ARS Video Offers VHS to Digital Conversions – Digitize VHS Tapes Today for Tomorrow’s Audience
There’s something nostalgic about popping an old VHS tape into the VCR and being transported back in time to your most precious memories. Of course, it’s usually only those of us over 40 who remember a time before streaming services and online downloads.
VHS Tapes were first used in the early 1980s to record family events. The problem with this method was that it required an overly clunky, too-large camera, which is why this method of video capture was replaced in the late 1980s by a VHS-C camera. “C” stands for compact because this entailed a smaller camera and a smaller tape that recorded 1/4 as much as its predecessor. The VHS-C tape gained popularity due to the adapter it featured that allowed you to put it into a VCR machine for playback. No other tape format at the time had an adapter.
Fun Facts About Your Tapes:
- VHS stands for Video Home System
- VCR stands for Video Cassette Recorder
- There are 812 feet of magnetic tape on a standard 2-hour VHS tape
- VHS tape cassettes still hold a lot of precious memories for families everywhere
The unfortunate news is, old VHS tapes were not meant to last forever, nor were the playback machines (VCRs). Fewer and fewer of these devices remain in working order each year and finding a business that repairs them grows more challenging by the day. To preserve these memories and experience the joy of nostalgia, you’ll want to protect your video footage for years to come. The best way to playback hours of footage in the highest quality possible is to convert them to a digital format. That’s where ARS Video can help – with VHS to digital conversions.
Our VHS to digital conversion services allow you to convert your old VHS tapes to High Definition (1920 x 1080P MP4) files. Video digitization is a great way to preserve your old home movies, as VHS technology is becoming increasingly obsolete and is not playable on modern devices. We can even convert your VHS tapes to DVD if you’d prefer!
VHS to Digital Pricing (charged per hour, not per tape like most!)
At ARS Video, we charge $23 per hour of recorded family video to digitize the VHS tape to upscaled High Def MP4 files. We name the files based on what’s written on the tape label. The files are then copied to a USB Flash Drive that’s included in the price. After taking out TV shows, and converting your videos, we back up the files at our offices for future copies, which is included in the price as well. Unlike some of our competitors, we never charge for blank tapes either.
We have quantity discounts at 10-24 hours of 10% off, and 25% off at 25+ hours of recorded family video. All video tapes are timed out and checked for TV programs and footage that is copyrighted. We’ll contact you with the price, including discounts, for your approval before we begin. See our Pricing page for more information.
Examples
Why You Should Convert VHS To Digital Format
The top reasons why you should convert your VHS tapes to digital video include:
Preserving Your Memories:
You want to preserve the precious memories on those VHS cassettes to revisit them whenever you’d like. Whether it’s family footage or recordings of special moments with friends, you want to ensure these memories will last. Unfortunately, VHS cassette tape is not the most durable material. Extreme heat, changes in humidity, and water exposure threaten the integrity of the film footage. By converting your video footage to a digital format, ARS Video keeps your memories safe.
Opening Up More Space:
Whether it’s a few dozen VHS tapes sitting around your home or even a few hundred, VHS tapes quickly take up more space than you have to spare. Converting video cassettes to a new format helps to clear shelf space, get tapes off the floor, and opens up the room. Using our VHS to Digital Conversion Service, you can maximize your basement, office or any other storage area in the house and get the most out of your space.
Sending A Creative Gift:
The best gift you can give your parents or grandparents is the gift of memories. Many of their life’s most important events were recorded on video tape, starting with their wedding and the birth of the first child. These recordings are 30-40 years old now and often can’t be played. Why not ensure you can look back on those precious memories fondly via video digitization? Go with something that comes from the heart. Get creative and gift your loved one a digital copy of that particular special moment so they can enjoy it!
Increasing Access and Viewability:
As we mentioned above, VCR devices are fading from common use and it’s almost impossible to find new machines. VCRs obtained at thrift stores are unpredictable and have no warranty, not to mention that the old one you may have on a shelf in your basement is gathering dust and might not work well, if at all, any longer. By converting your VHS tapes to a digital format, you can view old family movies and memories on the latest televisions and computers, plus upload them to video sharing sites in order to share these memories over the Internet. It’s a win-win situation with VHS to digital conversions!
Why Copyright Prevents Us From Making Conversions
While you may want to have all of your favorite movies, TV shows, sports clips, and more transferred to a digital format, it may not be possible. It’s all a matter of whether or not the material is copyrighted and available for purchase in other formats.
In some instances, if the material is not available for purchase, we can provide the necessary format conversion with permission from the copyright holder.
Many VHS videos, such as Disney movies, are copyrighted with Macrovision, which means that the video is scrambled when someone tries to transfer them.
One of the best ways to find out is to take a closer look at your VHS tapes. Some tapes will say on them that they are copyrighted and cannot be converted. You can also check the internet for availability to see if some of the VHS movies and shows are available on DVD or Blu-Ray.
How The VHS To Digital Service Works
If you ship tapes to us, which most of our customers do, we ask that include your contact information – it’s our policy to always contact you when your media arrives at our facility to inform you of your package’s safe arrival.
Everyone is hesitant to ship their priceless memories, but we have never had an order lost that has tracking on the package.
You can drop off your VHS tapes if you are in Northeast Ohio! We would love to meet you and show you how we digitize tapes and film.
Once we have your tapes, our team will go through each one to check how much video is recorded and to take out any TV shows. If repairs are needed or mold is found, we’ll let you know what it will take to fix the problem. Appropriate discounts are applied, and you are given a price that always needs to be approved before we begin.
We then digitize each tape to a High Definition (1920 x 1080P) MP4 video file and save it on our system. Once we are done, we copy the files onto a USB Flash Drive that plays on your TV and computer. An invoice is sent to you, and we ship back all the original tapes with the new HD digital version. Extra copies are just the cost of the Flash Drive, and a set of your files is maintained here in case you need another copy for any reason in the future.
Choosing The Format That’s Right For You
You’ll want to have your VHS tapes converted in a way that works best for your storage and playback devices. DVD and Blu-Ray discs are generally available, although it will require you to have the necessary disc reading equipment, and unfortunately, DVD and Blu-Ray equipment are quickly becoming obsolete.
Additionally, if you wanted to watch your converted video on a computer, you many run into issues as many of the latest computers don’t even include disc readers. This means that you will still need to purchase and maintain the necessary equipment to watch your movies. As technology advances and these pieces of equipment become difficult to find in stores, you will still need to have your VHS tapes converted to a digital format.
The best option available today is to have your VHS tape converted to a digital file, and stored on a flash drive or external hard drive. This format allows you to easily play movies on your TV or computer, as we format our flash drives to be accessible on both devices. The video file on the flash drive will be converted to High Definition 1080P, ensuring that you get the best possible quality from all of your converted movies. Especially if you plan on watching your home movies on a big screen, you’ll appreciate it being in HD.
Our conversions are made into a high-def MP4 format, delivered to you on a flash drive. Should you wish to edit raw film footage, the MP4 format is compatible with all common editing software and Cloud services. Additionally, a flash drive today will hold a significant amount of data when compared to DVDs.
Let The Professionals Handle Your Digital Conversions
Relying on professionals with the proper equipment, training, and experience is the only way to ensure that the VHS-to-digital process is done correctly and that your new digital video files are protected.
We treat all of our customers exactly as we would like to be treated, which is why we will provide you with a fair price and a free quote before starting the conversion process. At ARS Video, we treat your precious memories as if they were our own!
In addition to VHS to digital conversions for VHS and VHS-C video tapes, we also offer video conversions for the Hi-8 Video formats including Regular 8, Hi-8 and Digital 8 tapes, and we still convert Betamax tapes. Conversions for MiniDV, Micro MV, DVCAM and HDV digital video tapes as well as Mini DVD video discs are also transferred to High Definition digital files by ARS Video!
