Not All VHS Conversion Companies Are the Same

Since you are reading this, you must be interested in converting your VHS tapes and other media to Digital. Unless you have spent the past few years thinking about digitizing tapes every day like me (and why would you), then you must have questions, but may not yet know what they are. Everybody will have different criteria for the company that is best for them, so I will outline what I think is most important to my customers and what I think is most important for converting to digital.

The Most Important VHS to Digital Conversion Issues

The #1 issue will be different for each person, but the following will be in the top 10 for most people.

  1. Safety. Can my tapes (or records, or cassettes, etc) be damaged? Well, yes, they can. Before this scares you away, know that this is true no matter where you convert them. Not only is the media several years to several decades old, they must be played on equipment that is just as old. Every one of our VHS tapes is deteriorating just sitting in storage. But not to worry, I also repair broken tapes, replace cassettes, splice film, etc. I have yet to be unable to repair a VHS with valid video on it so that it could be preservice through digital conversion.  (Note that quality and condition of the equipment is critical to the safety of the tape).
  2. One Stop Shop. All major conversion services at the same location can save so much time. VHS, miniDV, VHS-C, Hi8, Records, Cassettes, 8mm Film, 16mm Film, photos, slides, negatives, etc. The same place, expertise for all products.
  3. Turn around time. I am fortunate to boast one of the fastest turnaround times in the Denver Metro area. Most projects are ready in 2 or 3 business days, and almost every always completed in less than a week. I even offer Express servuce for 24 hour service as volume allows. Meeting your deadlines for birthdays, memorials, and graduations can be met here.
  4. Cost. I am happy to let you know that I have not raised prices to Digitize VHS since before the COVID pandemic began. I also offer volume discounts for more tapes.
  5. Local. Most customers simply do not want to ship their memories out of the city or even out of the state or use a company who does. While I do accept some projects by mail, the vast majority of my business is from the Denver Metro area. I do all of the work myself onsite. I work with every customer personally, one on one, and even pickup/deliver for qualifying projects.
  6. Convenient. I am located in the central Denver metro area, just minutes off of the 6th avenue freeway near I-25. Moreover, I reserve time for every customer by appointment to insure personal service.
  7. Quality. What is the resolution and format of each capture? Final product? Are there upgrades available for even higher resolution for special video? In addition, is the final product the same as the original capture, or is it cleaned up by hand – color correction, light correction, and most importantly, is the entire frame clean and void of flutter. I often redo other companies videos for customers who will not settle for the flutter and empty space around the border.

Also Read – VHS to Digital: Revive the Past with VHS to Digital Conversion

DVD or Digital

Both forms are still available, although DVDs are quickly passing away. Yes, there are some situations where DVDs are still needed.

  1. Someone who has only watched DVDs and has no plans to change
  2. Creating videos from new technology (Smartphone, digital cameras, etc) for grandparents and their friends
  3. Venues (funeral homes) where DVD is the only option.

Many people do both formats – at a large discount for the second format – because some in the family only do DVDs and some don’t even have DVD players anymore.

For the foreseeable future, both formats (each with many options) will be required.

How to Shop for VHS Conversion Service

Here are the questions to ask to make sure that you receive the product that you desire.

  1. Will I be able to edit the digital video? In other words, is it in a standard format?
  2. Can I have a digital file, a DVD, or both? Cloud delivery?
  3. One Stop Shop – VHS to digital, plus slides, negatives, 8mm film, cassettes, all camcorder tapes, etc.
  4. How do I insure the safety of my video after conversion?
  5. What if my tape is already damaged? Or is old and breaks during normal playback?
  6. Can I receive the tapes in chronological order, or other organization?
  7. What is the volume discount structure?
  8. Is turnaround time measured in days? Or weeks?
  9. Does my order qualify for free delivery and pickup?
  10. How many years of professional experience do you have?

The bottom line is that you receive great quality at a fair price in a timely fashion. Reborn Audio Video has over a decade of such service.

Next Steps

  1. Call or text Jamey (About Jamey) at 720 204-5464
  2. Set an appointment (every project receives my individual attention)
  3. Drop off your tapes (and records, cassettes, slides, or negatives, too)
  4. In a week or less, pick up your new digitized VHS (and other).
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James Nordby

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