One enquiry for VHS and the smaller camcorder tapes
TVV lists VHS, VHS-C and SVHS alongside Hi8, 8mm, Mini and Large DV, HDV and Micro MV. Its supported formats also include DV CAM, Digital Betacam, Betacam SP and U-Matic. That breadth is useful when a family collection contains recordings made on different cameras, or when a cassette does not resemble the VHS tapes you remember using at home. TVV invites people who are unsure of their format to call for advice.
Before making contact, group the cassettes by size and copy their labels into a simple numbered list. Photograph an unfamiliar cassette and any markings on its case. Keep guesses about the contents separate from confirmed titles: a label saying "holiday" may cover several trips, while an unlabelled tape might contain something entirely different. This gives you a practical inventory without repeatedly playing fragile originals to identify them.
Published prices with clear recording limits
The published rate for camcorder tapes up to 90 minutes is £12 each. VHS and Long Play tapes up to 3 hours are listed at £15 each. Those duration limits matter, so give TVV both the number of tapes and your best estimate of their recorded lengths when requesting a quote. Do not treat the camcorder rate as the price for every cassette in a mixed collection.
Ask what the total quote includes, including your chosen delivery medium, any return postage and the tax treatment. The listed tape prices do not explain those details. If a shell is shattered or the tape has snapped, mention it before sending anything: TVV describes repairs including splicing, removing mangled sections and re-shelling, with costs starting from £5. It says such damage is generally recoverable, which still leaves the outcome of your particular tape to assessment. The service also requires you to own the copyright in recordings submitted for transfer.
Book the handover and choose an output you can use
TVV says tape transfers are completed in-house at its Newcastle facility, typically within 1 week. That is a typical timeframe, so confirm timing if you want a recording ready for a birthday or reunion. Tapes can be posted or dropped off by appointment. The published studio hours are 9.00am until 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, and TVV asks customers to contact it before calling in.
For tapes, TVV lists digital file delivery on USB, disc or cloud, including DVD, and describes a USB transfer in a gift box as its most popular camcorder service. Choose around the equipment your relatives actually use. Ask which file type will be supplied, whether it plays on your computer or television, and whether a DVD order also includes reusable digital files. For cloud delivery, establish how downloads work and how long they remain available. These questions help you plan storage and sharing before the order is placed.
Reels in the same collection need their own discussion
TVV also publishes a cine film transfer service for 8mm, Super 8, 9.5mm Pathé and 16mm, silent or sound. Cine delivery options include USB, cloud, DVD and Blu-Ray. These are a separate service from videotape transfer; the tape prices should not be used to estimate a box of reels. TVV says cine films are returned with the order. Ask specifically about the return arrangements for your tapes too.
When the digital recordings arrive, compare them with your numbered inventory. Check the beginning, middle and end of each file, listen for sound, and note missing material or unexpected interruptions. Retain the original tapes and reels, and keep another copy of the files on separate storage. Invite a relative to help identify people and places while the memories are fresh, recording uncertainty instead of turning an approximate date into a false certainty.
From converted recordings to a private family archive
After conversion, Memrial provides a separate private family archive for digital photos and home videos. It does not convert tapes and is not part of TVV. Its free plan includes 2.0 GB of storage shared across the archive, with no card needed. Keep a separate backup and check your video file sizes against that allowance before deciding what to upload.
Memrial’s Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, helping relatives find memories by year even when nobody remembers the precise day. Live Watch Parties synchronise an uploaded home video, with the host controlling play, pause and seek while relatives nearby or far away use voice and text chat. The free allowance is 3 hours per month with up to 6 participants.
For a family anniversary, Event Memories offers a secure occasion contribution link. Contributors sign in but do not need archive membership; their photos and videos go into the event album. Closing the link keeps the collected memories. That creates somewhere for a newly converted anniversary recording to sit alongside photographs and stories contributed by the people who remember it.