Based in Alabama accepting media from all over the US I have years of experience and offer the transfer of a variety of video tape formats into digital files or onto DVD

Sample Transfers

Formats I Can Handle

S-VHS, S-VHS-C, VHS

8mm, Video8 Hi8, Digital8

I’ve created this video to explain these four formats

Mini DVD

DVCAM, Mini DV

DV, DVCAM, Mini DV

DVCPRO-DVCPRO50

Will be adding photos to match of this and other new formats

HDCAM

When I transfer tapes I strive to get the best capture possible and with my equipment can correct for problems the home user commonly encounters when doing basic capture over composite with cheap capture cards or easy VHS to digital devices. With the professional decks and DTBC’s (More below on that) I use I can play back and transfer most consumer tape formats and some professional (see above for compatibility) in their native formats and resolution without any penalty in quality due to backwards compatibility with older formats or down converting to a lower form for capture. I also can perform a wide range of tape repairs including tape splicing, mold removal and transplanting broken tapes into new shells. Getting these tapes transferred by a professional is important because due to age these tapes can be fragile and risking on unknown or old poorly maintained hardware is risky. Each tape is inspected before transfer.

Here’s a tape I was able to transfer that basic home capture wouldn’t be able to.

Time base correction is crucial when transferring analog video tape of all kinds, as it can help fix timing errors and variations in the tapes signal due to age or issues with how the tape was recorded. Over time, these errors can become more pronounced and lead to visible distortions, such as jitter or tearing. I have a small collection of them with my main TBC being a DPS-290 They basically work by comparing the incoming video signal to a stable reference signal and adjust the timing to match, resulting in improved image quality and fixes to common issues. The below video shows how I was able to drastically improve the image quality of a tape of my sister’s birthday. I was also able to fix issues with the shift in color of the tape. If you’re a nerd here’s a research paper on it. The above demo shows the TBC correcting a tape as viewed through my waveform monitor.

Avoid transfer scams!

Ask yourself are getting a digital transfer of your home movies? Some transfer houses don’t properly transfer digital formats converting these digital formats to analog then back to digital these formats must be transferred over firewire. This is done both out of ignorance and convenience. The hope is that you won’t know that you’re loosing quality. Also it is far easier to transfer tapes that way with modern computers. One leading company (which is really three companies owned by the same company) told me firewire is software and that they could not discuss that. and another told me they do not transfer over FireWire or use a TBC. The below video demonstrates this issue.

Prices

$20 per tape depending on amount. (I offer bulk discounts on large tape amounts after 20 tapes)
$10 for basic tape repair.
$15 for basic storage media great for smaller jobs fewer then 30 tapes
$130 for extra large transfer jobs and ProRes transfer due to file size. (the files will be put on a SSD)
$17 per DVD while I prefer to transfer your tapes to a file I can also transfer to a DVD
$25 Extreme mold per tape (More on that below)
$15 Tape baking this is per tape.

I have created a cost calculator to get a rough idea of price
Tapes can be shipped if you are not local to me return shipping cost depends on the amount of tapes.

Cost calculator

The cost per tape after 20 gets cheaper this calculator does not account for that.

FAQ

What file types do you offer? For most transfers I create MP4 files in a H.264 codec these files are suitable for playback on most modern devices. I also can create ProRes files for advanced users that need files for video editing note there is $15 charge added when creating these files due to the increased size of files.

Do you de-interlace tapes. Yes. for files I batch de-interlace basic transfers and leave it up to the user when doing prores DVD’s are interlaced to begin with. Ok? What is interlacting? This video from Caption Disillusion does a good job of explaining it.

My tape is broken is it fixable? Yes depending on damage in most cases I can splice your tape back together or transplant into new tape shell and deal with mold, major cases require more work. Note this does add $10 for that repair. The ability to do some of these repairs depends on my stock of spare parts and may add the cost of sourcing these parts.

My tape is moldy can you transfer it? Yes depending on severity this can incur a $25 repair fee due to needing to take the tape apart.

My tapes format isn’t listed above can you transfer it? Short answer no long answer maybe if you can supply the tape equipment and it has standard video outputs maybe but i’m not responsible for any damage to tapes. I have made a list below of common formats I can’t transfer.

Can you create DVD’s of my tapes? Yes while I prefer to create files I can create a DVD of your tapes.

Can you transfer Commercial tapes or media I recorded off of the TV? Only under certain circumstances. That time you where on the news sure that feature length movie or TV show (well unless you’re in it) you recorded in the 90’s No.

Can I provide my own storage? For many reasons I don’t do this when I buy the storage I confirm it will meet any project requirements and has the space needed for your transfers.

Can you recommend a capture device for me to transfer my home movies or give me free technical support? No I use professional capture hardware and avoid cheap units like the ones below like a plague.

Formats I’m currently working on.

I am currently working on adding a number of professional video formats and audio formats These include Betacam/Betacam SP, Digital Betacam (am in talks to acquire that equipment), and HDV. Although I have successfully managed to get one of my Betacam SP decks playing tapes, the playback is still inconsistent I have ordered a belt that is part or all of the problem. I also have HDV equipment, but unfortunately, the deck I have is in need of servicing I also have a HDV camera but have done no testing and is not really practical for transferring as it doesn’t allow me to transfer full size HDV tapes. Additionally, I have a quarter-inch reel-to-reel audio player that needs servicing and might only be suitable for parts (its was smashed in the front when I found it) . I am currently building a rack for Audio tapes and once I finish transferring a large quantity of tapes recorded by a family member in mid 70’s I’ll be offering transfers of Audio Cassettes.

Formats I can’t currently transfer.

Formats I can’t currently handle include MicroMV, Betamax, UMATIC, Reel to Reel video such as quad inch tape, Film Video of any format or other uncommon formats. I should also mention I only support NTSC tapes. No PAL or SEACAM here folks. If you have any of these formats don’t hesitate in reaching out because I can point you in the right direction.