VHS & Camcorder Tapes to Digital or DVD in Northcote, Melbourne

The Northcote drop-off is on Union Street, Northcote VIC 3070, in the City of Darebin — 6 km north-east of the Melbourne CBD. It is a by-appointment drop-off, not a shopfront, so the exact street address is sent with your booking confirmation rather than published here. Customers from Thornbury, Fairfield, Clifton Hill, Fitzroy North, Brunswick East and the rest of Melbourne's inner north use it. Book online, call +61 485 031 678 or message us on WhatsApp.

Yes, please book. Northcote is a by-appointment drop-off, not a shop, so there is nobody at a counter waiting for walk-ins. Booking takes a minute online, by phone or on WhatsApp, and your confirmation carries the exact Union Street address. One tape or fifty, it works the same way. If you find more tapes after booking, bring them along — same bulk rate.

The same per-tape price at Northcote as at every other location and by post: $45 for a single tape, $39 each for 2–4, $35 each for 5–10, $32 each for 11–20, $28 each for 21–30 and $24 each for 31 or more, GST included. Mixed formats count together, so six VHS and four MiniDV are all charged at the 5–10 rate. Every price includes up to 3 hours per tape and an MP4 of every tape. VHS to DVD conversion is optional at $12 per disc.

Most orders are ready in 7–10 business days from the day we receive your tapes, whether you drop off or post. Tapes are converted in real time, so a large collection takes longer than a handful. Small order with a deadline? Say so when you book — those can often be turned around in 1–2 days. We message you as soon as your files are ready.

An MP4 of every tape as standard — it plays on any phone, computer or smart TV, and it is what most people want. Ask for the archival AVI/MOV master and we'll supply it alongside your MP4 at the same price. It is a much larger file, and worth having if you plan to edit the footage or keep a long-term master. Up to 3 hours per tape is included; beyond that it is $11 per extra 90 minutes, confirmed at the end of the job. Files come on USB, hard drive or as a download, and a DVD is optional at $12 per disc.

Yes, always. Every original tape comes back with your digital files. Each tape is listed on your receipt at drop-off, so you can check them off when they return. Once you hold a digital copy the tape is a backup rather than your only copy — but that decision is yours, and most families keep them.

VHS, VHS-C, MiniDV, Video 8, Hi8, Digital 8, Betamax and Betacam tapes, audio cassettes, home-recorded DVDs and 8mm cine film. Most tape formats share one per-tape price and count together towards the bulk discount. Betamax is $10 above that rate, Betacam is $65 or $95 by tape size, and cine film is priced by reel from $35. MicroMV is available on request at selected locations — ask us. Not sure what a tape is? Bring it in and we will identify it. Mouldy or damaged tapes can be cleaned or repaired from $28 each before conversion; the assessment is free, and if we cannot repair it there is no charge.

No. You are not charged for a tape that turns out to be blank, recorded over, or too far gone to play — it comes back to you with the rest of your order. The one exception is a batch that is mostly blanks: checking those still takes real time, so we may add a small handling fee, and we would tell you before we did. Where a tape is damaged but recoverable, cleaning or repair is from $28 on top of conversion.

Northcote is one of three Tapes To Digital drop-offs in Melbourne — and one of 13 across Australia — and it is the one for the inner north: Thornbury, Fairfield, Clifton Hill, Fitzroy North, Brunswick East, plus Preston and the rest of Darebin. If you are further north, around Craigieburn or Broadmeadows, our Greenvale drop-off, 20 km north of the CBD in the City of Hume, may be closer, and in Melbourne's west our Point Cook drop-off is the one to use. If none suits, post your tapes from anywhere in Australia instead: the per-tape price is identical, turnaround is the same 7–10 business days from receipt, and your original tapes are returned with your files.

Yes — from anywhere in Australia, at exactly the same per-tape price, the same 7–10 business day turnaround from arrival, and the same files. Message us on WhatsApp or email with roughly how many tapes you have and what formats, and we will reply with a quote and where to send them. Your original tapes come back with your files.

Either — whichever suits you. We message you as soon as your files are ready, then you can collect from Northcote at a booked time, or we will post everything back to you, tapes and files together. Tell us which you would prefer when you book; you can change your mind later.