Microhills Media Conversions

cassettes

Media Conversions

Your stored information doesn’t have to go obsolete with the storage devices. As technology evolves, Microhills keeps you abreast by helping with migration from old and obsolete media into the latest storage technology.

We can manage the conversions of any media on outdated formats to new, more portable formats to keep you up-to-date in the digital world.

VHS

An acronym for Video Home System, VHS were a common type of media storage for video. These magnetic tape devices came into common home use in the 1970s right up until optical discs such as DVD began to overtake them in the late ‘90s. Old movies and home video from the 70s through 90s are likely to be found on these large, boxy cassettes. Magnetic tapes can tear, and the magnetic encoding can degrade over time. We can convert your old VHS tapes to a more reliable and maintainable digital format, so they are not lost to time.

Betamax

Originally a competitor to the VHS, Betamax is likewise a magnetic tape cassette storage for video. They were overtaken in sales by VHS in the 80s, but many old movies and home videos can still be found on Betamax tapes. Betamax can be distinguished from VHS in that they are shorter and only one tape spool can be viewed from the front (while the VHS displays both spools). If you have any Betamax cassettes, we can convert them to digital format to allow them to be stored and played on modern devices.

LaserDisc

LaserDiscs were an early optical disk storage format for video that was a predecessor to CD and DVD formats. LaserDisc wasn’t especially popular compared to other home video options but was supported by some as having better video and audio quality. LaserDisc looks similar to a CD or DVD as a colorful, reflective disk, but can be distinguished as being much larger (around 30 cm in diameter). While it may be difficult to find a LaserDisc player today, we can convert your old videos to a reliable digital format so you can continue to watch those old movies.

DVD

Short for Digital Video Disks, DVDs are a form of optical disk format. DVDs replaced VHS as the household video format of choice due to being much smaller and lighter while being able to store much more information. DVDs are also commonly used for video games such as for PlayStation 2 or Xbox 360. DVDs are thin disks of glass with a multi-colored reflection on one side and a hole in the center. DVDs and CDs look similar at a glance, but DVDs usually have “DVD” displayed on the front and are more often used for videos or video games whereas CDs are usually used for audio or computer storage. Optical disks can be easily burned and scratched so allow us to convert your old DVDs to digital format while you can.

Cassette Tape

Also known as audio cassettes, this magnetic tape storage format was common for audio from the 70s through the 90s. They were eventually overtaken by CDs as the casual audio format of choice. In addition to cassettes being available for popular music, blank cassettes were popular for home recordings and mixed tapes. Cassettes are distinguishable by their thin profile and two spools that wound the magnetic tape. If your music collection has old cassettes, we can update them to a modern, digital media format that you can store on your computer, phone, or media player of choice.

CD

CDs or Compact Disks became a popular storage medium for audio and software starting in the late 80s into the 90s. They are an optical disk format that stores information as bumps and ridges in a glass disk that can be read with a laser. They can store more information than a cassette tape. CDs look similar to DVDs, but usually have “Compact Disc” displayed on the non-reflective side. If the media is audio, it is likely CD rather than DVD whereas video is likely DVD. If you’ve kept your old music collection, it is likely you have some CDs and we can convert those to a more reliable digital format for you.

LP Records

Long Play Records are an audio storage medium where the audio information is engraved onto a vinyl record. They are read by a needle that passes over the bumps and ridges engraved on the surface. Vinyl records are one of the oldest forms of audio storage and remained popular through the era of cassettes due to their superior audio fidelity. While they were eventually replaced by cassettes and CDs, it was largely a matter of convenience. LP records are a roughly 30 cm disk of black vinyl that requires a record player to listen to. Let us update your record collection to a digital format that is both convenient and high sound quality.

Digital Formats

We can convert your analogue media to any of the following digital formats:

Secured Cloud-based StorageBy storing your media on the cloud, you can ensure it is always backed up and you can access it from anywhere at any time
External and Flash DrivesWe can store your media on a flash drive or external hard drive so you can conveniently carry it wherever you need
WebsiteWe can set up a website media library for you so you can access it from any browser, share it with friends or publish it online. If you don’t already have a website, we can create one for you.

With any of our digital storage solutions you can access or download the media on a phone or computer so you can always play your media on your favorite device.

​  Get in touch to learn more about how our media conversion services can help you: