Indianapolis VHS to DVD

Affordable, high quality videotape transfers to DVD or MP4 files. Convert your old home movies to digital before those memories disappear forever!

A Note To Our Customers Regarding COVID-19

My name is Zach Rosing, owner of Zach Rosing Productions and Indy VHS to DVD. I work out of my basement home office at 23rd and Broadway in Fall Creek Place. Details of your transfer can be worked out over email, phone or (best of all) text. I run out to your car and grab your materials, or tapes can be left in our locked dropbox. I simply require a signed copy of our Limited Liability Agreement. Copies are available inside the blue tub at the bottom of the staircase. If you’re transferring to DVDs, feel free to fill out this order form if you want them labeled a particular way.

You’ll find details of all my services listed below. Email me at zach@zachrosing.com or call/text (317) 721-6772.

Our Services & Cost

We digitize VHS, VHS-C, Beta, 8mm/Video8, Hi8, Digital8, MiniDV, HDV, and MicroMV videotapes, audio cassettes, and non-copy protected DVDs. (And that’s it.)

Click the red tabs below for more details of each service.

We convert your tape to DVD for $10/tape, up to two hours in length. This includes the disc, printed label and a clear clamshell case.

Tapes over two hours must be split up onto multiple DVDs. Each additional two hour section is an extra $5.

We don’t otherwise price based on tape length. Meaning, a 1 minute tape is still $10. We can combine multiple tapes onto a single DVD, but the price is still per tape.

Our order form is an easy way to provide the specific labeling and number of copies for your DVDs. Click on the DVD Digitizing and Copies tab for pricing of extra copies. They start at $5/disc and get cheaper the more you buy.

Not sure what’s on your tape? We will check up to nine tapes for free, and won’t run them if they’re blank or full of old TV shows.

We convert your tape to MP4 (H.264) video files for $10/tape, for any length tape. (A 1 minute tape is still $10.)

Bring your own flash or USB hard drive and there’s no extra fees. We supply flash drives from $5 – $20, depending on the size needed. Plan on needing 1-2 GB of space per hour of tape. Or you can download up to 2 files from a provided link for free.

You can save $1 off each tape by fast forwarding it to the end of the section you want transferred. (You must request this discount, and it doesn’t apply to Digital8 and MiniDV tapes, or transfers to DVD.)

These files are playable and editable on any Mac or PC, will play on your phone, and can be uploaded to Facebook or YouTube. While our flash drives should play back on smart TVs, we can’t promise they will. Be sure to tell us the brand and model of the TV you plan to use, and we’ll try to make it work.

Not sure what’s on your tape? We will check up to nine tapes for free, and won’t run them if they’re blank or full of old TV shows.

We convert camcorder (mini size) DVDs and non-copyrighted regular DVDs to MP4 files for $5/disc.

Camcorder DVDs must be “finalized” on your original camcorder before they’ll play on other devices. Unfinalized discs are an extra $5/disc.

Want extra copies from your tapes, or duplicates of an existing DVD? They get cheaper the more you buy:

1-5 Copies
$5/each

6-20
$4

21-30
$3.50

31-50
$3

51-100
$2.50

101-250
$2

These prices are based on the total number of extra discs in your order. It is not per tape.

We convert standard size cassette tapes to MP3 or WAV files for $15/tape. We do not transfer other types of audio tapes, reel to reel tape, MiniDisc or vinyl.

For $15, you receive a single WAV or MP3 file of the entire contents of your cassette tape, minus most silence. We apply noise reduction and normalize overall tape volume to 0 dB.

Bring your own flash or USB hard drive and there’s no extra fees. We supply flash drives for $5. Or you can download up to 2 files from a provided link for free.

We will burn audio CDs of your cassette tape for an extra $5/tape. This includes the disc, a professionally printed label (directly onto the disc—no stick-on labels!) and a clear clamshell case. We don’t sell jewel cases or provide printing of inserts.

If your tape contains music or other content with clearly defined breaks between tracks, we can split it up into multiple files/tracks for an additional $10/tape. Other editing services are available for an additional fee.

We don’t transfer 8mm or 16mm film, photos or slides.

We do not transfer HD formats (other than HDV), broadcast-format tapes (Betacam), full-sized DV, or DVDs with copy protection.

We don’t transfer commercially purchased movies, as these tapes often have copy protection signals on them.

We don’t buy old VHS tapes.

We don’t transfer reel to reel audiotape, MiniDisc, vinyl or microcasettes (answering machines tapes).

We do not provide any editing services for the prices listed on this site.

What’s the process?

Collect your tapes

Not sure what’s on them? There's no charge for up to 9 tapes that are blank/filled with old TV shows or movies. With advance notice, we can check some tapes when you drop them off. For DVD transfers, fill out our order form so we know how to label your tapes.

Make an appointment to drop them off

We’re on the Near Northside of Downtown Indy at 23rd and Broadway. We only work by appointment, offering convenient morning, afternoon and evening times, and secure drop-box service when necessary.

We'll contact you when we're finished

Transfers take a few days to a couple weeks, depending on the quantity and our workload. On a deadline? Just let us know—we can usually accommodate most schedules.

You’ll be required to sign our Limited Liability Agreement before leaving your tapes.

Great! Let’s get started.

We’re located at 2305 Broadway Street in Indianapolis. It’s a bright green house one block west of College on the corner of 23rd and Broadway in the Fall Creek Place neighborhood. We’re on the basement level accessible from a side entrance on 23rd Street. You can park next to the house on 23rd Street.

We don’t have set hours and work by appointment only, but you may call or text (317) 721-6772 for day-of drop-offs. When possible, please text before leaving for a scheduled appointment. You can also email mail@zachrosing.com.

We accept cash, check or credit card in person. Prepay online with credit card, PayPal, Cash App ($ZachRosingProd) or Venmo (@ZachRosing). No payment due until you pick up.

Additional Services

Out of the area? Mail items to 2305 Broadway Street, Indianapolis, IN 46205. You MUST include the signed Limited Liability Agreement with your order. Include an email address, and we’ll invoice you when your order is complete.

We highly recommend signature confirmation service when mailing, so you’re sure tapes get delivered into our hands. We are not responsible for tapes lost in the mail.

There is an extra 50% charge (with a $25 minimum) for same day transfers.

If your VHS tape is broken/breaks in our machine (snaps loose from its reel), there is a $5 charge to fix it.

More significant repairs (if your tape must be moved to a new shell) are $10.

8mm and MiniDV repairs are $10. MiniDV tapes are quite fragile, and we can’t always repair them.

We offer PAL (United Kingdom) and SECAM format VHS tape transfer for $20/tape.

8mm/Hi8 and MiniDV PAL transfers are $25/tape.

We only convert these tapes to MP4 files.

Footage on a hard drive-based camcorder is generally a flat $40 to covert to MP4 files. We’ll need to check your camcorder to provide a specific price. Make sure you bring a working power adapter with you, not a battery.

We transfer photos or documents from 3½” floppy disks for $5/disk.

Floppy disks deteriorate over time. We cannot guarantee some of your files will not be corrupted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much is it to convert to DVD and MP4?

Transfers to DVD and MP4 are two separate services, as we have to run your tape twice, so each tape is charged twice.

Q: What is your privacy policy?

Your privacy is very important to us. We check the beginning of your tape when your transfer begins, but generally do not watch your footage. Your tapes always stay at our location and are never shown to anyone else. They will never be placed online (unless a download link is requested), and you own all the copyrights to your material.

For MP4 transfers, we keep an archive copy of your footage on our computers for at least two weeks. This allows you a chance to confirm everything looks correct. We may keep your footage as a backup for an indefinite time beyond that as storage space allows. We are happy to erase your material upon request.

For DVD transfers, your footage is never transferred to a computer, and as such we do not have a backup of it.

Q: There's lots of stuff on my tape I don't want. Can you leave that extra stuff off?

A: Because our process is automated, to only transfer a portion of your tape you must do one of the following:

We can program our machine to record a certain length of time from wherever the tape is cued up to. Make sure the length is written on the tape, and whether or not it should be rewound.
You can also cue your tape to the point where you want transfer to stop, and we will rewind to the beginning to figure out how much needs to be transferred. Again, be sure to indicate this on your tape.

Because we don’t sit and watch your tapes while they run, videotape transfers to DVD generally run the entire two hour length of a tape, regardless of what’s on the tape (old TV shows, static, blue screens, etc.)

Q: Can you do my transfer while I wait?

A: If you make arrangements ahead of time, we can start your transfer immediately, but we ask that you leave and come back. There is an extra charge for same-day service.

Transfers to DVD generally take the length of your tape plus about 10 minutes. We cannot estimate the time needed to transfer to MP4 files, as it is a two-step process.

Q: I need my tapes converted yesterday. What's your schedule?

A: Please be aware that this is a side business for me. I make every effort to accommodate all requests, but unless we agree upon a specific date and time for a tape to be picked up, any time estimates are just that–an estimate.

Q: My tape isn't playing back very well. Can you do anything to fix it?

A: Possibly. We have a variety of machines that all react a bit differently to “bad” tape. We will do our best to get the highest quality output.

Even if your tape has problems, as long as our machine does not stop we will transfer the entire contents. If you are unsatisfied, we are happy to check and re-run any tape at no charge.

If your tape breaks in our machine (snaps loose from its reel when rewinding, or splits in two) a repair fee will be charged. Per the Limited Liability Agreement you sign before leaving your tapes, we cannot be held responsible if this happens.

If your tape does not move correctly while in our machine (gets stuck, spools don’t turn properly), in order to protect your tape and our equipment, we will not continue attempting a transfer. Tapes stuck in a machine that require disassembly to remove, at our discretion, may be subject a repair charge.

Q: The sound on my tape is low and fuzzy, and the colors are a bit green, it's out of focus and shaky--can you make it look brand new?

A: No.

Q: Can I play my flash drive on my Smart TV?

A: Probably, however we can’t 100% guarantee your particular flash drive will work with your particular TV. The reason is rather technical.

Most flash drives default to a file system called FAT32. FAT32 has a 4GB size limit for any individual file. If one of your videos exceeds this length, we must format the flash drive with either exFAT or NTFS to overcome this limit. All Smart TVs should work with FAT32, while only some work with exFAT or NTFS.

Please let us know the brand and model of your TV at the time of drop-off and we’ll attempt to make it work.

Q: Is there otherwise any reduction in quality during the transfer?

A: There is a minor reduction in quality whenever analog video footage is digitized, but generally speaking your video will play at the same quality as the original tape.

Q: I have a bunch of old Disney movies. Can you please transfer these for me?

A: Commercially purchased tapes (this includes most movies, some exercise videos–potentially anything you purchased from a store) probably cannot be transferred. This is due to copy protection signals on the tape that physically stop the recorder–not our unwillingness to help you out.

Movies recorded off TV and event videos (dance recitals, school or choral performances, etc.) should transfer just fine.

Q: Can I edit DVD footage on my computer?

While ripping DVDs to video files is possible, we don’t provide technical support for this nor a guarantee your DVDs can be ripped. The free Mac and PC program Handbrake will create MP4 files from DVDs.

We recommend our separate videotape to MP4 service for customers needing video files.

Q: Can you ramble a bit about the DVD labeling process?

A: Labels are printed directly onto the surface of the DVD. They are not stick-on labels (which can damage your machine).

Our order form allows you to pick the label style and to write out exactly how the DVDs should be labeled. You may also attach post-it notes to each tape with the desired phrasing.

If you choose not to use the order form or provide titles, the DVDs will be labeled exactly as they are written on the tape’s label (typos, abbreviations, inconsistent punctuation and all).

We can also leave the DVDs blank.

Q: Do you offer any discounts?

A: Sometimes. Please contact us and let us know how many tapes you plan to transfer and we’ll let you know. When discounts are provided, it is based on number of tapes, not as a generic amount for your order. This is due to people asking for a discount, showing up with fewer tapes and wanting the same discount.

Discounts must be agreed upon before you leave your tapes, not upon pickup.

Discounted orders typically become the lowest priority for transfers.

Q: Can you make more copies of a DVD at a later time?

A: We don’t keep copies of your tapes or DVDs, so copies will require the original DVD to duplicate from.

Q: Do you operate out of your home?

A: Indy VHS to DVD is a home-based business. Working from home means flexibility in scheduling drop off/pick up of materials. I am often available during day, evening and weekend hours. And with none of the overhead involved with office space, we keep our prices low.

Q: Why should I trust you?

A: Zach Rosing Productions has been providing video production services to the Indianapolis community since 2002. Visit our website to see some of the organizations we work with and the projects we’ve worked on. We are primarily a video, photography and multimedia production company for the Indianapolis arts community.

Your satisfaction is our highest priority. If you are not pleased with a transfer, we will either refund your money (upon return of the DVDs or flash drive) or will re-run your tape at no charge.