If you ever had a valuable video tape suddenly becomes unplayable or you can no longer find a deck to play it on, perhaps we can help. We have accumulated not only the hardware and software for successful restoration but over a decade of experience and techniques as well. We can convert your valuable tapes to DVD's or other formats suitable for editing via a hard drive or SSD.
Problems
- Playback of the tape grinds to a halt - Sticky Tape Syndrome.
Older tapes often have degradation of the the binder, begin to dry out and shed as it plays, clogging the playback heads and often sticking to itself. We usually can process these tapes for a very limited playback time period while capturing them to a hard drive for editing, enhancements and final encoding to a DVD.
- Water contamination - Either environmental or direct exposure.
We have recovered tapes from floods, hurricanes that have been submerged more than 3 weeks with a 99% recovery rate.
- Mold - Usually caused by extremely poor storage conditions. MORE
Some Steps We Do
We examine your Master tape for physical damage, mold, cracked case. etc. In some cases the tape needs to be cleaned, lubricated, vacuumed or even baked before playback. Using professional video decks and Time Based Corrector's (TBC's) we can often completely stabilize playback and enhance the audio. Usually we immediately transfer your video tape to a computer hard drive, since many tapes will deteriorate rapidly with multiple playback attempts. Further enhancements can be made using sophisticated software based Video and Audio filters if needed or desired. Finally if a DVD will be made we add chapters and edit out bad footage (if desired) and proceed to encode the video/audio for the finished DVD. Diagram
What You Get
Your original Master tape is returned to you, often in much better shape than it was. A DVD (if desired) complete with chapters, stable playback and improved video and sound.Other options include files on a hard drive/memory card as well as multiple copies discount and various professional formats are also available. MORE
Helpful Information before contacting us
- What format is the original tape,VHS, etc.?
- What is the approximate age of the tape?
- How long is the tape (estimate)?
- What is wrong with it, as accurately and detailed as possible? MORE
About Us
Our success rate is rather high and we have accumulated a rather extensive library of techniques and equipment to make this happen. We have worked with museums, corporations, universities, small businesses and individuals to recover valuable footage. To us, each tape represents a small time capsule and we will handle your masters with extreme care.
We can be reached in several ways for consultation and quotes:
Owner: Jerry Gainor
Telephone: 415_759_0119
Email: jgainor@dreamtimeproductions.com
Mailing Address:
912 Cole Street #138 San Francisco, CA. 94117 USA
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