Baltimore Grassroots Media

If you need to use S-VHS tapes but are on a low budget you can modify a much cheaper VHS tape of HQ (high quality) or better to act like an S-VHS tape by making a hole in the underside of the tape case. To make sure you get the size and location of the hole right, use an actual S-VHS tape as a guide. To create the hole, thin out a square patch in the hole location by gently shaving plastic away with a small, sharp flathead screwdriver. Then, while holding the tape case hole-side-down so the plastic shavings fall down instead of ending up inside the tape case, stick a corner of the screwdriver blade in the center of the hole area and gently twist it back and forth, using it like a drill bit, until the hole forms. If the hole is not as wide as the hole on the S-VHS tape, gently carve it out to the correct size with the screwdriver blade.