Questions, answered

VHS, VHS-C (with adapter), and S-VHS — in both NTSC (US/Canada) and PAL (UK/Europe/Australia) formats. We don't currently handle Betamax, Hi8, MiniDV, or audio cassettes — but we're considering adding them. Email support@taperevive.com if you have a tape type you need.

NTSC is the broadcast standard used in the US, Canada, Japan, and most of the Americas. PAL is used in the UK, most of Europe, Australia, and many parts of Asia and Africa. PAL tapes need different equipment and a frame-rate conversion, so they carry a $10/tape surcharge. If you're not sure, pick "Mixed" at checkout — we'll identify each one and refund the surcharge for any that turn out to be NTSC.

We only convert personal home-video content. We don't handle copyrighted commercial material (rented or retail movie tapes, recordings of TV/film broadcasts), adult or sexually explicit material, or anything illegal. If a tape arrives that violates this policy, we'll email you, refund that tape's charge, and either return it or destroy it per your choice at checkout.

Send it anyway. We do a free intake inspection — if it's recoverable we'll proceed and convert it. If it isn't, you get a full refund for that tape. Mold and degraded magnetic media are sometimes salvageable with cleaning passes.

From the day we receive your tapes: 7-10 business days standard turnaround, 3 business days with the rush option. Long tapes (3-hour mode) and Premium tier take slightly longer because of the manual review.

We email you a shipping label within one business day of payment. Default (free): bring your tapes in a free Priority Mail flat-rate box from any post office, show the QR at the counter — no printer needed. Or pay $8 for a UPS Ground prepaid label — pack your tapes in any box you have, apply the label, and drop at any UPS Store or Access Point (including CVS, Michaels, Staples — 20,000+ locations). UPS Ground often arrives a day or two faster than USPS Priority.

Very. Each customer has an isolated cloud library protected by Row Level Security at the database level — meaning even if another customer somehow guessed your video's URL, they couldn't access it. Streaming uses time-limited signed URLs.

Yes — from your dashboard, you can generate a shareable expiring link to send to a family member. You stay in control: revoke access anytime.

Yes, by default (we charge a flat $8 for return shipping). Or you can opt to have us recycle them through a certified R2 e-waste partner — we'll send you a disposal certificate. Some customers prefer this since VHS contains hazardous materials.

Standard MP4 (H.264, AAC audio) — plays on any phone, computer, or smart TV. We can also provide ProRes or MKV on request for archival purposes (no additional charge).

Every order includes 90 days of free streaming and downloads from your private library. After that, files are removed unless you've purchased a cloud-library extension ($5/month, $25/year, or $49 once for 5 years). We send reminder emails 15 days, 5 days, and 1 day before expiration so you have plenty of time to download or extend.

Round-trip shipping is tracked and insured up to $200/box through the carrier. If a box is lost in transit, the shipping carrier reimburses up to that amount. We strongly recommend against shipping anything single-tape valuable; consolidate into one box.

We operate out of Tampa, Florida. All work is done in-house by Ahmed Sherif, the founder — your tapes are never sent overseas or outsourced to a third party.

Yes. For estates, attorneys, and orders over 50 tapes, email support@taperevive.com for custom quotes and white-glove pickup options.