Tape degradation

[TIMTAPE]

Originally Posted by cheerfulcharlie

Could be my imagination? I have found it to be a creeping effect that starts at the beginning of a tape, but rather than believe our aging ears I have noticed it on old videotapes as well where busy shots of landscapes, etc lose some of their detail at the beginning of the tape.

Yes the first and last sections of tape are usually the first to suffer physical damage because they are subject to the greatest stresses and potential for dirt, scratches, cinching etc. It was wise advice re recording important programmes to provide a blank "run up" of a minute or two before recording the programme proper, helping avoid this problem. The wastage of tape was considered worth it.

[Cobaltblue]

Several years ago I transferred around 80 Video 8 tapes covering 1988 through to 1995 I transferred them to hard drive but also burnt 3 complete sets of DVDs + Extra discs compilations of special interest to family and friends. My two sons immediately loaded their copies to their cloud storage.

So I have the original tapes copy on my Naz and a set of DVD. I don't know I could have done much more.

All the tapes bar two I sent for professional digitisation were perfect. All tapes were Sony or Fuji ISTR.

Cheers

Mike T

[TIMTAPE]

Originally Posted by Ted Kendall

A lot of the justification for the various "rescue" programmes lies in the restricted availability of suitable replay equipment, which arguably applies to more modern formats with greater force than to quarter inch. Beta machines, DAT players, even decent cassette machines, are unlikely to be made again, so what already exists is our only means of playing back anything that has been recorded. That being so, it makes sense to digitise whatever is played to make best use of the remaining head hours. The machinery situation is perhaps a little less acute with quarter inch, but then acetate tapes are busily crumbling or turning to vinegar, whilst the polyurethane binders are equally busy breaking down. There is, in short, plenty of reason to get this stuff into digits, and a lot of the over-simplification is that necessary for an effective funding campaign in the murky world of politics.

I agree that the digitising needs to be targeted to media in greatest danger of being unplayable, and to keeping playing machines going. I was pleased to read a report that out National Film and Sound Archive had been granted extra funds solely to source much needed new video drums in order to digitize their large archive of pro videotapes. It came across as entirely genuine.

[red16v]

Originally Posted by TIMTAPE

I agree that the digitising needs to be targeted to media in greatest danger of being unplayable, and to keeping playing machines going. I was pleased to read a report that out National Film and Sound Archive had been granted extra funds solely to source much needed new video drums in order to digitize their large archive of pro videotapes. It came across as entirely genuine.

Would you have a link to this report please?

[TIMTAPE]

I think it was in the last year or so. Can I ask what specifically you are wanting to know here?

Here's the general website address if you want to look yourself. https://www.nfsa.gov.au/

I think it was in a "what's news" type of bulletin but most items there are more general public interest such as old TV programmes etc so it may be tricky to locate. Maybe a targetted search would find it.

Doing just that I found a media release article here; https://www.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa-receive...nal-collection

but I was sure there was a more technical article mentioning the specific issue of funds for videotape heads/drums.

Sorry I've not been able to been able so far to locate it.

Tim

PS: some great stuff in the Preservation section especially on dealing with old film.

[mitajohn]

For your info. At the AES 94th Convention, presented a CD from tapes recorded before 1943.

Interesting info can be found in this url: https://www.aes.org/aeshc/books+vids....mag.hist.html.


Also info can be found on EBU Tech. 3202-E. (Storage of Magnetic Tapes and Cinefilms: First Part, Audio Tapes)

[Ted Kendall]

The CD is actually of the RRG stereo recordings from 1944. The accompanying paper details the evolution of the Magnetophon, explaining, among other things, how it was that two track inline heads were available for the construction of stereo machines. Even tapes of this period could still reproduce surprisingly well, given appropriate equipment..

[mitajohn]

Originally Posted by Ted Kendall

The CD is actually of the RRG stereo recordings from 1944. The accompanying paper details the evolution of the Magnetophon, explaining, among other things, how it was that two track inline heads were available for the construction of stereo machines. Even tapes of this period could still reproduce surprisingly well, given appropriate equipment..

More info about the CD and the booklet can be found here:
https://www.discogs.com/release/8230...U6MzIzNzY0Nzg=

[paul000]

On Ampex 2" VT machines, it was normal to use the first minute or so of tape for line-up and offering bars to the Central Apparatus Room (the technical "gods" of Television Centre), so the first part of any tape took the most hammering.
Head clog was a particular problem with tapes that had been previously used and then wiped, but I seem to recall that the internal charge per hour of tape was less for pre-used tapes, so economies made there could be spent elsewhere in the programme budget.
Many programmes that would be of great interest nowadays were wiped in the interests of saving money.
Life doesn't really change much, does it...

[paul000]

Good logic TIMTAPE, but to keep several backups of actual media content necessitates also keeping at least two pieces of relevant hardware able to read it. It's a considerable problem for those few domestic users aware of the issue, less so for pro organisations who have access to multiple backups across differing platforms.
Then again, for most domestic footage and audio recordings, interest in them usually disappears on the death of those within it. Sad really.

[ricard]

Originally Posted by paul000

Then again, for most domestic footage and audio recordings, interest in them usually disappears on the death of those within it. Sad really.

True, when you think about all the recordings that have been lost throughout the history of recording, on the other hand, I like to think that a certain percentage will still survive against all odds, so that in practice we will still have a fair number of recordings of times past, even if that chronicle will not be complete.

Somehow I feel it fits with the idea that the ability to forget is one of the human strengths - imagine how burdensome our lives would be if we could recall every day, every second of our lives.