Timeline of the Process

Videotape to Digital Transfer

Most people's first question (after "Can you convert my tapes?") tends to be "How does the process work?", so below is a basic timeline to try to answer that.

I've put the things you'll need to do in the Orange boxes and the things you can leave to me in Grey. If you're still unsure of anything, please contact me via any of the methods on my contact page and I'll happily talk you through it.

You find your tapes and fill out the information form

Nothing complicated; I just need some really basic information like your contact details, how many tapes you have, how you want the files delivered etc.

Click here for the form

I send you my details

I'll let you know my address in Halstead, Essex so you can decide whether you want to drop the tapes off in person, or whether posting them might be more practical.

You get your tapes to me

Drop them off in person, send them via courier, attach them to a particularly muscular carrier pigeon or have a small Victorian child bring them round on their bike. Any way is fine, provided I eventually get hold of them. ?

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I capture the footage

This is a 1:1 process, e.g. a 2 hour tape takes 2 hours to capture. I can usually do rush jobs if necessary, but this is the limiting factor.

The result is your footage in the "master" AVI format. You can have these files if you wish; just bear in mind they are huge!

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I convert the footage to MP4

Most people prefer their footage in a more manageable and Smart TV/games console friendly format, so I usually convert the "master" AVI files to MP4. You can play them back on just about anything these days.

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I let you know the total cost

Once I have all the finished footage, I can give you an accurate cost for the number of tapes that actually had something on them, plus the cost for any required USB sticks, Hard Drives, postage etc.

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You pay the bill

I'd prefer Bank Transfer, especially in the current climate, but we can work out something else if that's an issue. I'm professionally Scottish - I'll find a way ?

I copy the file(s) to your chosen storage media

This might be USB sticks or a portable Hard Drive if you want a physical copy. I can also upload your files to a OneDrive cloud link for free so you can view/download the files yourself and let your friends and family do the same. Entirely your choice.

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I return your tapes and your footage

You can either pick up your tapes and USB sticks etc, or I'm happy to post them back at cost. I'll also send you the private OneDrive link (if you wanted this option) to your files, so you can access them and send the link to anyone else you like.

You backup your files

Seriously - this bit is vitally important.

The faster you make at least one copy of your files, the better. Preferably several copies, in several places.

I have a whole page on this...

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