ORDER · CAPTURE · WATCH

How it works.

From shelf to screen in two to five business days after we receive your tapes. Pickup or mail-in, your choice. Same per-tape pricing either way.

See Pricing Read the process→
i. Getting in

Two ways to get tapes to us.

Pick whichever fits your situation. Pricing is identical either way.

  1. Portland metro pickup

    Live in the Portland metro area? Our courier collects your tapes from your address and returns them when we’re done. No shipping costs, no trips to the post office. Pickup is included with every Basic and Advanced package. Details and coverage: Portland VHS digitizing.

  2. Mail-in (everywhere else)

    Anywhere in the U.S. outside Portland metro: pack your tapes safely and ship them to us with tracking. Use any carrier you prefer. We return your originals via USPS with tracking, typically in 3–8 business days, paid at checkout based on package weight.

ii. The process

The full eight steps.

Order to playback, in order. No hidden phases.

  1. Place your order

    Use the pricing calculator to pick your package and number of tapes. Pay online. AI Enhancement orders start by uploading your video instead.

  2. We email you

    Portland metro: we agree with you on a time window, and our courier comes to collect your tapes at the agreed time. Anywhere else: ship the tapes to the address generated for your order, then send us the tracking number (to support@savevhs.com with your order number, or as a reply to our order confirmation email).

  3. Tapes arrive and get inspected

    Every tape is examined for mold, mechanical damage and sticky-shed signs. We log the inventory and confirm receipt with you. Damaged tapes get a free quote before any work begins.

  4. Capture begins

    Professional decks, time base correction, calibrated audio, at the level you chose when ordering: Basic, or Advanced archival-grade capture. Basic takes two to five business days for most orders.

  5. Files appear in your dashboard

    Stream previews, check quality, rename clips, reorder them, drop the dead air. The dashboard is the editor: you assemble the deliverable before any disc is burned.

  6. Optional upgrades

    Want Advanced re-scan on specific clips at $0.05/min? Want AI Enhancement at $0.30/min on Advanced captures ($0.35/min on Basic)? Mark the portions in the dashboard and we’ll bill only the minutes you select.

  7. Delivery

    Chosen at checkout: a free year of cloud streaming, or a disc set (DVD or BluRay for Basic / Advanced Digitization). All discs are included in package price. Source files downloadable for 30 days from order completion with discs, or throughout your cloud subscription plus 30 days if it isn’t renewed.

  8. Originals returned

    Portland metro: courier brings them back. Everywhere else: USPS with tracking, in protective packaging. Your tapes always come home.

iii. Behind the scenes

What happens with your tape in our hands.

Inspection, cleaning, capture, QC. The part you don’t see.

  1. Inspection

    Visual check of the shell, the leader tape, and the magnetic strip. Mold, sticky-shed, broken hubs: we flag everything before powering up the deck.

  2. Cleaning

    Dust and debris are removed from the tape path. For Advanced and restoration jobs, the tape itself can be cleaned in a controlled rewind.

  3. Capture

    Professional decks paired with time base correctors and calibrated capture cards. Audio and video are aligned and monitored in real time.

  4. Quality check

    A real human reviews dropouts, audio sync, and color before files go into your account. Anything off, we re-capture.

The dashboard is the editor: you assemble the deliverable before any disc is burned.

iv. Your dashboard

Everything about your order, one place.

Captures live here. Edit, mark, download. All from the same view.

  1. Watch previews

    Stream each captured clip the moment it’s processed. Confirm everything looks right before your order is complete, which happens when your original tapes are shipped back or returned by our courier.

  2. Track progress

    Every stage of your order, and of each tape in it, is visible in your dashboard.

  3. Reorder, rename, customize

    Drag clips into order, give them real titles, drop dead air, lay out the disc menu yourself. We burn the assembly you finalize.

  4. Upgrade clip-by-clip

    Mark specific clips for Advanced re-scan or AI Enhancement. You’re only charged for the minutes you select.

  5. Download source files

    With discs, download original MP4 files for 30 days from order completion. With cloud, download them throughout your subscription, plus 30 days after it ends if you don’t renew.

v. Timing

How long each step takes.

Realistic ranges, not best-case marketing numbers.

  1. Shipping in (mail-in)

    Depends on your carrier and origin. We confirm receipt as soon as packages arrive.

  2. Basic capture

    2 to 5 business days for most orders. Larger orders or backlog can extend this. Every stage of your order is visible in your dashboard.

  3. Advanced capture

    Archival-quality capture takes 2–3× longer per tape than Basic. Every stage is visible in your dashboard.

  4. AI Enhancement

    Depends heavily on the length of the video and our current load: from a few hours to a few days.

  5. Return shipping

    USPS, typically 3–8 business days within the U.S. We send you the tracking number when the package leaves.

  6. Cloud delivery

    Instant. As soon as a capture is complete, you can stream it.

vi. Problem tape

If your tape has problems.

Most tapes are fine. The ones that aren’t, we handle carefully, and never without your approval.

  1. Minor wear

    Dropouts, slight color shift, weak audio: all handled as part of the standard package. Advanced scans are designed for exactly this.

  2. Major damage

    Visible mold, broken shells, sticky-shed syndrome, snapped tape: we stop, photograph the issue, and contact you with a free restoration quote.

  3. Restoration

    Billed hourly, scoped after inspection, approved by you in writing before any work happens. We never destroy your tapes without permission.

  4. Unrecoverable tape

    If a tape genuinely cannot be played, we reject it and refund that tape’s portion of your order (return shipping is not refunded). The rest of your order proceeds normally.

Unusual tapes? Get in touch.

Unusual format, large archive, or a tape collection you’re not sure about: write to us and we’ll talk it through.

Contact Us See pricing→