If you’ve got a box of old VHS, Hi8 or MiniDV tapes sitting in the garage, the shed, or the back of a cupboard — they’re almost certainly deteriorating right now, whether you can see it or not.

Tape doesn’t last forever. Heat, humidity and time all quietly do their damage, and by the time you notice something is wrong, it’s often too late.

What You Probably Don’t Know About Your Old Tapes

Here’s something that catches people off guard every single time — roughly half the tapes that come in for transfer have mould on them. Not because the owners have been careless, but because mould develops on the inside of the cassette where you simply can’t see it. The tape looks perfectly fine on the outside. Inside, the footage is already degrading.

It’s one of the most common things seen in this kind of work, and it’s exactly why waiting is such a risk. Every year those tapes sit in storage is another year the footage gets harder — or impossible — to recover.

Transferring Your Tapes to Digital on the Northern Beaches

The process is straightforward. Drop your tapes off and they’ll be transferred to USB, so you can watch them back on any modern TV, laptop, phone or tablet — no old VCR required.

VHS, Hi8 and MiniDV are all handled, so whatever format your family memories happen to be stored on, chances are it can be transferred.

Once You Get Your USB Back — Don’t Stop There

A USB is a great start, but it shouldn’t be your only copy. Here’s what to do as soon as you get your footage back:

• Copy the files to your computer straight away
• Save a copy to a portable hard drive
• Back everything up to iCloud or Google Photos

Any single device can fail — a USB included. Multiple copies in multiple places means your memories are safe even if one of them dies

Don’t Leave It Any Longer

If you’re on the Northern Beaches and you’ve been putting this off, now really is the time. The longer those tapes sit, the greater the risk.

Call or text Peter on 0401 202 087, or send a message through the website to arrange your transfer. That TV Guy — looking after your memories as well as your living room.