VHS TRANSFERS

NOTE: YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SHIPPING BOTH WAYS. WE DO NOT SEND A BOX. WE BILL FOR RETURN SHIPPING WHEN THE JOB IS COMPLETE. *Unless you choose to have your tapes recycled. Expedited or rushed services only apply to availability of digital files for download and may still be subject to delays based on the condition of what we receive.

This listing is for the transfer of FULL SIZE VHS Tapes to digital files.

HISTORY:
VHS VCRS first came on the scene in 1976 and were in use in the United States beginning 1977. VHS tapes are the same thickness as BetaMax but slightly longer with two windows showing the inside tape.

VERSIONS:
Full size VHS came in two versions. Standard, and SuperVHS which rendered a higher quality video usually released by movie studios. SuperVHS tapes were also used in recording studio ADAT units for multi-track audio recordings. We are able to transfer both video versions and also ADAT. However, if we discover one of your VHS tapes is actually an ADAT audio master, we will reach out to you with additional pricing for that transfer.

LENGTHS AND QUALITY:
VHS tape recording times vary based upon the size of the tape and the speed of the recording. The slower the recording speed, the more that could be fit on a tape. However, that slow speed also made the quality of the recording worse. Keep in mind that nobody imagined looking at these videos on screens as big as we have today, so be realistic with your expectations after transfer.

Please note that the price you pay is per tape and covers up to 2 hours transfer per tape. Tapes exceeding 120 minutes will be charged an additional transfer fee for every portion of each two hour block thereafter.

There are three different recording speeds for VHS tapes. Below is a chart so that you can have an idea of how long a full tape can possibly go based upon the T-number on it.

T-20 up to 60 min (1h)
T-30 up to 90 min (1h 30)
T-45 up to 135 min (2h 15)
T-60 up to 180 min (3h)
T-90 up to 270 min (4h 30)
T-120 up to 360 min (6h)
T-130 up to 390 min (6h 30)
T-140 up to 420 min (7h)
T-150 up to 450 min (7h 30)
T-160 up to 480 min (8h)
T-180 up to 540 min (9h)
T-200 up to 600 min (10h)
T-210 up to 630 min (10h 30)
T-240 up to 720 min (12h)

COMMON VHS FORMAT ISSUES:
There were three different recording formats depending on the country the tape was recorded in: NTSC, PAL, SECAM. The base price includes the transfer of NTSC which is common to the Americas. If your tapes are from someone who served on active duty overseas, it’s a safe bet that they are still NTSC since military PX sold NTSC units. If we discover that you have sent foreign formats, you will be charged an additional $3 per tape as these units are more expensive for us to purchase and maintain here in the United States.