Video Formats:

Many different video formats emerged following the demise of 8mm and 16mm film. Unfortunately the formulation used on the magnetic tape also has a limited lifespan. While film generally will last about 70 years, video life is only around 12 to 15 years before noise becomes apparent during playback with a gradual decline in quality as each year goes by. Video noise is the static fuzzy lines that can appear throught the image as it is played and is an indication that the tape has reached the end of its usable life. Tapes may still be playable after 25 years but image quality will continue to decline.

Formats covered by our transfer service:

VHS and VHS-C - Perhaps the most common video format. Smaller VHS-C were used in domestic cameras
Betamax - This format was in direct competition with VHS and produced a slightly better recording
Hi8, Video 8 & Digital 8 - Smaller tape format than VHS-C used in domestic cameras
U-Matic - An early commercial video tape with excellent playback quality
Betacam SP - Another early broadcast format use extensively in the TV industry
miniDV - Using a 1/4 tape and tiny cassette these were used in many domestic and commercial cameras
DVCAM - Professional version of the miniDV tape format
microMV - Micro Video Cassette

Most of the above video tapes come in Australian PAL and American NTSC colour format and we have the capability to transfer both systems.

Standard conversion is direct to DVD for immediate playback, or if required the tape can be captured to raw DV-AVI files for future editing and archiving. Pricing for this service differs slightly due to the equipment needed for this type of transfer.

Moldy Tapes:

The moist Australian climate can cause mold to grow inside the tape housing and on the edge of the tape. It is important not to play tapes in this condition as this will clog and possibly damage playback heads in your machine. We can clean VHS and VHS-C tapes to remove this contamination prior to transferring to DVD.