Old video tapes from the 1980s -1990s need to be converted to digital formats if their content is to survive. Tape deteriorates and old players are increasingly hard to get hold of. Old audio cassettes are in the same category. Tracks from old vinyl records - not available in other forms today - can also be rescued.
The digital copy will (at least) faithfully reflect the current quality of the analog tape or medium and often improve it. VHS and mini-dv video convert natively to 720px x 576px dimensions. (Technically this is the closest digital equivalent to the old analog technology.) Technology is now becoming available that can help low resolution video convert to higher resolutions without creating blur, but it's an evolving technology. Your converted (mp4) video will play on most modern devices but you may need to reduce the size of your viewing window to the pixel dimensions of the converted video.
Some VHS video comes off very well even after 25-30 years, but VHS video is at risk after about 15 years even if the cassettes haven't been played for most of that time. Deterioration of the magnetic signal can result in loss of colour and quality as the binder decays that holds the magnetic information on the tape. Other factors are
These generally "age" better than VHS tapes.
Special effects can be added to all converted video to improve contrast and colour. Video can be edited and titles and transitions added etc...
These usually end up sounding a lot better than the original cassette. Old audio cassettes lose volume and can become muddy, often with a lot of rumble in low frequencies. If it has not been well-recorded in the first place more effort has to go into retrieval. Vinyl can have hiss and crackle that needs to be removed after the digital conversion.
