Physical video tapes degrade over time and repair equipment is becoming scarce, so experts recommend digitizing your collection to preserve it for future generations. The article outlines steps for choosing a conversion method, understanding quality limits, verifying files, and creating backups.
Even with the best of efforts, you probably won't be able to preserve your beloved video tape library in its current format. Keeping your audio and video tapes in good working order requires constant attention. It does not just involve leaving tapes in labeled boxes or a cassette rack until you decide that you want to view them later. A video tape's average lifespan reaches a maximum of ten years, even if you clean them periodically and keep your cassettes in protective cases. A tape is also subject to wear and tear depending on how frequently you use it.
Tape decks and other replacement parts, new players and cassette duplicators, even blank VHS tapes, are becoming increasingly difficult to find, and it has become equally hard to find people with the proper expertise to help you if you want to do repair work. Therefore, the only way to preserve your video library for another generation is to join the rest of the world and go digital. Here is what you need to do:
- Decide what you want to do with your library. You can probably still find someone who can do cassette duplication for you, or you can even manage this on your own, but it is ultimately better to opt to have your tapes converted instead. You probably want to keep everything from your old library. If you don't have the equipment for it, you can send them to a shop, which will convert your tapes for you. But if money is an issue, you can get your tapes converted in batches and leave the others in their rack until you're ready to send out another batch.
- Find out the quality of your tapes. When you convert your tapes to another format, the quality of the source material will determine the quality of the copied file that you get in the end. This means that converting your tapes to even the highest quality format available won't raise the original quality of your tape and would just increase the storage space required. An AVI file should be sufficient for Betacam, and MPEG-2 files for VHS.
- Check if your files have been properly converted. If you're converting your tapes yourself, once you're done, play your files to verify that they are working. You might want to keep a back-up on your hard drive and one on a separate flash drive, or burn VCD or DVD copies, which you can easily store in CD storage drawers for later viewing.
You can also just hand your tapes over to a shop that can do it for you. Convergence Corporation.com is one such shop, and can handle large amounts of data for you for easy access. This will also ensure that your tapes are converted more professionally than you might be able to if you're a beginner and don't know exactly what to do.
How to Preserve Your Cassette Tape Library
Physical video tapes degrade over time and repair equipment is becoming scarce, so experts recommend digitizing your collection to preserve it for future generations. The article outlines steps for choosing a conversion method, understanding quality limits, verifying files, and creating backups.
Even with the best of efforts, you probably won't be able to preserve your beloved video tape library in its current format. Keeping your audio and video tapes in good working order requires constant attention. It does not just involve leaving tapes in labeled boxes or a cassette rack until you decide that you want to view them later. A video tape's average lifespan reaches a maximum of ten years, even if you clean them periodically and keep your cassettes in protective cases. A tape is also subject to wear and tear depending on how frequently you use it.
Tape decks and other replacement parts, new players and cassette duplicators, even blank VHS tapes, are becoming increasingly difficult to find, and it has become equally hard to find people with the proper expertise to help you if you want to do repair work. Therefore, the only way to preserve your video library for another generation is to join the rest of the world and go digital. Here is what you need to do:
- Decide what you want to do with your library. You can probably still find someone who can do cassette duplication for you, or you can even manage this on your own, but it is ultimately better to opt to have your tapes converted instead. You probably want to keep everything from your old library. If you don't have the equipment for it, you can send them to a shop, which will convert your tapes for you. But if money is an issue, you can get your tapes converted in batches and leave the others in their rack until you're ready to send out another batch.
- Find out the quality of your tapes. When you convert your tapes to another format, the quality of the source material will determine the quality of the copied file that you get in the end. This means that converting your tapes to even the highest quality format available won't raise the original quality of your tape and would just increase the storage space required. An AVI file should be sufficient for Betacam, and MPEG-2 files for VHS.
- Check if your files have been properly converted. If you're converting your tapes yourself, once you're done, play your files to verify that they are working. You might want to keep a back-up on your hard drive and one on a separate flash drive, or burn VCD or DVD copies, which you can easily store in CD storage drawers for later viewing.
You can also just hand your tapes over to a shop that can do it for you. Convergence Corporation.com is one such shop, and can handle large amounts of data for you for easy access. This will also ensure that your tapes are converted more professionally than you might be able to if you're a beginner and don't know exactly what to do.
How to Preserve Your Cassette Tape Library
By Howtodotips
Physical video tapes degrade over time and repair equipment is becoming scarce, so experts recommend digitizing your collection to preserve it for future generations. The article outlines steps for choosing a conversion method, understanding quality limits, verifying files, and creating backups.