Videotapes have been around for a long time, and not too long ago, they seemed like a cutting-edge technological breakthrough that allowed families to immortalize precious moments and view the footage at the comfort of their home.
However, with the rapid pace of progress, VHS tapes have become obsolete in just a couple of decades, which means that many families now have stacks of old videotapes in their storage closets.
Luckily, today, using a videotape or 8mm film to digital conversion service is more affordable and available than ever before.
But why should you convert, especially if you already have a working VHS player to view the tapes?
Let’s explore eight compelling reasons below.
Simpler Viewing
Even if you have a working VHS player at home, those devices are quite bulky and aren’t always easy to connect to modern smart TVs.
Therefore, one of the most compelling reasons why you should consider converting your tapes is the convenience of viewing the contents.
Once you have the VHS tapes digitized, you won’t have to worry about going through dozens of tapes to find the right one, figuring out how to plug in the cassette player, and setting everything up so that it shows the footage.
Instead, you can load the files in seconds from your digital or cloud storage and play it on any device.
Better Accessibility
Having footage captured on tape can be quite limiting – the format in which the videos are arranged becomes fixed, and editing can be a real hassle.
However, when you use digitization services, you convert your cassettes to a digital format, where you can access the entire collection and rearrange it however you want.
With the help of simple video editing software, you can create montages, themed videos, collections, or even cut shorter clips that you can share on social media or with family.
The ease of access and use offered by digital files cannot be matched, so this reason is quite compelling in itself for those that are on the fence about whether they should digitize their collection.
Easier Sharing
We already talked about how digitized files are much easier to edit and access, but that also means that you don’t have to plan a visit with your friends or relatives if you want to watch old family videos together.
With digital files, all it takes to share videos or clips with someone thousands of miles away is just a few clicks of a mouse, which is a huge benefit for families that live in different states or even different countries.
You can also post videos and footage on social media, or even on YouTube, and relive and share the precious moments with those closest to you in a way that’s way more convenient than with cassette tapes.
Preserving Memories
While all of the benefits mentioned above are certainly compelling, there’s a reason for converting videotapes to digital that is much more urgent.
The truth is, no matter how well you store your tapes, they are continually deteriorating, and a lot of the footage can be lost in as little as a decade.
What’s more, there is always the chance of losing the entire collection to an unfortunate event such as flooding, which is a significant risk when you consider that at that point, there would be no way to bring back or restore the tapes.
Luckily, when using a video to DVD transfer service, you don’t have to worry about any of that. Once the tapes are digitized, they can be copied and stored in multiple digital locations, including numerous computers and cloud storage.
This way, even if something were to happen to your personal computer, you could always access the file from another device and know that the quality will be preserved for future generations.
Saving Storage Space
One of the biggest drawbacks of storing your footage on VHS tapes is having to find a place to store them.
Even if you have just a couple dozen tapes, finding space in your home for the boxes can be a hassle and cause headaches every time you’re trying to tidy up your home.
That’s where digitization can be so helpful – it will instantly eliminate then need to store tapes in a physical form, as you can easily fit the footage from hundreds of tapes into a single USB flash drive that can easily fit into your pocket.
It’s Now Easier Than Ever
The benefits of digitizing your tape collection are compelling, but many people are hesitant because they’re unsure of whether they can afford it, or even if someone near them can offer these types of services.
Well, the truth is, digitization services are on the rise – technological advances have made the process simpler, faster, and much more effective, which has made it an excellent option for almost anyone.
Whether you have an extensive collection containing hundreds of tapes, or just want to digitize a handful of precious recordings, digitization services providers can offer you the best option in your situation.
Improved Quality
If you’ve ever watched footage on an older VHS tape, you know just how shoddy the quality can get – since the tapes deteriorate at a rapid rate, what was once a clear picture may now be blurry, contain strokes, and be virtually unrecognizable.
Well, the good news is that even if your tapes have been damaged or have deteriorated, qualified service providers can help restore them and significantly improve the quality of the videos.
The high-end hardware and software solutions that are available today allow restoring colors, fragments, and sound quality in tapes, making them more pleasant to watch, and helping make the memories more vivid.
Now, it’s important to note that whether the tapes and their contents can be restored depends on their condition, but if you seek out an experienced digitization services provider, they will answer any questions you might have and guide you through the entire process.