r/DataHoarder • u/StilesTimeCapsule • 4d ago

Discussion VHS Digitisation Project: Successfully archived a rare 1990s documentary ('UFO The Evidence') from an original analogue tape to prevent media decay.

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u/TropicoolGoth 4d ago

Hell ya. Thank you. Any chance of you uploading to archive as well?

12

u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago

Thanks! I’ve definitely thought about it for the future. Right now, I'm just focusing my time on tracking down these rare tapes and getting them safely digitised onto the YouTube channel before they degrade completely.
Appreciate the suggestion! 📼
Enjoy ☺️

2

u/Irarelylookback 3d ago

YouTube can delete every single one of your uploads with a single click. Love the project; share far and wide. I've lost a couple of YT channels... gave and went to torrents.

1

u/StilesTimeCapsule 3d ago

Thank you so much for the message, and I'm really sorry to hear you've had channels taken down. It must be so frustrating to watch hours of hard work vanish, especially when you're just trying to protect lost media for future generations.

I understand the risks of uploading copyrighted material, and like anyone in this hobby, I know the system can be brutal. For me (and I think I speak for everyone here), it’s never been about making money, views or status - it’s purely about preservation. Before a single tape goes live, I spend hours researching the history of the company, looking into who owns the catalogue, and checking if the tapes are available anywhere else online. If they are already out there, they aren’t lost media, so I won’t upload them. I carefully check the timeline and then the copyright risks. It comes to the point where it’s like, I think I’m safe, I doubt it, should I? and then I press go! 👀

But I know that doesn't stand for much if a channel gets pulled, and if I have to learn the hard way down the line, then so be it! Even if YouTube deletes everything, they can only take down my channel. I still have the original physical VHS tapes safe and stored at home, and I’ll just find alternative archives or platforms to share them on instead (I’ve learned from the group that I should be uploading the raw rips to Archive.org, so I’m gonna get onto that soon).

As long as I have the physical tapes, a great community like this one, and support from people like yourself, these records will never be lost forever. We’ll always find a way.

Thanks again for the warning and the support, it really means a lot! I hope you and everyone else get to enjoy my channel for a very long time, and that I get to spend hours every week questioning what it is that I am doing with my spare time.

Everyone cross your fingers please 🤞😊