Okay, so I finally tackled that box of old VHS tapes. You know the ones, gathering dust in the garage? Yeah, those. Decided it was time to get ’em onto something more modern, figured DVDs were the easiest step for now. Heard Costco did this kinda thing, so thought I’d give it a shot.
Getting Started
First thing, I had to actually dig out all those tapes. Man, found stuff from way back. Old family holidays, birthdays, kids running around when they were tiny. Sorted through them, picked out the ones that really mattered. Probably ended up with about, I dunno, ten tapes?
The Costco Trip
So, I packed up the chosen tapes and headed over to my local Costco. Had to find their photo center, which sometimes moves around, you know how it is. Found it tucked away near the back. Looked like they outsourced this whole transfer thing to another company, but you order it right there at the Costco counter.
Placing the Order
The process was pretty straightforward, kinda like ordering photo prints back in the day. They had these envelopes or forms, can’t remember exactly.
- I had to fill out my contact info, obviously.
- Then I listed out the tapes I was dropping off.
- Made sure to check the box for VHS to DVD transfer. They had other options too, like digital files on a USB, but I just wanted DVDs for now. Simple.
- Decided against extra copies to keep the cost down.
Handed the form and my stack of precious tapes over to the person behind the counter. They gave me a receipt and told me it would take a few weeks. Seemed reasonable enough.
Waiting and Pick Up
Then came the waiting part. Honestly, I kinda forgot about it for a bit. Took about three weeks, maybe a little more? Then I got the call – my order was ready for pickup. So, back to Costco I went.
Paid at the same photo counter. Wasn’t dirt cheap, gotta say, but felt worth it for preserving those memories. They handed me back my original VHS tapes (important!) and a neat little stack of DVDs, each one corresponding to a tape.
The Moment of Truth
Got home and immediately popped one into the DVD player. Gotta admit, I was a little nervous. But, boom, there it was. Grainy, sure, it’s old VHS after all, but it played! The sound was there, the picture was there. Checked a few more DVDs, all seemed to work just fine. It was pretty cool seeing all that old footage again without having to wrestle with the old VCR.
Overall, the process was pretty painless. Dropped ’em off, waited, picked ’em up. Done. The quality is what you’d expect from VHS, don’t expect miracles, but they’re saved now. That’s the main thing. Glad I finally got around to it.