Old video tapes from the eighties and nineties need to be converted to digital formats if precious home videos are to survive. Tape deteriorates and players are increasingly hard to get hold of if your existing player breaks down. Old audio cassettes are in the same category. Tracks from old vinyl - not available in other forms today - can also be rescued.
The most common modern format for digital video is an mp4. Any video-playing device will play an mp4. mp4 used to be limited to videos for smaller devices, but it is now now standard for website, TV and YouTube viewing. Most audio will convert well to mp3 format - popular and compatible with many media players
Clients often ask for this work to be done as gifts for family members
Many home videos were recorded on VHS (Video Home System) camcorders that came on the market in the 1970s & 1980s, and most homes had a VHS player. Compact (VHS-C) tapes were also popular. Conversion to digital format is imperative if the content is to be saved.
Mini DV camcorders arrived on the scene in 1995 replacing the larger VHS cameras and becoming the de facto standard for home video production.
These camcorders showed up in the late 80s as a consumer and pro-sumer product. WordsnDesign can handle Video8 tapes but video recorded on Hi8 camcorders can be offered only to clients who bring their still-functional Hi8 camera with them.
As long as clients can bring their functional camera with them, there is a good chance that WordsnDesign can capture video from these devices and convert it to digital.
$50 plus GST an hour. (Note: Some cassettes have 3 hours of recorded video on them, some only 15 minutes.) There is no way to capture VHS data except by recording it to dedicated DVD format with a DVD recorder. This data then has to 'ripped' from the DVD and imported into computer video-editing software. Clients wanting editing of raw video into a number of different specific movies, eg., 'birthday', 'wedding', 'family Christmas', will pay more depending on amount of editing required. The finished digital movies are then exported to a standard mp4 format for playing on laptops, TVs, tablets and smartphones. CDs and DVDs are rapidly becoming unsupported technology.
$50 per hour plus GST- as above
$40 plus GST per side for C60, $40 plus GST per side for C90.
DVDs are no longer modern technology, so your VHS or mini-dv video will not be burned to DVD for you. However, if you have content on any DVD that you want to preserve and convert to a digital mp4 for playing on your modern devices, this can be done for you.
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 to the polyester base on the tape. Other factors are 1.) the quality of the original tape. 2.) whether the tape being converted is a copy of another VHS tape. 3.) the conditions in which the VHS video has been stored. Some VHS video comes off very well even after 25-30 years. Mini DV tapes and Video8/Hi8 tapes generally fare better than VHS tapes.
Whatever, you can expect the digital copy to faithfully reflect the current quality of the analog tape. VHS and mini-dv video converts to 720px x 576px digital dimensions. Technically this is the closest digital equivalent to the old analog technology. You can't "stretch" the converted video to fill a high resolution screen; it will just blur. It will play on any modern device that plays mp4 files (most of them) but you will need to reduce the size of your viewing window to the pixel dimensions of the converted video.
Most people want to know how to preserve and backup important photos, videos and data files. Archiving options are constantly changing. Only several years ago files were archived to CD or DVD but DVDs (played on what are called optical drives) are already old technology. These days many people are backing up to "The Cloud", tech-speak for a vast array of high capacity overseas computers that cover city blocks. These services usually have to be paid for, though many offer minimal storage for free. DropBox, Microsoft One Drive, Google Drive are examples. But they are off-site and can be subject to security breaches. A safer option is probably personal cloud storage - a physical device attached to your own computer that allows you to keep your files on site. You can do your own research on these personal cloud storage options. Typically they hold fast large-capacity drives. They are not cheap, but your precious video and files will be as safe there as anywhere. You can still archive to DVD or CD if you wish but the devices that play these disks are becoming harder to get and you risk being stranded as technology changes. Don't rely on USB sticks to store your data. They are good for moving files around but are not storage devices.
As at 2025, M DISC capable drives are still available and respected as reliable. Like all optical discs, M DISCs are still susceptible to scratches, breakage, fire and theft, and rely on working optical drives being available to read them. They have been rigorously tested and are agreed to have between 100 and 1000 years of life, but they are expensive and a supply chain has to be found - and also - as time passes - a player?
