Digitize your old tapes & film

Pick your format. Each guide covers every real option — mail-in services, in-store transfer, and DIY setups — with actual prices, turnaround times, and what to do with the files when they come back.

VHS→

Mail-in, in-store, or DIY USB capture. Real prices for the most common home tape format.

8mm (Video8)→

Smaller cassette than VHS, more fragile. Sony Handycam camcorder era.

Hi8→

Higher-resolution 8mm. Same cassette — make sure the deck is Hi8-capable.

MiniDV→

Already digital. The right transfer is bit-perfect over FireWire.

Home movie DVDs→

Burned DVDs degrade. Rip to MP4 with HandBrake (free), then organize.

8mm / Super 8 / 16mm film→

Film reels are not videotape. They need scanning, not capture.

The step every guide skips

Whatever method you pick, the output is the same shape: one long file per tape or reel. No clip splits. No dates. No labels. That's why so many digitized tapes end up forgotten on a USB drive in a drawer.

TapeSave is the next step. Upload any digitized file (from any service or DIY capture) and our AI splits it into individual dated clips, recovers burned-in camcorder dates, and labels each scene — ready for Google Photos, Apple Photos, or iCloud. $9.99 per tape. Processed in minutes.