Digitizations of videotapes

The quality of the digital file depends directly on the quality of the original. However, the video capture capabilities of the equipment at Office Support’s disposal surpass the resolution and colour depth of video cassettes and thus, during the digitization process, no information from the original material is lost. It’s worth noting that even in tapes with poor image quality, it is possible, through video editing programs, to significantly enhance the image (reduce or eliminate interference, colour grading, brightness, etc.). This specific option is part of the Premium service, for which you can find more information in the «Comparison of digitization methods» section, where specific examples of video processing are presented.

If, however, the obtained image is not optimal, you should know that this would be due to the condition of the cassette and not the digitization process.

In order to play the digital file on a DVD player, you will need to check that your device supports DVD+R discs.

You should be aware that for video cassettes lasting approximately 90 minutes, a digital DVD+R disc is required. If, however, your file has a longer duration, you will either need to burn more DVDs (part A, part B, etc.) or burn the DVD with compression (with a corresponding loss in video resolution and sharpness. In either case, even if you prefer DVDs, we recommend that we transfer your digital files, at no extra charge, to your own external hard drive or USB stick.

In this case, an attempt will be made to repair it if technically feasible. However, you should be aware that during the repair, a small section of the magnetic tape will need to be cut, resulting in the loss of the corresponding material (lasting a few seconds). The cost ranges from 5 to 8 Euros per cassette plus VAT, depending on the difficulty of the repair.

In the event that we detect quality issues with the tapes during the digitization process, we will contact you to inform you and discuss how you would like to proceed. If you choose not to proceed with the conversion of a specific tape, there will be no charge, of course.

Certainly! We will schedule an appointment at our office and together we will go through an indicative sample from each tape together, so that you can choose which ones you ultimately want digitized. The charge is 30 Euros per hour of review if you do not wish to proceed with the digitization, while if you entrust us with part or all of your collection, the corresponding charge is 15 Euros per hour of review.

The most significant reasons why digitization creates added value are that digital files:

Preserve unique moments in our lives. Through digitization, we create copies of physical files, preserving the precious information they contain, which is susceptible to degradation over time due to the sensitivity of magnetic tapes.

Are easy to playback, edit, and copy from a mobile phone, tablet, or computer.

Searching for them and archiving them is very easy.

The physical files remain intact as users have access to their digital counterparts. This way, the wear and tear of the “sensitive” source material is limited.

They ensure free space and ease of transfer.

They make unique gifts! Think of the expression of your childhood friend, a relative or a colleague when you offer them a video shot fifteen years ago. A special gift, at no significant cost.

It is precisely for these unfortunate situations that we at Office Support keep backups for 30 days from the date of delivery.

That is why we are willing to sign a confidentiality agreement. Additionally, during the digitization process, we only view excerpts from each tape, not the entire content, to ensure that we achieve the desired result.

We have devices that can play the majority of VHS, VHS-c, and MiniDV SD tapes recorded in the NTSC or SECAM system. However, if you know that your tapes were recorded in these systems, please inform us during our initial communication.

You can send them to us via courier or regular mail. It would be advisable to pack them in a bubble wrap envelope so that there is no chance of them breaking during transportation. Don’t forget to include a note with your contact information in the envelope. We will contact you as soon as we receive the cassettes to inform you about the receipt, cost, delivery time, etc.

The recommended method of storing cassettes involves the following points:

1. An environment with a stable temperature (around 18^ο C). It is therefore important to make appropriate adjustments to storage, depending on the changing of the seasons.
2. An environment with a normal humidity percentage. The desired average relative humidity for storage spaces should remain stable between 47 and 53 RH (Relative Humidity) throughout the year, with a daily fluctuation not exceeding +/-2% RH.
3. Cassettes should be kept in a place where there are no magnetic fields (speakers, TV, transformer, etc.).
4. The tape of the cassette should be fully wound, either at the beginning or at the end.
5. Cassettes should be stored in sealed plastic cases. This way, a large amount of dust will stay away from the tape and the mechanism of the cassette.
6. The proper placement of the cassettes is in an upright position, with the wound reel facing downward.

And an additional piece of information… If you are going to use your cassettes again, leave them in their new environment for at least an hour. This way, you will avoid the possibility of condensation forming on the tape of the cassette.

It is never too late to change the way we store our cassettes!

Upon receipt, each tape is individually numbered with a unique identifier. The name of each digital file corresponds to the tape number (e.g. tape number 5 corresponds to the digital file VHS-5). Also, if you want the digital file on a DVD, the disc will have a label indicating the tape number (e.g. Tape 5).

Digitizing through the method of recording to a DVD (either with a Combo device that includes a VHS player and DVD recorder or with an independent DVD recorder) presents a number of limitations, the most significant of which are as follows:

• The 4.7 GB DVD is sufficient to record about 90 minutes of video without further compression. If the tape has a longer duration, either more DVDs should be recorded, or the recording should be done with greater compression. In the latter case, it’s important to be aware that there will be a reduction in the resolution/quality of the digitized file.
• Blank spaces at the beginning and end of the tape are also recorded on the DVD.
• DVD recording involves lossy compression, resulting in loss of information.
• In Combo devices, playback occurs from a single device without checking if the specific cassette would possibly play better in another VHS device.
• No digital files are created on a hard disk or USB, only on DVDs. However, storing on a hard disk or USB is important for preservation, in case a DVD gets scratched or broken.
• The digitized file has no editing capabilities; it is exactly what was recorded on the DVD, possibly with several minutes of no picture at the beginning and end of the video.

White powder-like mould is a living microorganism that can appear on the shell of the videotape or, in the worst case, on the tape itself.

Besides the natural deterioration over time, mould is the primary enemy of videocassettes. If the humidity in the storage environment is not controlled, mould may develop on the surface of the tape. This can result in the inability to play the cassette and cause potential damage to both the playback device and the tape itself, which, in its attempt to rewind, sometimes gets cut.

Therefore, mould can render the cassettes unfit for reproduction, since this fungus could penetrate the deeper layers of the tape, destroying its polymeric binder.

At Office Support we can provide you with an assessment of the degree of the damage to your tapes, as well as the ability to clean them in order to digitize them.

It is worth saying, of course, that the vast majority of this “aged” material can be digitized without any particular problems.

Having extensively tested all methods, at Office Support we have concluded that digitizing material strictly through a computer is the preferred method. The digitization of cassettes is done using specialized software and equipment from the Blackmagic company, as well as multiple video devices. Currently, Office Support has 8 different VHS devices, so that the one that best reproduces each cassette can be selected each time.

The selection of equipment for digitization through a computer has a wide range in terms of the quality of the digitized file. In any case, the optimal result will be achieved only through the use of professional equipment, not devices intended for amateur/home use. Therefore, the digitization method we use involves exclusively firewire and SDI cabling, the use of a computer with a GPU card according to the latest specifications, internal high definition video capture cards and analog-to-digital converters with integrated TBC circuits.

Converting cassettes directly to DVD has a series of limitations that correspondingly limit the quality of the resulting video. However, the advantage of this method is its simplicity and the speed of implementation, in case you would like to try cassette digitization at your home.

The problematic image that some tapes may exhibit is not limited to the following causes; however, from our experience, these occur more frequently:

1. Deterioration of magnetic tape.This is the most common type of wear and refers to the change in the composition of the magnetic tape caused by time. In most cases the image is unstable, shaky or thin horizontal lines appear, while in more serious cases the image is frozen or continuously shifting with black bars in between. In order to solve this problem, we test the problematic tape on different players in order to identify the one that can play the tape in the best possible way. If we do not get a good capture during the initial conversion, we may get a significantly better result by trying a second or third time.
2. Magnetic tape folds. This problem occurs mainly when the tape has been chewed by the player causing folds on the surface of the tape. It is quite common on VHSc type tapes mainly due to adapter unsuitability or incompatibility, but can occur on any tape mainly due to the wear of the pinched rollers causing the tape to “stick” inside the player.
3. «Digital deterioration». This particular flaw appears only in cassettes recorded digitally (Digital-8, MiniDV SD, MiniDV HD, MicroMV, etc.). Unfortunately, there is no way to restore this specific problem and in the majority of cases, the deterioration is localized in a section of the tape, not its entirety. The result of this damage is that some of the pixels in the frame become visible during playback of the film (pixelation).
4. Cut magnetic tape. It is one of the most common faults in magnetic tapes and restoration is possible in almost all cases.
5. Slippage of magnetic tape: It causes the loss of frames during playback or digitization and is due either to the loose winding of the tape or the deformation of the tape (folded backward or an uneven tape surface). This is the primary reason why we always rotate the cassette tapes twice before digitizing them. This way, potential problems are detected, but more importantly the tape is wound with the correct tension (not loosely).
6. Appearance of mould on the tape: It is caused by inappropriate storage of the cassette in a humid environment. Most of the time, humidity settles on components of the cassette shell or on the side of the tape, while in more severe cases, it penetrates between the layers of the magnetic tape, resulting in the tape being cut during the winding of the cassette.