Common Videotape Problems and Whether They Can Be Recovered

We receive videotapes from customers in every imaginable condition. Some have been stored carefully for decades, while others have spent years in damp lofts, garages or basements.

Although most tapes can still be digitised successfully, some require specialist cleaning or repair before they can even be played safely.

Here are six of the most common problems we encounter and how we deal with them.

Mouldy Tapes

If your tapes have been exposed to dampness, water, dust, or humid environments like attics and basements, there is likely to be some mould in the tiny cracks and bends of the tape. The bad news is that mouldy tapes will often go unnoticed if they're unused for a while. The longer mould grows on the tapes, the more damage they will suffer.

Once you have mould on your tapes, it will be hard not to notice. There will be a white or green dust-like substance covering the inside of the tape container, and the tapes themselves will have mould on the spool surface or twisted into the layers. It's not a pleasant sight.

The best way to ensure your tapes are safe from mould is to check them at least once a month for signs of mould growth. It is pertinent to store your tapes in a dry, humidity-free space with as little exposure to light as possible. If you take all these precautions, your tapes should last much longer than they would in a dusty, wet basement.

How bad the damage is depends on whether or not the mould has got into the actual tape layers. If it is only on the surface, we can clean it with specific machines designed for this purpose, which prevent the mould from clogging our expensive video players. If it has got right inside the tape layers, sometimes it is impossible to salvage the tape as this causes the layers to stick together and the tape keeps tearing on playing. Cleaning mouldy tapes is an unpleasant and time-consuming task; sometimes we need to charge extra for this process, but we always advise you beforehand.

We never place mouldy tapes directly into our transfer machines because the mould can contaminate the video heads and damage subsequent transfers.

While taking good care of your tapes will preserve them for much longer than leaving them in a box in the attic, the absolute best way to preserve those special home videos is to have them digitised. There is no better way to ensure your memories stay safe over the years than by converting them into modern MP4 files.

White Powder Isn't Always Mould

Some evident crystal-like white powder looks like mould at first glance. In reality, it is a chemical reaction that happens as the VHS tape slowly breaks down. Soon enough, the fine, flaky powder will cover the inside of your VHS deck, and the VHS deck head, which reads the tape, will stop producing a clean image.

You will start to see more and more playback issues as that powder continues to build up on the tape head. We clean these tapes again on a separate machine before completing the transfer; in most cases, this is successful.

Magnetic Tape Deterioration

This is a direct issue with the magnetic tape itself and cannot be repaired directly. In most cases, the damage isn’t severe and only makes the video images shaky and unstable; occasionally, thin lines appear on the screen.

In less severe cases, the videotapes are still perfectly watchable despite the deterioration. In more severe cases, ‘frame hold’ can occur. The image will jump around the screen, with black bars within it.

There is no actual repair that can be done for this. Sometimes one machine handles a deteriorating tape far better than another, so we often test a tape on several players to achieve the best possible result.

Digital Tape Corruption

This problem only applies to certain types of tapes, newer video cassettes like Digital 8 tapes and mini DVs.

Unlike analogue tape damage, digital corruption is usually irreparable because the missing information was never recorded.

It usually occurs during the original recording, and as a result, some of the footage isn’t captured properly at all. In severe cases, digital corruption results in a complete loss of audio and heavy pixelation, with coloured squares moving across the image.

Typically, we don’t see this throughout an entire tape, and in most cases, we can recover most of the footage.

Tape Slippage

Whilst not a common problem, it can be really irritating; it creates instances of skipping throughout all or part of a videotape. The issue can be caused by two factors: loss of tape tension or tape warping.

Tape tension is a common issue that impacts VHS tapes and can occur in storage. We fast-forward and rewind the tape before digitising to reduce tension issues, but some tapes may require additional attention to eliminate them.

Tape warping is a different problem; it occurs when the tape itself stretches or bends, causing capture issues during playback. The tape is no longer flat and therefore does not contact the tape heads properly. This issue can sometimes be improved, but the improvement is often minimal. In these instances, we can unwind and re-spool the entire videotape to resolve the issue.

Tape Crease Errors

As the name suggests, the Tape Crease error occurs when the magnetic tape is creased or crumpled. This frequently occurs with tapes that have become stuck in a VCR or camcorder.

The issue causes the tape to play back with distortion. Sometimes a horizontal smear appears at the top of the screen. VHS-C tapes are particularly susceptible to Tape Crease problems because the tape and mechanisms are generally looser and more fragile than those of other tape formats. Additionally, certain VHS-C adapters may also cause some damage to the tapes, especially with prolonged use.

Unfortunately, there is very little we can do to reverse the effects of a tape crease, but fortunately, it is usually confined to only one area.

Tape Snaps & Tears

This is a very common issue; however, it is quite straightforward to repair, and we always end up with something watchable afterwards. When a part of the videotape snaps because it is fragile or brittle, we can splice the two pieces and continue with the digital transfer. We simply splice the tape back together and continue with very little loss of footage.

Final Thoughts

Although many tape problems can be repaired, the condition of the original tape will always have the biggest influence on the quality of the final digital transfer.

The important thing is not to wait. Every year that passes increases the likelihood of deterioration, particularly if tapes are stored in poor conditions.

Even if your tapes appear damaged, don't assume the recordings have been lost. Many can still be recovered using specialist equipment and repair techniques before they are digitised.