Digital Memory Box

Digital Memory Box: digitising VHS, cine film and camcorder tapes

Digital Memory Box is a digitisation services company based in the United Kingdom that transfers domestic analogue media to digital formats. Its catalogue covers VHS, Betamax and VHS-C tapes, camcorder tapes, 3, 5 and 7 inch cine film, slides and audio cassettes, including dictaphone tapes. The company presents itself as a family-run business led by Debra Bassett, a doctor and author of a work on digital memory preservation.

Source and output formats

The service accepts as input the most common analogue formats found in home archives: VHS, Betamax and VHS-C tapes, all camcorder tapes, 3, 5 and 7 inch cine film, slides and audio cassettes. Delivery can be made on a USB stick, DVD or via a cloud link. The company states that, for media other than those listed, customers can call to check whether they can be digitised.

Delivery options

The USB stick is the option the company describes as the most popular. It is offered with dual USB and USB-C ports, designed to be compatible with current and future devices, and with high speed to speed up file uploads. According to the published information, it works on laptops, most smart TVs and tablets, and has a capacity of 64 GB, enough for around 30 VHS tapes. There is also the possibility for customers to supply their own USB stick. Cloud delivery is made via a link sent by email, with no need to install software; it allows downloads on multiple devices and sharing the link, and is valid for 30 days, extendable if the customer requests it.

Published prices

The site's catalogue shows starting prices of £17 for VHS, Betamax and VHS-C tapes, camcorder tapes and audio cassettes. Cine film starts at £17 for the 3 inch format, £30 for the 5 inch format and £40 for the 7 inch format. The USB stick is offered at £19.99 and the cloud link at £12.50. The company applies a 5% discount on orders of six items or more, calculated automatically at checkout.

Work process and logistics

The procedure described by the company begins with the selection of the media the customer wishes to digitise and the preferred delivery method. Shipping can be done through a 24-hour tracked courier service or by dropping the package off at a post office. Once the originals are received, the company digitises them and returns them together with the result. The stated turnaround time is a maximum of ten days.

Customer reviews

The site collects numerous customer testimonials that highlight the speed of the service, the communication during the process and the treatment received. Several reviews mention the recovery of old family recordings, such as 8 mm cine films, camcorder tapes and DVDs, and emphasise the personal attention of the business owner. The comments come from various locations across the United Kingdom, including Warwickshire, York, Cornwall, Cardiff, Farnborough and Stratford.