Home VHS
$25 per tape
Full-size and camcorder VHS-C tapes. S-VHS captured at its higher detail.
VHS, camcorder tapes and Mini-DV transferred by hand in DuPage County. Drop them off, and get them back with every minute on a USB drive and a private link you can share with the whole family.
One price per tape, up to two hours, no matter how much is on it. Most family tapes come in well under that.
Full-size and camcorder VHS-C tapes. S-VHS captured at its higher detail.
The small Sony-style tapes from the late '80s through the 2000s.
Copied digitally over FireWire, frame for frame, with each clip's original recording date kept.
Home-made DVDs copied to files, and audio cassettes to MP3, both sides.
Your tapes stay local the whole time. Nothing is shipped or sent out to a lab.
Call or text with roughly how many tapes and what kinds. I'll reply the same day with a price.
Bring them by, or I'll pick them up nearby. You get a written list of every tape.
Each tape plays on a cleaned, working deck and is checked start to finish. Mold or a broken tape gets a call before I do anything.
Your originals come back with a USB drive, plus a private link to stream and download for 60 days.
| File | MP4 (H.264), plays on phones, TVs and computers |
| Motion | Deinterlaced to 60 frames per second |
| Mini-DV | Original digital stream plus the MP4, recording dates kept |
| Audio | Stereo where the tape has it; cassettes as MP3 |
| Delivery | USB drive + 60-day private streaming link |
| Turnaround | About 2 weeks for most orders |
This year I transferred more than 80 of my own family's tapes: 1980s VHS, a shoebox of Hi8, and seven Mini-DV tapes from my son's first birthdays. Some were days from being unwatchable. The same setup and the same care go into yours.
No. If a tape has no label, I'll name the file from what's on it and the date on screen, if the camcorder recorded one.
I'll call you before doing anything. Many snapped tapes can be spliced, and light mold can often be cleaned. You're never charged for a tape that can't be played.
Yes. DVD copies are $10 each. Trimming blank stretches is included; anything beyond that, ask and I'll quote it.
Your files are only shared through your own private link, which expires after 60 days. Nothing is posted or kept once you've picked up your order, unless you ask me to keep a backup.
Not yet. 8mm and Super 8 film need different equipment. Let me know if you have some, and I'll point you to someone local.
Count your tapes below for a quick estimate, then call or text and I'll confirm the price, usually the same day.