SPECIAL VIDEO RESTORATION SERVICES
VIDEO TAPE PHYSICAL RESTORATION
Dirt, dust, mold, damaged by being submerged in water as a result of a flood or disaster or has been exposed to other liquids or damaged caused by heat or high humidity, sticky-tape syndrome or heavy mold can be repaired depending on the tapes condition. There are several ways of restoring a tape and they should all be performed by our professionals who have experience in dealing with problem tapes. Magnetic tape restoration can be defined as a process by which a video or audiotape, degraded by age, is temporarily or permanently transcribed to a playable condition and returned to its original state. The process is not meant to extend the tape’s life, but to bring it back to a place where it can be played backed successfully and transferred to another media. The new master would be as faithful a reproduction of the original as possible without altering the quality. There are several options depending on the symptoms. We have cleaning machines that use tissue and fabric that has been found to be the safest, most-efficient way of cleaning a tape of chemical residue and debris.
VIDEOTAPE BAKING PROCESS
Sticky-tape syndrome or (sticky-shed syndrome), which occurs when a tape’s binder layer begins to delaminate from the base material is the most difficult to restore. The process of bringing a tape back to a playable condition can be a complicated procedure. Tapes in this condition will not playback easily, if at all.
If properly identified, these tapes can benefit from exposure to elevated temperatures (Baking) for several hours, which bakes the binder back onto the base material. This consolidation of binder and base stabilizes the tape system so that it can be played once while the information is copied on to a more stable format. Baking tapes is an extreme measure and only used on particular types of video tape as a final option to unbound the sticky tape. The results from the baking process are not always successful. Depending on what is required to get a stable & clean picture & audio and convert the tape to a digital file format. Cost is on a per hour basis for Restoration and conversion and would be calculated upon inspection of the videotape. Discounts on volume.
Deposit Required for all Video Restoration: Unlike film were we can preview or see images before restoration to check the content for you, that is not possible with video tape. Video that is physically broken or damaged by mold or water must be restored and cleaned first before checking it’s content. Meaning you would be required to pay a deposit for the Restoration before we convert the tape. Restoration of video tape is a very time consuming and lengthy process. If you do not know the content of your tapes, please be aware there are costs involved before checking your videos content before conversion.
WATER, FLOOD, HURRICANE OR FIRE DAMAGED VIDEOTAPES
If your tapes have been exposed to water either by a water line break in your home or building, water damage by a flood, hurricane or fire, please contact us immediately for important preservation instructions in saving your tapes.
If this is recent damage (within a month) of a water, flood or hurricane damaged tapes, these should be looked after right away. The sooner they are handled by our specialist the more chance of a successful Recovery.
The major issue is the tapes being exposed to contaminated or saltwater. Both can harm film or tape within a very short time of exposure. Contaminants such as sewer, fuel, oil or salt and the water exposure to tape or film can be very serious.
If still moist, or exposed to flood, contaminated, mud or saltwater within the last days or weeks, remove any excess water from the tapes or films, remove any cardboard sleeves or plastic/metal cans, place in Ziplock or equivalent type baggies, seal, wrap tightly, package and ship in a “box” if possible.
Once they arrive at our laboratory we will immediately visually inspect your media and then provide the minimum charge and a quote for your project.
If you decide to proceed based on our visual inspection/information and quote you will be required to pay a deposit and then your tapes or films will be cleaned, stabilized and then scheduled for urgent/rush Recovery and Digitizing.
There will be no charge if you decide not to proceed or if the tape or film is beyond Recovery.
PHYSICALLY DAMAGED BROKEN VIDEO TAPE
Physically damaged broken video tape. Tape damage can be as simple as the tape coming off of the spool to the casing being damaged after being dropped, crushed or melted. We can physically repair the damaged tape and provide new parts or casings for all formats of tape, including 1/4″ audio cassettes, VHS, VHS-C, Video 8, Betamax, Mini-DV, DVCAM, DVCPRO, 3/4″ UMATIC & Betacam and then convert them to a digital file format, DVD or Blu Ray discs. Minimum charge per tape + cost of parts, if required. Discounts on volume.
REMOVAL OF MACROVISION OR SCATTERVISION DURING CONVERSION
VIDEOTAPE ENCODED WITH AN ANTI-COPYING PROCESS SUCH AS MACROVISION OR SCATTERVISION REQUIRES ADDITIONAL ATTENTION. TMTV HAS THE ABILITY TO REMOVE THE ENCODING DURING RE-MASTERING OR TO A DIGITAL FILE FORMAT. Note: We will not copy any copyrighted material that is currently in print and available for purchase in the marketplace. Additional charges apply for Macrovision encoding removal. Cost is per tape or by the hour.
VIDEOTAPE SIGNAL LOSS OR UNSTABLE IMAGES OF ANALOG VIDEOTAPES: DIGITAL RE-MASTERING OF ANALOG VIDEOTAPE. OPTIONS TO CONVERT TO DVD, BLU RAY DVD, AVI FILES & MP4 (H-264) HD FILES
We can eliminate picture jitter and time base errors from videotape playback during conversion and insure a stable on-screen image through the use of dual-field full-frame reconstruction. We can restore distorted or misshapen vertical and horizontal sync and color burst signals. Our professional TBC (Multi-system Time Base Corrector/Frame Synchronizer ) have an integral Processing Amplifier allows the adjustment of Brightness, Contrast, Color Saturation, Hue and Sharpness. A Digital Comb Filter provides superior video signal decoding and the AGC (Automatic Gain Control) insures a proper one volt output signal from an input signal range of 0.5 to 2.0 volts. This process does not physically correct the tape problem, however corrects the tape during playback for conversion to a digital video file format. Cost is per hour.
REAL-TIME MOTION COMPENSATION VIDEO ARCHIVE PROCESSING DURING DIGITIZING
A real-time restoration system with the ability to correct artifacts using motion compensation. Cleans up, fixes and stabilizes, in real-time, any video material that has deteriorated or been damaged, either by age or other factors. Typical material can be restored within two or three times its running length. And the end result is often better than when it was first shot. Depending on what is required to get a stable & clean picture & audio during conversion to a digital video file format. This may not correct the issue for playback on other video machines at a later date. This process is for tape “conversion” to another format, either to disc or digital file after the process is completed. Cost is on a per hour basis for Real-time compensation and would be calculated upon inspection and quantity of the videotape. Discounts on volume.
AFTER RESTORATION OF YOUR VIDEO WE CAN CONVERT YOUR VIDEO TAPES AND UPCONVERT THEM TO HIGH DEFINITION (HD) FILES OR PROVIDE EDITING AND ENHANCEMENTS. SEE; VIDEO TO MP4 (H.264) FILES IN HD OR PRO-RES FILES IN HD – FOR USE ON BOTH MAC OR PC COMPUTERS VIEWING AND EDITING SOFTWARE
Our Teranex video converters feature advanced patented algorithms that allow for the processing of millions of pixels simultaneously and between video frames. You get full 10‑bit image processing, extremely high quality de‑interlacing and optical quality scaling. That means your video is converted in real time with amazing detail, sharpness and clarity.
VIDEO PICTURE ENHANCEMENTS, EDITING & UPCONVERTING
After we have converted your tapes we can provide editing, enhance the picture with colour grading, brighten or darken scenes, add titles and remove grain, add details by sharpening or upconverting… up to 8K. Pricing is based on a per hour or per project basis.
CONTACT US FOR AN ESTIMATE ON YOUR PROJECT.