I have 2000 old VHS tapes in my garage and don't know what to do with them

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Archival value & teletext

  • Strong interest in recovering teletext data embedded in the VHS recordings; several note it’s a key motivation beyond the video itself.
  • Teletext still exists or was recently revamped in some European countries; there’s nostalgia for it as a “pre‑web” information service.
  • Commenters suggest these tapes could contain unique or “lost” material: TV broadcasts, live events, ads, possibly missing episodes or rare local programming.
  • Some recommend contacting archival groups (Archive Team, Internet Archive, national archives, broadcasters) or niche communities focused on teletext and broadcast preservation.

Digitization methods & technical hurdles

  • Simple VHS→DVD recorders and cheap composite capture dongles are seen as easy but lossy; they often strip line‑21/teletext data and closed captions.
  • Higher‑end approach: use tools like vhs-decode to capture raw RF from the VCR heads and reconstruct the signal in software, preserving teletext and maximizing quality. This yields better results but requires hardware mods (soldering), CLI tools, and expertise.
  • Time and scale are major constraints: 2,000 tapes at 6+ hours each implies years of real‑time capture; storage estimates cluster around ~10–15 TB.
  • Ideas to mitigate effort: multiple decks in parallel, auto‑stop on black frames, prioritizing teletext (only capturing loops, not full 6 hours), or focusing solely on unique/rare content.
  • Some report “professional” services give poor quality; others suggest DIY with FireWire (for DV), S‑Video, decent VCRs, and time‑base correction.

Where the tapes should go

  • Proposals: donate to archives, broadcasters, specialist VHS/“found footage” collectors, or YouTube channels that digitize random tapes.
  • Others suggest erasing and selling tapes as blanks, or simply junking them via haul‑away services; skepticism that anyone will pay enough to justify the hassle.
  • Middle ground: digitize first, then sell or discard the physical media.

AI, restoration & indexing

  • AI suggested for indexing, summarizing, and later querying the archive; some see this as useful, others as unnecessary hype versus simple text catalogs.
  • Experiences with AI upscaling of noisy SD sources are mostly negative; better results reported when starting from cleaner HD/BD material.

Hoarding, nostalgia & letting go

  • Long digression on media hoarding: huge VHS and cassette collections, data-hoarding NAS setups, and the burden of physical stuff.
  • Some advocate ruthless downsizing and accepting impermanence; others defend moderate hoarding as cultural preservation and personal joy.