A black plastic shell holding half-inch magnetic tape. Through the 80s and 90s, almost every family birthday, wedding and holiday was recorded on one.
- year released
- 1976
- released by
- JVC
- video format
- NTSC, PAL
- resolution
- ~240 lines
- Case Dimensions
- 187 × 103 × 25 mm
- Tape width
- ½ inch (12.65 mm)
Fig. 1 — A standard VHS cassette
§ 01 — Timeline
A short life of VHS
1976
1987
1988
1997
2016
1976 · 1 / 5
JVC launches VHS
JVC launched the Video Home System in Japan. One tape could hold a whole film, and it soon became the home-recording standard.
§ 02 — Video Quality and Recording Time
Different recording modes
Three Recording Modes
§ 03 — The tape family
Home videotapes side by side
VHS next to the other home videotapes, drawn to scale. Capture digitises every one of them.
VHS
187×103 mm
This page
S-VHS
187×103 mm
This page
VHS-C
92×59 mm
Camcorder
Betamax
156×96 mm
Rival
Video8 / Hi8
95×62 mm
Camcorder
MiniDV
66×48 mm
Camcorder
Roughly to scale (shell width × height, in mm)
§ 04 — How long can VHS tapes be preserved?
Videotape degradation
Tape Deterioration
The lifespan of a VHS tape is influenced by various factors, including storage conditions, usage and the quality of the tape itself.
Over time, VHS tapes can fade, lose audio quality and drop picture. How quickly depends on the tape, how it is stored and how often it is played. Poor storage can also lead to mould or tape breakage.
Mould or Tape Breakage
§ 05 — How to keep VHS tape content intact?
Extend tape life
Storage Tips
Avoid Moisture: Store tapes in a dry environment to prevent mould growth.
Keep in a Cool Place: Ensure tapes are kept away from direct sunlight.
Post-Digitisation Destruction Methods
Using a degausser: disrupts the magnetic particles on the tape with a strong magnetic field, permanently deleting the data.
Physical destruction: shredding the tape to ensure the data cannot be recovered.
§ 06 — What are the benefits of digitising videotapes?
VHS memories back to life
Digitising your VHS tapes keeps them for good, and lets you watch on any phone, computer or TV and share with family in a tap.
Tape Revival
HK$200/ tape
One flat price per tape, whatever its length or recording mode, delivered as MP4.
If a tape has mould or is broken, we inspect it and quote for cleaning and repair first.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Capture can digitise your VHS/ videotapes into MP4 format, available as a downloadable file (via Google Photos) or saved to a USB flash drive.
Capture · Our team
Any Questions?
Feel free to contact
our Memory Specialists
Not sure what format you have or how best to handle it? WhatsApp us and one of the team will take a look.
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