SAVE THOSE MEMORIES!

There are treasures that await you on your old video and audio tapes! SAVE THEM! Get them copied to a format that you can see, hear and share!  Whether they’re VHS, VHS-C, High 8, Mini DV or audio cassette, we can save them for you. Do it before your tapes are damaged or lost.

You probably got rid of your VHS player years ago, right after you dumped off your 8-track tape deck at Goodwill.  But, no doubt, you still have video and audio tapes that hold the priceless history of the last few decades.  You, your family and friends sporting their stylish outfits and big hairdos are all waiting to be seen again!   That audio cassette tape of your dad belting out an old Englebert Humperdink song, is screaming to be heard again.  What better time to re-live those memories than now?

Take a break from cable news and watch your vintage videos, and listen to your old audio cassettes.  It can be hilarious and it can be heartwarming.  Either way, it’s a healthy way to spend some time.

We can also will make copies of your original DVDs and CDs for you for sharing with others, and safekeeping.

Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about saving your video and audio tapes, but first, we have a question for you:

1. How do you want it?  On a DV or a Jump Drive (aka USB Flash Drive, Thumb Drive)?

We will save your tapes to either.  It just depends which you prefer.  

DVDs are a great format to save your tapes on if you have a way to view them, and you have no plans to edit them.  DVDs can only be viewed on a DVD player or on a computer with a DVD reader.  But what if your computer does not have a disk player?    Or what if you want to edit your video or audio files?

In either of those cases, a jump drive (USB flash drive) would be the appropriate choice for you.   A jump drive fits any device that has a USB port; computers and smart TVs. We will transfer your video or audio tape onto the jump drive as an MP4 file.  An MP4 file can be edited and shared to other people and devices.  However, a jump drive will not play in a normal DVD player on a TV.

2. Do you perform this service at Horn Photo, or do you send it out?

We do our own video transfers in our lab at Horn Photo.  Our staff has been transferring VHS videos to digital for decades.  We’ve completed well over 10,000 transfers of this type.  

3. What kind of video and audio tapes can you save and transfer?

We can transfer VHS, CD, DVD, Hi 8, Mini DV, VHC and audiocassette.    

We can also send out any Reel Movie film for transfer on to digital.  Ask any of our customer service staff about this service and pricing.

4.  How much does it cost to transfer a tape to digital?

Scroll down for our price list for saving your video and audio tapes to DVDs and jump drives. Please notice that the more tapes you bring us at one time, the more attractive the price per tape.  In other words, it gets cheaper!

More pricing and info are available on our Video Transfer Home Page

5. Can I have multiple tapes on one DVD or jump drive?

Yes and no.  Depends upon where you want us to save your tapes.

If you are saving your tapes to a DVD, then the answer in no.   We must put each tape on it’s own DVD. A 2-hour tape recorded in “SP mode” fits perfectly on a DVD also recorded in “SP mode”.  A single standard DVD-R has 4 GB of space.  

If you are saving your tapes to a jump drive (USB flashdrive), the answer is yes.  Jump drives hold much more information than a disk, and for that reason, we can put multiple tapes on a single jump drive. 

6.  What if my tape is blank?

No charge, of course! If you prepay for your transfer, we will give you a full refund.  

7.  Can you repair a broken VHS tape?

Yes.  We can repair most VHS tapes.  The price to repair tapes is $10 each.  Broken Hi 8 and VHC can also be repaired in many cases, but we don’t repair those in our lab. They must be sent out.  The price to repair Hi 8 and VHC varies depending on the type and severity of the damage.

8. Do you edit the video?

Horn Photo does not do editing.  We archive. That is the purpose of our service. If you need editing, then have us save your video to a jump drive.  It will be saved as an MP4 and can be edited in Adobe Premiere or iMovie or other software.

9.  What if my tape is in “LP mode” and is longer than 2 hours?

Any tape that is recorded on slower speeds, i.e. LSP, LP or EP, are much longer than 2 hours (as in SP mode).  There is an extra $10 charge for us to transfer these tapes.  This is because it takes longer.  (Remember the real-time thing?  Sorry.)  If you don’t know whether your tape is longer than 2 hours, bring it in, and we can figure it out for you.

10.  Do you make copies of CDs and DVDs?

Yes!  We also have a copy service.  Making copies of DVDs and CDs so you can share them with family and friends is only one reason why we have this service.  It is a good practice to make copies of your important DVDs and CDs so that if one gets damaged, you have back-ups.  It is also wise to keep copies of your treasured DVDs and CDs in different locations (i.e. another family member’s house, or a safe deposit box) just in case your home get damaged by fire, flood or a band of marauding hoodlums.

You can bring us your original DVD or CD, and we will make copies for you.  Scroll down for our price list for copying DVDs and CDs.

11. How long does it take?

Small orders can be completed in less than a week.  Larger orders take a little while longer.  Please keep in mind that video has to be transferred in real time.  An hour long video takes an hour to transfer.  

You’ve probably missed those math word problems you got in school.  We have one for you, but because we’re so nice, we’ve included the answer.  Question: Bonnie has 10 VHS tapes.  7 of them are 2 hours each, and 3 of her VHS tapes are recorded in “LP mode” that are each 6 hours long.  How long will it take Horn Photo to complete Bonnie’s video transfer?  

Answer: Bonnie’s transfer would take us 32hours to complete.    

You can understand why we are a slave to real-time VHS tapes.  

We prioritize our processing for special circumstances: If you need video and or audio tapes transferred for a funeral or  memorial service, please tell us, and we will meet your time line.

What we cannot do:

We cannot transfer PAL or Beta tapes in the store, however we can send them out to be transferred.

We cannot transfer TV shows or movies, unless you are in them.  Example:  News broadcasts about you or your family - we can do that. We cannot transfer any copywrited material.

Do you need a way to watch tapes before you bring them in for digitizing?

You say, "I have a box full of tapes and don't know which ones are important." This is normal. Probably sold your old VCR deck at your last yard sale. Good News! Horn Photo rents a VCR TV combo unit. You can rent this and quickly go through your tapes to know which ones are worth the $$'s to digitize.

What about Old Movies to Digital, you ask?

Horn Photo does not do this serfice in store. We send old movies out to a Very Reputable Company that we have trustwd for years. Please bring in your old movies and we will go over all the costs, turn around and othe roption. Here is a price sheet for your review;

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or thoughts please email us. info@hornphoto.com