Digitising Video Tapes is More Than Just Creating a File
We never cut corners
Instead, we offer a truly bespoke, boutique service, designed to treat your memories with the care they deserve
As former broadcast professionals, we use workflows used in professional TV production and media archiving:
Captured in high-quality formats (Lossless AVI or ProRes HQ) for long-term preservation, with complementary high-bitrate H.264 viewer files.
Professional deinterlacing for smooth playback on today’s screens – using the widely respected QTGMC process.
Optional Full HD restoration and Stabilisation for sharper, more vibrant results - Topaz.
No bargain-bin USB sticks. No rushed, cookie-cutter turnaround. Just careful, professional craftsmanship, to give your family memories the quality they deserve.
Conversion creates a file. Preservation protects the memory
What You Can Get
A true archive master file - large file, designed to preserve the maximum amount of detail from the original tape (headroom, colour information, natural noise and motion structure).
A complimentary high-bit rate H.264 playback copy - smaller, easy to watch on laptops, TVs, and phones, and always created from the original lossless master with a constant frame rate. It is never captured directly in compressed form, which is common with other discounted services.
Delivery by free secure digital download or genuine quality USB drives can be supplied. DVD is also available for SD copies
Bulk orders can be returned on a dedicated hard drive for convenience. We can supply (prices depend on storage size), or you can provide your own*
An Ultimate Package option that creates a professional deinterlaced master alongside an upscaled stabilised Full HD viewing copy for your digital TV, laptop, and mobile devices
Enhancement Options
Professional Deinterlacing
We use advanced restoration methods (QTGMC), recognised by many archivists as the gold standard. Unlike the basic built-in deinterlacing used by budget services, this produces smoother motion and sharper detail. This is the method used by professional restorers worldwide. It takes time, but it’s absolutely worth it.Stabilisation and HD Upscaling
Carried out after the deinterlacing process. Intelligent upscaling to bring new life to your memories - especially noticeable on today’s big-screen TVs. This is the ultimate treatment for a video that is important to you.
DVD - A Legacy Comfort Format
We are happy to provide DVD copies for customers who prefer to watch their videos ona traditional DVD player. DVD is a familiar and convenient format, but it was designed many years ago and has strict tchnical limits. In order for a video to fit on a DVD disc, the footage must be compressed and converted to s
What We Don’t Do
We don’t capture directly to compressed formats such as MP4 with conveniently lower bit rates, which can permanently reduce detail.
We don’t use low-cost consumer capture devices that prioritise speed over preservation, which often result in soft, dull images or over-saturated video with reduced detail and variable frame rates.
We don’t automatically compress the video so that it loses important future-proofing, like headroom, colour information, and noise structure.
We don’t supply cheap generic USB sticks that risk losing your files.
We don’t rush the process or cut corners - every tape is handled carefully, often in more than one pass, with a full QC process.
Please note - Video tapes must be digitised in real time. A two-hour tape takes two hours simply to transfer before any process of quality checks takes place.
Why Capture Quality Matters
Many transfer services convert tapes directly to compressed MP4 files for convenience.
MP4 is an excellent viewing format, but when compression happens during capture (the digitising process), it can reduce the amount of information preserved from the original tape.
At Cherish Me, we take a different approach.
The quality of a tape transfer is determined long before the file is created.
The playback equipment and capture chain are critical in achieving the best possible transfer. High-quality S-VHS decks, signal stabilisation, and careful capture help preserve more of the original video signal, before any restoration or compression takes place.
Bitrate compression and fast automated transfers can introduce softer images, motion artefacts, or colour smearing. These effects are not always obvious on small screens, but they drastically limit what can be done with the footage later.
A useful way to think about this is the videos we record on our mobile phones. When they are uploaded to social media sites, often with handy tools to sharpen, alter colour, brightness, and contrast, they look great, but if you later try to enlarge or restore that footage, you often discover that much of the detail has been lost.
For important family footage, preserving as much of the original signal as possible provides the best archive copy.
That is why we capture your tapes in an archive-quality master format, before creating smaller viewing copies for everyday use.
The Equipment We Use
At Cherish Me, we invest in high-end equipment at every stage of the process.
Digitising old VHS takes a careful balance of legacy hardware and modern technology. We only use the highest spec players, mostly JVC and Panasonic (S-VHS), with Time Base Correction (TBC) to stabilise the signal before capture.
Your footage is then captured through the latest Magewell hardware, always to an archival master format. At this stage, nothing is compressed or altered, ensuring you have a faithful digital archive. Many services will compress your digitised master at the point of capture - we do not.
Enhancement comes next – handled separately and with care. Unlike services that “bake in” deinterlacing during capture, we process it afterwards using QTGMC, an industry-recognised method trusted by broadcast and film restoration professionals worldwide. It is the gold standard. It’s a slow process, producing smoother motion and a clean 50fps video suitable for modern displays.
Finally, we can give your memories an extra lift with a gentle upscale to Full HD, perhaps a little colour correction and stability – adding vibrancy and clarity that make weddings, birthdays, and family milestones feel fresher and alive again.
It’s these small details that make your films sharper, steadier, and more vibrant with Cherish Me.
VHS & Camcorder Tape Digitising Packages
Basic – £15 per tape (up to 2 hours)
Archive-quality lossless capture (Lossless AVI or ProRes HQ) for long-term preservation that allows future editing and refinement without loss of detail.
Improved clarity and colour preservation.
A complimentary high-quality H.264 playback copy, always created from the master, with constant frame rates and never captured directly to a compressed MP4 file.
Delivery options via secure download at no extra cost, further options of quality USB, or hard drive. DVD is available, but please note you can only view basic SD quality on a DVD
All tapes are processed on high-quality premium decks with stabilisation in the workflow.
Options to trim intro, ending, and any gaps, and overall clean up the presentation. We will check with you if you want these within this price point.
Please note - Video tapes must be digitised in real time. A two-hour tape takes two hours simply to transfer before any process of quality checks takes place.
Enhanced – £45 per tape
Professional deinterlacing using QTGMC (the gold standard for smooth motion & detail) – creating a smooth 50fps broadcast-quality master.
Smoother, sharper video than the quick built-in filter methods used by many other services.
Ideal for families who want better-than-original playback quality without compression artefacts.
Light restoration and gentle scene-by-scene colour correction is available.
Stabilisation for the ultimate playback experience.
An upscaled Full HD viewing copy, optimised for TVs, laptops, and mobile devices.
Perfect for those who want to future-proof their memories and enjoy them on today’s larger screens. This service brings your old films closer to today’s standards.
Tools often used in this process - Avisynth, Topaz, Davinci Resolve, and Adobe.
Delivery Options
We offer file transfer services for clients who would like to download their new digitised media. A reasonably modern internet connection is required.
Reliable and genuine quality USB drives are available. The number of tapes you would like to digitise and restore determines the number and sizes required. We avoid using cheap USBs as they are more prone to failure. Many can fail, and if that happens, you could lose your media forever.
We can transfer larger files to hard drives/SSD, or you can send us your own storage, and we can use it. Please note that it may need to be empty and reformatted to exFAT by us.
If you are not too far from us (Surrey Hills area), we can often collect and deliver. We’re a boutique service, and we like to meet our customers when we can.
We always return your original media, and unless you absolutely need to downsize, we recommend that you never dispose of your old tapes. They are fragile, and they may diminish over time, but until then, they are your original masters. Your new digital masters offer future proofing and are easier to share with the family. We always suggest making backup copies when you can, especially if you have PCS or laptops at home.
Depending on the level of digitising you choose, the process can take a little longer. We aim to deliver basic transfers within a few weeks, though this may vary depending on demand. For restoration or tributes and memorial films, it may take a little more time, but do reach out to us; we can often arrange these much sooner if the need arises.
A simple capture takes around 2 to 3 hours per tape. But if you’ve chosen full restoration, including professional deinterlacing and upscaling, the process can take three to four times longer. To maintain the highest quality, we also limit the workload to a maximum of two tapes per operator at a time. This is what makes us different from many other services. We like to digitise in the most secure and archive-grade way, which offers you a true high-quality digital copy.
We don’t rush your memories. Every tape is given the time and care it deserves.
How We Compare
Many high-volume transfer services, including some high street brands:
Capture directly to compressed H.264 files, which can reduce the amount of information preserved from the original tape
Rely on consumer capture devices with built-in filters and real-time compression. These can produce softer images, reduced detail and occasionally unstable playback. Some workflows also generate variable frame rate files, which can cause problems when editing or restoring footage later.
Deliver files on unbranded USB drives, which may not be ideal for storing important memories long-term.
At Cherish Me, even our Basic Packages include:
Lossless archival capture
A playback copy created from the archival master, ensuring the best possible quality for everyday viewing.
High-grade decks and equipment with TBC for stability and accurate capture
And if you want the very best, our Enhanced packages offer advanced restoration and motion processing that budget services simply don’t provide.
Because archival master files are large, we also provide a smaller viewing copy that can be downloaded and watched immediately on laptops, TVs and mobile devices.
Your archival master can be supplied on USB or hard drive, or downloaded directly if you have a fast internet connection.