video tapes that are next to a dvd case and a memory stick on a wood background

Transfer Your Video 8 to Digital

In Supaphoto’s studio, you’ll find passionate people dedicated to converting Video 8 cassettes to for example a USB stick in high quality. Our team pride themselves in being helpful in a jargon-free way. We’ll look after you. Before long, you’ll get your newly converted material back in a digitalised format of your choice – a digital video file via Supaphoto’s Cloud download service, a simple to use memory stick or a DVD in a lovely presentation case.

Call us now for Friendly Advice – Freephone 0800 690 6160. Discounts apply to greater quantities.

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Preserve, Share & Enjoy The Supaphoto Way

The best thing you could ever do for your family in three simple steps.

Supaphoto employee packing customer film in box.
1. Package Up Your Memories

Simply pack your beloved memories and send them to us. Use either our courier collection and return service or send it to us directly via recorded delivery. We’ll also send you a simple, step-by-step welcome pack straight to your inbox for peace of mind during the order process. 

Supahoto staff carefully handling customer material.
2. Lovingly Converted

We love what we do. Our dedicated team will digitise every item by hand. We’ve saved millions of memories over 20 years. And don’t worry, you’ll get regular updates along the way.

family sitting together watching a Supaphoto transfer
3. Share & Enjoy With Your Family

This is where the magic begins, We’ll return all of your original media. Once preserved, you can access them via our easy cloud download service, a simple memory stick or a lovely DVD. Finally, just relax and let those memories flood in. 

Play

Enjoy Our Video Conversion Services Film

Not everyone has the time to read lots of words.

That’s why we’re produced this quick & simple film which explains what we do in a simple way. Watch & Enjoy!

What's Included?

You’ll receive everything needed to safeguard your memories.

Yes, where collection is applicable, we’ll organise for an easy to understand pre-paid address label to be sent to you. Could not be more simple. There’s also a section in there for you to add notes. 

We know how precious your memories are. It can feel like a big decision. The Supaphoto Welcome Guide explains the process in step by step simple terms. It will also include useful contact details for peace of mind.

We loe what we do. Our dedcated team will digitise every item by hand. We’ve saved millions of memories over 20 years. And don’t worry, you’ll get regular updates along the way.

This is where the magic begins. We’ll return all of your original media. Once preserved, you can access your files via our easy cloud download service, on a memory stick or a lovely DVD. Finally, just relax and let those memories flood in!.

Customer surrounded by video tapes, photographs and audio tapes while looking at the films that Supaphoto have transferred

Supaphoto Quality

We’ve been doing this for a long time and are very familiar with what’s needed to get the best results from your video tapes. The considerations are numerous and we’ll take care to explain things in simple and easy terms. We always check for quality at regular stages . 

Person with white gloves holding a black cassette and two smaller audio tapes behind.

Converted, Preserved and Ready to Enjoy

Choose what you’ll get back. Sit back and soak it in!

Mobile phone showing transferred photo.
Digital Download
This is a memory stick holding transferred media.
Memory Stick
Customer DVD in presentation case
DVD in Case

One of Supaphoto's
Proudest Moments

We were so proud to be chosen by the University of Sussex to preserve film director Sir Richard Attenborough’s never-before-seen photographs. This material spanned Richard Attenborough’s extraordinary life and career and is now at the fingertips of students, researchers and the public.

Over the years, we’ve scanned thousands of photographs from prestigious multi album sets going as far back as early 1900’s for famous British politicians, the whole of Sir Richard Attenborough’s  personal collection of never-before-seen photographs, notes and more besides spanning his extraordinary life and career (accepted by Sussex University in lieu by HM Government from the Attenborough family) to thousands of everyday collections of photos from families throughout Sussex.

Discover More
Proud staff member having completed some work

Common Questions

Yes we collect throughout the whole of the UK!

Alternatively, you may visit us too so that we can go through the variables together. Just call or email us in advance to make an appointment at a suitable time please.

We would generally advise using a tracked service to get your photos, film or audio tapes to us –

i.e Royal Mail Special Delivery or Parcel Force 24/48

Yes of course! All of your original media will be returned to you with your digitised versions. 

Yes indeed! It will depend on the total size of your order. Where we save time by doing things in bulk, we like to pass the benefit on. 

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Thousands of Satisfied Customers

Supaphoto Ltd is an established company of almost 20 years with 000s of happy customers

Your Happiness Matters

If you are not satisfied with the results, nor are we. 
That’s the Supaphoto way

Peace of Mind Updates

Yes, we know that it’s important to update you a key milestones in the transfer process.

15 Plus Years of Experience

We’ve converted over a million recordings over time, so you can trust of to take care of you

Video 8 Tape Transfer

What is Video 8?

 

We all love the feeling of sitting around with our family and friends and watching old home cinema films of treasured memories – such as a lovely video recording. The moments captured on home video cameras are a precious window into the past. Special moments are all saved in photos and videos we take across our lives. But the truth is that these videos lose their shine as they age. Many older video tape formats like 8mm tapes have a limited product life. Even in the best archival conditions the lifespan of 8mm tape is only around 70 years and the old box in your attic will be a lot less than this. At Supaphoto we believe the answer to this lies in digitalsing your video8 tapes to preserve them for years to come. 

When considering your  video8 to DVD, perhaps you should first consider the format’s background. ‘Video 8’ typically refers to a type of 8mm video tapes produced during the 1980s. Video8 was actually launched in 1984, into a market completely dominated by the VHS-C and Betamax formats. Video8 had one key advantage over the full-size competition. Thanks to their relatively compact size, Video8 camcorders were small enough to hold in the palm of the user’s hand. Such a feat was quite impossible with Betamax and full-sized VHS camcorders.

The later versions had to operate on large sturdy tripods (with equally strong struggling shoulders). Video8 also has an advantage in terms of the duration of recordings, because although VHS-C offers the same “palmcorder” size as Video8, the VHS-C tapes could only hold (at most), 45 minutes of tape at Standard (SP) speed. Thus, Video8’s bigger 120-minute capacity served well for most users during its peak. Both formats were used widely by consumers to produce personal home videos due to the relatively small size and lightweight design. Later, hi8 tapes and the digital 8 camcorder format followed.

Facts About Video 8 Tapes

As old camcorder tape ages it is more likely to become damaged. This is because the celluloid in old tape formats becomes more brittle and stiff as time goes on. Also, the moving parts in old video cassette players become less reliable as they reach the end of their product lives. These problems make playing old tapes on old machines a dangerous process as the chance that the tape may become trapped or broken inside the machine is very high – especially the case when it comes to video8 hi8 formats.

At Supaphoto we understand the importance of keeping your treasured memories safe. Nothing can replace the nostalgia of old vhs players and digital 8 camcorders but it is important to make sure our loved videos are protected in case anything should happen.
That’s why our video transfer service is such an important part of what we do. By bringing your old cassette tapes to us to convert into digital files you can be sure that your home videos will remain safe for years to come. 

Risks to Old Video 8 Tapes

  • Kodak’s famous ‘Super 8’ home camcorder was one of the first widely used 8mm camcorders used by amateur film makers. *
  • Many 8mm cassettes contain a magnetic tape used to record sound. This is part of the reason why these tapes are at risk of damage if they come into contact with magnets.
  • The 8mm tape format began to lose popularity in the 1990s due to the development of digital recording technologies. The entrance of DVD players onto the popular market played a large part in Kodak’s suspension of 8mm production in the late 1990s. 

           *( This was actually known as a ‘cine camera’ in the day.)

Let us Convert your 8mm Tapes to Digital

If you’re looking to get your old tapes transferred then our team is waiting to help. At Supaphoto we have an experienced team of video technicians. They will lovingly convert and restore your 8mm tapes to digital files. We will take your 8mm cassettes and carefully remove any dust or dirt that has become stuck to the tape overtime. The technicians in our in-house photo lab will then set to work transferring your videos into digital copies.

We take your original tapes and convert them into digital files. As part of this process we will aim to restore your tapes to their best condition. Our team will carefully edit the video and sound of your tapes that may have been affected due to ageing.

Once the conversion process is complete you can receive your digital transfers in several formats. A popular choice is our video tape to dvd option.  You will be given dvd transfers of your tapes in addition to the originals. Another option is to have your tapes transferred into external hard drives. This way, they can be enjoyed on most modern TVs or computers without the need for complicated wires. Whichever digital formatting you choose will work but the mp4 format is highly recommended.

Whatever you choose, our helpful staff will be able to guide you every step of the way.