private family archive for digital memories after conversion. It does not convert tapes or form part of Stilson's transfer service. Its free plan includes 2.0 GB of shared archive storage, with no card needed. Upload selected photos and home videos, invite relatives and use albums, comments and stories to give the recordings context.
Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates so the family can find memories by year. A Live Watch Party synchronizes an uploaded home video, with the host controlling play, pause and seek while relatives nearby or far away use voice and text chat. Free Watch Parties allow 3 hours per month and up to 6 participants.
For a family reunion, 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, allowing new reunion pictures to sit alongside the older recordings.