Every time you play one of the tapes you wear away part of the image, you scratch the video, you destroy small portions of the memories. If you haven't played the family celebration tapes for years you may be in for a rude awakening. The magnetic film may have aged, turned black and the images disappeared. The coating may mysteriously peel away or flake off when the tape is played.

The special moments, the memories are suddenly simply memories. Signs of video quality degradation can become apparent after five years or sooner if the tapes aren't stored properly. Before those precious videotaped moments disappear, transfer them to DVD.