Count formats and footage before comparing the bill
For consumer videotapes, the website lists VHS, VHS-C, Hi8, Digital8 and MiniDV at $25 each for orders of 1 to 9 tapes. For 10 or more tapes, it lists $18 per hour of footage. Those are different charging units, so ten long recordings and ten short recordings need not produce similar totals. Ask how recorded time is measured and how partial hours are billed before treating the hourly rate as an estimate.
The accepted-format list is broader than that consumer pricing group. It includes SVHS, Betamax, MicroMV, HDV, DVCam, DVCPro and MiniDVD, as well as several broadcast tape formats. If your collection mixes these with ordinary VHS, request a quote that identifies each format separately. The website also states a $20 minimum for all transfer orders unless another minimum is specified. Confirm applicable taxes and any additional charges when agreeing the order.
MP4 delivery and the optional editing file
The Digital Convert describes its video output as editable MP4 files, with ProRes MOV optional and included with the transfer. Delivery is offered on a USB thumb drive or through a Google Drive download. That gives you two separate choices: which files you want, and how you want to receive them. Confirm whether the delivery method itself has a charge and request the optional file before work starts if you need it.
For ordinary family viewing, start by thinking about the devices relatives will use. If you intend to make a reunion film or edit out long gaps, discuss the editing files too. Ask about expected file sizes and resolution rather than assuming that the transfer will improve the original recording. Keep an untouched copy of each returned file before making shorter versions, adding music or changing filenames.
Plan the handoff around your actual deadline
The business offers online ordering or walk-in service and accepts both local and shipped orders. Published pickup and drop-off hours are Monday through Thursday, 1PM to 7PM, and Friday, 11AM to 3PM. For a shipped order, its instructions say to submit the online form, print the emailed confirmation and place it in the shipping box. It recommends UPS or FedEx.
Its FAQ says smaller orders of up to five VHS tapes typically take around a week, depending on the backlog, and gives about two weeks for 20 tapes. An estimated turnaround is provided on receipt; guaranteed rush service carries a rush fee. If the recording is needed for a birthday or memorial gathering, give the actual date when enquiring and leave time afterward to check the files.
Before handing over tapes, number them and record their labels in a simple list. Keep unknown dates marked as unknown. Note cracked cases, loose tape or possible mold, and ask whether affected items can be handled before playing or shipping them. Photograph the collection so you can match returned tapes and files to your inventory.
Watch the transfer once before putting it away
After receiving digital files, open every one and sample the beginning, middle and end. Listen for sound as well as looking at the picture. Check that filenames correspond to your tape list, and write down any missing sections or playback problems while the details are fresh. A quick check on the computer followed by a test on the device you normally watch on can catch different issues.
Download files to storage you control, keep a second copy somewhere separate and retain the original tapes. Invite a relative to help identify people or places, but distinguish remembered dates from confirmed ones. An approximate summer date can be more useful than an exact date chosen without evidence.
Use the converted video to start a family conversation
Memrial is a separate private family archive for digital memories after conversion. It does not convert tapes or form part of The Digital Convert. You can upload photos and home videos, arrange albums and invite relatives to add comments and stories. The free allowance is 2.0 GB shared across the archive, with no card needed, so check the size of your videos before choosing what to upload.
Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, helping the family find a recording by year even when its label is incomplete. For a reunion, Live Watch Parties synchronize an uploaded home video while the host controls play, pause and seek. Relatives nearby or far away can join voice and text chat. The free allowance is three hours per month with up to six participants.
Event Memories can gather the reunion photos too. A secure occasion contribution link lets people sign in and upload without needing archive membership. Their uploads go into the event album, and closing the link retains the collected memories. That can bring an old recording and the new family gathering into the same archive.