Comtel Video Services, Inc.

"If well cared for, a videotape cassette should last longer than its owner"

Home Entertainment

by Harry Somerfield

A new category has been added to our list of cherished memorabilia. Now, along with the old photos, scrapbooks and home movies on film, we must find a safe way to store those special moments we've recorded on videotape. And those of us who have spent a bundle buying homevideo versions of our favorite motion pictures face the same predicament - preserving videotapes.

Videotape is a fairly durable medium. I have some master tapes that are more than 30 years old and are still in fine shape - if only I had easy access to the ancient machine needed to play them back ... but that's another problem. If well cared for, a videotape cassette should last longer than its owner.

On the other hand, videotape - or any magnetic tape, for that matter - can be rendered unplayable by misuse, poorly maintained playback equipment, careless and/or neglect.

Here's how to make sure the precious memories you have stored in videotapes will be viewable for many years to come, and may even become heirlooms for future generations.

• Record your home videos on the highest quality blank tapes. For example, use S-VHS tapes, even if you don't have an S-VHS machine. S-VHS tapes are expensive, but that's because they use high-quality base tapes that won't stretch easily. Also, S-VHS tapes use a fine-grain magnetic coating that will give you the best picture possible with the least amount of "drop out," a term that refers to the white specks in the picture. These specks are always more numerous on cheaper-grade tapes. If S-VHS tapes are too expensive for you, buy Pro of High Grade tapes.
• If you have an 8mm camcorder, use MP tapes for the same reasons mentioned above. Always record your important subjects on a new, blank tape. Used tapes may have segments that are slightly stretched from starting, stopping and rewinding/fast forwarding. Also, used tapes may have sections that are worm from being left in pause mode for long periods of time. In pause mode, the spinning head drum can polish right through the magnetic layer of tape.
• Use only 120-minute tapes. To make long-running tapes (more than 120 minutes), manufacturers use thinner plastic to squeeze more tape in the cassette. The thinner the tape, the more inclined it will be to stretch - once it's stretched, it will never shrink back.
• Important tapes should only be viewed from start to finish without stopping. The more you start, stop, fast forward and rewind, the more you risk damaging your tape.
• Don't use a tape rewinder unless it incorporates a gentle shut-off mechanism. Cheap rewinders just keep winding until the tape is pulled taut. This is a sure way to stretch or break a tape. A well-kept secret: Rewinders are really only of value to owners of Beta equipment. When rewound in the VCR, Beta tapes are drawn across the VCR's heads at high speed, causing unnecessary wear to both machine and tape. But because VHS and 8mm VCR's retract the tapes into their cassettes while they are being rewound, the tape doesn't pass across the heads.
• When you play a master tape, don't rewind it. Leave it in "tails out" mode on the cassette reels. The tape will have been wound onto the take-up reel slowly and under even tension - the ideal way for it to be stored. Rewinding the master just before it is played will limber up the tape and prepare it for showing.
• Always put the tapes in their cardboard or plastic cases to protect them from dust and other contamination. Never leave a cassette in a VCR for a long period of time. The protective flap found on a cassette in propped open while in a VCR, allowing the dust and dirt found inside all machines to find their way onto the exposed tape.
• Store cassettes upright, on one of their narrow edges. Tape left flat could eventually sag from its own weight and damage the bottom edge of the tape. Because the control track runs along that bottom edge, if the tape gets wrinkled there, the picture will tend to roll during playback.
• VCR's and camcorders used to play back your tapes should be kept in tip-top condition. Misaligned tape guides and worn rollers can crease and crinkle tapes.
• Keep your tapes stored in a place that will isolate them from temperature extremes - 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit is optimum. Make sure sunlight doesn't fall on them, even for a few minutes a day. Avoid tape-storage locations with high humidity. A damp tape won't play (it will stick to the rotating head drum assembly - a temporary problem that will clear up when the tape dries out. However, regular dampness will lead to mold or mildew, either of which will make the tape unplayable - permanently).
• Keep tapes away from sources of magnetic radiation. Don't store tapes next to a speaker or near a powerful electric motor. Strong magnetic waves can erase portions of your tapes.

This article is reproduced and distributed by permission of Chronicle Features, San Francisco, CA

Again, our thanks to Harry Somerfield and Chronicle Features for allowing us to share this excellent article with you. And, while we hope that the standard of our services would meet with his approval, we do not want to imply that his permission to reprint his article here is an endorsement by him of Comtel Video Services, Inc.

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