How long will your old VHS tapes last?

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Physical media is not invincible. As much as we’d like it to last forever, media can deteriorate. For example, CDs and DVDs experience what’s called disc rot – although, when properly cared for, you can expect your Blu-Ray and DVD collection to last a long time. More good news is that the Library of Congress found that the problem is much less widespread than previously thought. But it happens. So what about older physical media formats like cassettes or VHS tapes? They use analog magnetic storage, or metal-coated tape, rather than the reflective layer of a disk. How is it going? According to Kodak, VHS tapes degrade approximately 10 to 20 percent over a period of 10 to 25 years. That’s a wide range, but if you own VHS tapes from the 70s or 80s, you may experience glitches when playing them.

If it only takes a decade or two for a tape to degrade by up to 20%, it’s not hard to imagine a 50-year-old VHS tape having significant problems with audio and video, or even not working at all. Failure rate is not an exact science, however; this is influenced by many factors. Proper storage and handling can extend the life of VHS tapes. There are reports of users owning home videos and retail VHS tapes from the 70s that still work perfectly.

The environment or temperature of the storage location, including humidity, tape and component quality, and general usage all play a role in the reliability of a tape. For example, a VHS tape that is too often inserted, ejected, watched, and rewound can deteriorate much more quickly. Add in any of the other conditions and this rate can accelerate.

Degradation is not guaranteed. You may not experience problems for years or even decades. However, the environment in which you store your VHS tapes is important. How you store these tapes is also important, particularly whether they are protected from the elements and debris. Finally, how you handle these tapes is a major factor, such as how often you rewound or played back the tapes and whether you handled them properly before storage. Let’s break it down.

When storing your tapes, make sure the conditions are suitable. Avoid particularly cold or damp places, like a basement, but you also shouldn’t keep your VHS tapes in hot, damp places, like outdoor sheds or a garage. If you must store in areas like this, make sure the space is insulated and has appropriate climate controls. If you are storing them long term, you may want to consider placing them in a weatherproof or waterproof bin. Sealed bins will also protect them from dust and dirt buildup. Contaminants can clog the VHS heads, which help wind the tape, and could also scratch the surface of the magnetic tape, causing playback abnormalities.

Properly handling your video tapes is the final piece of the puzzle. Before storing ribbons, always rewind them to ensure the ribbon stays wound tightly. Forgetting to do this can cause the tape to loosen or sag, which can eventually lead to playback problems. Additionally, always place your VHS tapes in their sleeves with the back or rear label facing out. It all seems quite archaic now, making it hard to believe that the outdated media format used seems cutting edge.

If you are concerned about quality loss or complete loss of your VHS content, you can scan your tapes to back them up. This means converting them to digital format from analog. There are several ways to do this, including DIY methods you can do at home and professional services that will take your tapes and convert them for you.

You can transfer media to discs by converting it to a digital file on a storage drive and then burning it to disc. You can also store scanned content on a USB flash drive, hard drive or in the cloud. The latter is a great way to turn your physical media into your own personal streaming service using something like Emby or Plex. To convert directly to digital, you can use a VHS player, USB capture card, and necessary video adapters, such as a composite to HDMI adapter. You can also purchase a VHS to digital converter adapter for around $20 and plug a compatible VHS player directly into your computer. If you don’t have a computer and are willing to spend a little more money, you can get a standalone VHS to DVD converter machine.

If you prefer to hire a professional service and let a qualified person do the work, retailers like Walmart offer video scanning, alongside Kodak, CVS, Costco and many others. If you do a quick search locally, you may also be able to find professional media and digitization services closer to you. Professional services are more expensive, so keep that in mind: You’re looking at prices between $20 and $35 for converting two hours of content. Some places charge by the band and, of course, each company will have its own pricing policies.