Many of us still own libraries of old VHS tapes that sit on shelves gathering dust and are never watched. However, for many couples, there is one exception to this rule – their wedding video. Even if your wedding video is a slightly grainy affair that was recorded on a primitive camera, odds are that you’d like to have it in a format that you can actually play for years to come. Transferring your wedding video to DVD or a digital format gives you back your video in a form that you can continue to watch easily, whenever the urge strikes.
Why Do People Collect VHS Films?
When a film store owner in the USA decided to shut up shop after 27 years, his customers launched a crowdfunding site and a massive campaign to keep Movie Madness open.
This is a store which had amassed some 84,000 movies and TV shows. Devoted fans travelled long distances to browse through its abundant categories (containing often forgotten VHS titles), which ranged from “Rampaging Teenagers” to “Problems With Rodents”.
Four Ways That VHS Tapes Degrade Over Time
For all its merits, there are many things we won’t miss about VHS. One of those is that VHS tapes are not permanent — they degrade over time. This is one factor leading people to move from VHS to DVD. In fact, some estimates say you might experience significant picture degradation within 10-25 years. Here’s how it happens.
5 Things We Don’t Miss About VHS
We’re pretty nostalgic about VHS tapes here at Video2DVD Transfers, but who isn’t?! VHS tapes are part of an era that saw a technology boom and, as we ditched the VHS tapes, we were also ditching cassette tapes and were just getting to grips with the internet. While we are nostalgic, there are certain things that we certainly don’t miss about VHS!
#1 – Having to Rewind a Whole Movie
Sure, watching the movie was great fun but, at the end, you would have to rewind through the whole movie so when you came to watch it again, you could watch it straight away. It really was a bore, and it was even worse if you were renting a tape, only to find that the person who watched previously hadn’t bothered to uphold VHS renting etiquette.
#2 – Accidentally Recording Over Something
We all loved being able to record our favourite TV shows or movies, but there was nothing worse than finding out that another family member had recorded over that series finale you hadn’t had a chance to watch yet with something like Match of the Day or Gardeners World.
#3 – The Sound of VHS Tapes Being Chewed Up
Having something recorded over is pretty horrifying but, surely, that crunching sound as the VHS player chewed up the tape was worse. Ejecting the tape to find a mess of tangled tape was always a sad moment, so we’re glad our DVDs don’t provide that problem!
#4 – Having to Devote Half Your House to VHS Storage
VHS tapes were incredibly chunky compared to the petite DVD and you couldn’t fit an awful lot on one tape – maybe a couple of episodes of your favourite show. If you were a film fanatic with a penchant for buying all your favourites on VHS, it could become pretty space consuming. These days, you can still enjoy the minimalist look whilst collecting all your favourite movies.
#5 – Deciding What to do With the Pile of Tapes When DVDs Came Along
DVDs brought with them a huge number of benefits, but one thing we were sad about was the fact that we had piles and piles of VHS tapes which were more or less redundant. Sure, we could have really done with regaining all that cupboard space, but binning your collection of Disney movies on VHS just didn’t seem right!
Thankfully, at Video2DVD Transfers, you don’t have to part with your old home videos on VHS, but you can still take back all that space! We can extract your home movies and transfer them to DVD so you don’t have to worry about losing all those happy memories.
If you would like to find out more about our services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team. You can give us a call on 0800 592 433 or send an email to [email protected] and we will be more than happy to help.
How Does a Video Camera Work?
Video cameras are one of the best ways to capture some of your most treasured memories, such as your child’s first steps, your wedding ceremony, or a holiday that you want to remember forever. Because of this, if your video camera suddenly stops working, it’s definitely worth knowing how they work so that you can fix it to ensure your memories are kept safe.
3 Creative Things to do With Your Home Videos
Here at Video2DVD Transfers, we don’t like the idea of your old home movies going to waste. This is why we specialise in converting your old VHS tapes to DVD format. This way, you can relive all your old memories over and over and over…
However, what about the creative people amongst us? Whilst you can’t beat sitting around, watching them on the TV with your loved ones, there are other uses for your home videos for those looking to do something a little different.
Looking for ideas?
Upload Your Videos to YouTube
Many people share videos and pictures every day through their social media, but how many of these share really old home movies? Why don’t you create your own family YouTube channel, where you can upload all your family home videos, new and old! This is not just a fantastic way to store them; it also allows you to share them with all your friends and family! Who knows? It might even reconnect some old family members who haven’t spoken in a while.
Edit Them Together
Remember the TV show “This Is Your Life?” Why don’t you take inspiration from this and create your very own? This would make a unique and touching present for a member of your family. You could edit together random parts of each video, or you could specifically choose a theme such as making a montage of all the Christmases throughout the years.
It would also make a really good gift for your child on a special birthday or occasion such as a wedding.
Comedy Dub
Ever wondered what your dad would sound like as Homer Simpson? Or your grandma as Yoda? Well, with a little bit of creative editing, you could soon have your answer! For those who are looking to do something a little more “out there” with their home videos, why don’t you upload them to your computer and then put a comedy dub over the voices?
Is your mum speaking directly to the camera about your first tooth falling out? Not anymore! She’s now quoting Liam Neeson’s super famous speech from Taken! You can have some real fun with this one – go as wild as you want to!
If comedy isn’t your thing, why don’t you edit your home videos into your very own indie film? You could have the next big thing on your hands – starring you!
We even have a suggestion for your old VHS tapes after you’ve had them converted – they make fantastic door stops!
If you would like to contact our team about getting your old videos converted into DVDs, please give us a call on 800 592 433 and we will be more than happy to provide you with more information.
The Formats that Time Forgot: An Alternate History of TV and Film (Part One)
For almost every piece of game-changing technology that emerges in the TV and Film industry, something else is defeated and, eventually, forgotten by all but the most dedicated fans. After all, would we now be offering our essential Betamax to DVD transfer service if the Betamax had proved to be the long-enduring format that people imagined when it was first introduced?
You Wouldn’t Want to Miss It
There are some moments in life that can just pass you by, like the first coffee of the morning, or that joke your friend told you that you can’t remember because it wasn’t any good. But there are some that you really wouldn’t want to miss. Here are our favourite moments that really should be committed to film.
That Romantic Proposal
No matter how your significant other does it – whether they drop to one knee on a romantic trip to the Lake Garda, or even slur those loving words over pizza – being proposed to is a big deal – especially if you, y’know, say yes. And sure, while everyone films the resulting wedding, most people forget about the moment that started it all. Capturing the wedding proposal is a wonderful way to remember just how those blissful years together began.
Baby’s First Steps and Words
Ok, this might seem like a hard one to judge. Either you film your baby constantly, or you get lucky, but it’s totally magical if you can capture your child’s first steps or words on camera. Sure, you’ll remember the delight forever, running, screaming, calling up your mum and all your friends, but it’d be nice to let others witness the moment too. After all, it’s a big deal. And once you’ve got it on film, you can watch it back 15 years later and wonder what ever happened to that sweet, innocent kid!
First Day of School and Final Graduation
What could be better than book-ending your kid’s academic career? There are few moments as important as their first day of school, decked out in an ill-fitting uniform, designed to last for years, and a nervous smile. And no parent will want to forget the end of years in education, as they proudly swish their robe and collect their graduation certificates. In fact, it’ll be tough to tell who’s prouder – them or you.
If you’ve got any of these moments stashed away on video, relax, they’re not lost forever. If you wish to relive the moment, or cherish and share those memories, then we can definitely help. Here at Video 2 DVD Transfers we specialise in VHS to DVD transfers, and we’d love to help you see and share those moments again. Just contact us on 0800 592433 or email us at [email protected] to find out how we can assist you today.
Preserving Family Memories
Preserving memories can be very important, especially when it comes to those all-important precious family moments. Often we are lucky enough to have been able to capture these moments on film so we can come back and relive them over and over again. However in order to preserve these for the future, its important you take good care of your old photos and home videos so they stay in good condition, after all you never know when you might want to see them again. So here we take a quick look at how you can help preserve those precious family memories you have on film, so they can hopefully stay with you and your family for many years to come.
Photographs
The rise of the digital age has seen a move away from more traditional printed photographs and digital archives are now commonplace. Indeed almost gone are the days of getting your camera film developed. However many of us still have numerous old photos lying around of our most precious memories, such as family holidays, and our childhood days.
When it comes to protecting and preserving your old photographs there are a number of things you can do to help. For example a number of factors, such as sunlight and high humidity, can damage your old photographs, hence keeping your old photos away from bright light and humid environments is a must. High temperatures can also present a particular problem for you old photos, so when it comes to storing your photographs lower temperatures are preferable. You can also store your photos in good quality photo albums to help preserve them for the future, and these are perfect for having a look through and reminiscing over too.
Ultimately it can also be a good idea to make a back up copy of your most precious photos too. For example you could consider digitizing your old photos. There are a number of methods of digitizing your old photos, however for the best quality, using a scanner is usually the best option. Creating a digital archive of your old photos also means you can easily share your photos with others online.
Movies
There’s nothing quite like catching those all important memories on film; from your baby’s first steps to your wedding day, our home videos speak volumes and are there to be treasured. Home videos have been around for decades, allowing us to forever immortalise and capture our favourite moments and memories. However whilst memories can last a life time, the same cannot be said for you old home movies, at least not if they were captured on VHS that is.
VHS tapes were never intended to last a lifetime and in many respects VHS is a dying medium that has all but been laid to rest. Unfortunately VHS tapes wear out a little every time we use them, and over time their components can degrade. Hence if your old VHS home movies are sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust, and taking up valuable storage space, a great idea is convert these to DVD, giving them a new lease of life and preserving those memories for the future. Converting your old home movies to DVD can also make the ideal gift, perfect for putting a smile on people’s faces.
Here at Video 2 DVD Transfers we are specialists when it comes to converting VHS to DVD and pride ourselves on the high quality of our work. For more information about our great range of services please do not hesitate to contact us and a member of our friendly team will be happy to help you with your enquiries.