While capturing and storing memories on VHS tapes was an incredible technological achievement and gave us a new way to relive our best times, videos are not the greatest at lasting forever. VHS tapes can lose their picture and sound quality over time, and you could eventually lose the tape content altogether.
And did you know that VHS tapes can accumulate mold over time? Videotapes that stay too long in basements, attics, or storage areas can become moldy, ruining whatever was recorded.
Luckily, there is new and better viewing, preserving, and sharing technology available for videos today in digital. You can transfer your VHS tapes to digital format without worrying about mold any longer. This blog will dive into why VHS tapes don’t last and the media transfer services you can get when converting your VHS tapes to DVDs.
VHS Tapes Don’t Last
VHS tapes are prone to deterioration over time due to their physical nature. Here are a few reasons why VHS tapes don’t last very long.
- Physical wear and tear: VHS tapes are made of fragile magnetic tape wound around two spools. The video is prone to wear and tear from being played and rewound repeatedly. Over time, the tape can become stretched or wrinkled, affecting the video’s quality or even breaking.
- Heat and humidity: VHS tapes are also sensitive to heat and moisture. Exposure to high temperatures or humidity can cause the tape to become brittle or stick to the spools. This can make it challenging to play the video and may cause it to break.
- Mold: VHS tapes are also prone to mold growth. Mold can grow on the videotape if stored in a damp or humid environment. Mold can damage the video and make it difficult to play.
Overall, VHS tapes are fragile and prone to deterioration due to physical wear and tear, sensitivity to heat and humidity, and the risk of mold growth. This is why VHS tapes don’t last very long and why you need to preserve them by transferring them to a more durable digital format.
Media Transfer Services You Can Use
Media transfer services specialize in transferring various media types, such as VHS tapes, to a digital format. Here are a few examples of the services that media transfer companies may offer.
- Cleaning VHS tapes before transfer: Some media transfer services offer a cleaning service for VHS tapes before they are transferred to a digital format. This can help improve the video’s quality by removing any dirt, dust, or other contaminants that may have accumulated on the tape over time.
- Removing mold: If a VHS tape has become contaminated with mold, a media transfer service may be able to remove the mold and clean the tape before transferring it to a digital format. This can help to preserve the video and prevent further damage.
- Fixing broken VHS tapes: If a VHS tape is damaged or broken, a media transfer service may be able to repair it before transferring it to a digital format. This helps ensure that the entire tape is transferred and that the video quality is not compromised.
- Enhancing images: Some media transfer services offer image enhancement services to improve video quality. This can include techniques such as color correction and noise reduction to improve the overall appearance of the video.
These are some of the media transfer services that a professional media transfer service such as Capture can offer. Capture’s media transfer services can help preserve and improve the quality of your VHS tapes before they are transferred to a digital format.
Conclusion
Mold can ruin many things, even your old VHS tapes. If you have memories, good times, or other recorded highlights that you’d rather not lose to mold, damage, and degradation, convert them to digital. A professional video conversion service can easily, quickly, and professionally convert your VHS tapes to a long-lasting, high-quality digital format.