Horizon Media Express Blog

Archiving & Evaluating Old Tape Formats

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Archiving old tape formats to digital file takes a bit more than just finding the proper deck to play back your video tape, connecting to a computer, & begin transferring.  There are a few variables that need to be taken into consideration other than pressing the play button.  Most old tape formats or VTR decks such as ¾” U-Matic, D2, 8mm, VHS, & even BetaSP or DVCPro tapes are not all alike due to when and where they were recorded and how they were stored over the past several years.  Just playing back a tape and watching on a monitor without verifying several key levels can cause several issues later on during your Digital Media Production.  Having external broadcast measuring equipment and qualified technicians other than just an operator to evaluate the quality of the audio & video is always good practice to get the best quality possible.  Below are a few bullet points that should be taken into consideration while playing back & capturing your older video formats.

VIDEO

• Open the cassette “door” and physically look at your tape to verify the quality is good enough to even place into a deck for playback.

• Evaluate the video quality during playback for imperfections in the video such as bad tracking, grainy quality, or lines in the video which are caused from dust or scratches to the tape.

• Does the video look “wavy” or “bouncy”? This can be caused from a bad recording or the deck you are using for playback is unstable.

AUDIO

• Evaluate the levels, are they within standard specifications, not too high or too low.

• Are the channels mixed or split?

• Listen with a good pair of speakers or headphones to be sure there’s no “crackling or hissing” sounds.

• Does the audio stay in sync with the video?

Older video formats are more difficult to “tune in” than the newer digital video because the older video for archiving relies on adjustments to be made manually before and sometimes during playback.  The older the video the more time will be needed to evaluate the tape & equipment while playing back during the capture process.