Lifetime of video tapes
- theaterman
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
It is a simple known fact that video tapes, yes those small rectangular compact cases that Mum and Dad used in camcorders back in the day, to record moving images of your birthdays, school holidays, and other life changing events... have a short lifespan.
No, their not gong to self destruct or dematerialise into thin air.
But... the images will definately get worse to the point of not being watchable.
It has already started to happen with so many tapes customers have given me in the last few years.
Colours and detail of the images are becoming almost monochrome (black and white), sharp details are literally gone and lets not mention the sound quality also lost a lot of it's high frequency components.
With the advent of HD, Full HD, 2K, UHD 4K and soon 8K .... we the viewer will notice this deterioration of the old media more and more. It does'nt help that video tape, especially the domestic types such as VHS, Betamax, and Video8 recorded images using just 625 horizontal lines. Compare this to what we watch today using the numbers previously quoted.
So what can be done to stop the deterioration of the tape?
Because magnetic media (the video tape) deteriorates, it becomes necessary to establish strategies for prolonging the life of the information recorded on tape, not simply the tape itself. The migration of the material on the original tape to a newer, current format - and done in a professional manner to faithfully duplicate the original material - has to be done.
Tape conversion aims to produce a faithful reproduction of an original work. Archival preservation master copies should be as indistinguishable from the original as possible.
We at Frame By Frame Transfers endeavour to reproduce faithfully the material on your tapes - we don't make fake promises that the images will be better or improved from when they were originally recorded.
We aim to rescue what information exists and boost whatever is present respectfully. One example could be faded colours being brought back to a level that can distinguish objects from one another. Details can be boosted by upscaling from a lower resolution to a higher, more familiar standard that can be watchable by today's standards. Video noise, particularly from dark scenes in the form of grainy images, can be minimised using professional software - without interfering with original detail of the recordings.
You owe it to yourself and your family to get your old media saved from further deterioration.
ring us now - 0404 447 535.
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