Audio Video Recovery Systems

(508) 653-8449

WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD VIDEO

Video Restoration Services in Hopkinton, MA

AVRS offers audio and video restoration services in Hopkinton, MA. As a video repair expert, our many years of experience have taught us that repairing the recorder is only one facet of recovering lost footage. Often, the damaged footage itself requires attention and repair.

As technicians, we are in the unique position of not only identifying the problem and resolving it but of having the ability to duplicate the circumstances leading up to the problem. We then develop systems to recover the information.

Recording Equipment | Video Restoration Services | Hopkinton, MA

We are continually upgrading equipment, materials, and procedures to accommodate our customers and salvage footage to the highest quality possible. Our work is essential because we restore the information of the past, not only for families who have experienced damaged home video, but also:

  • Education Institutions
  • Museums
  • Schools
  • Universities
  • Government Agencies
  • Libraries
  • Law Enforcement
  • Legal Professionals
  • Videographers
Recording Set

Licensed Master Technician - August 1985 - State of Massachusetts | Certified Forensic Analyst - February 1995 - LEVA 

Recording Equipment 02 | Video Restoration Services | Hopkinton, MA

What Is Archive Retrieval?

Many institutions have libraries or archives of recorded magnetic media such as reel-to-reel tapes, cassettes, and other obsolete formats of video recordings. These types of recording mediums tend to deteriorate over time.

The secondary problem is that as technology progresses, the hardware that produced this information becomes obsolete, and the material recorded becomes difficult--if not impossible--to reproduce in-house.

Audio/Video Tape Conditions

Even under optimal storage conditions, magnetic media has a shelf life measured by just a decade or two, at most. This length of time is where video recovery starts to become a consideration.

Audio and videotapes consist of an acetate, polyester or Mylar base coated with an oxide, sealed and covered with a lubricant to help minimize friction through the tape path. Typically, the lubricant either evaporates or undergoes a chemical change, rendering it useless. This change may cause an otherwise good tape to come to a complete halt in the machine due to friction when you attempt playback.

Once the lubricant is gone, as the tape passes through the machine, the oxide that contains the recorded information begins to flake off. Valuable information gets lost, and the tape heads become clogged.

Depending on the composition of the substrate and the binder (the glue that holds the oxide to the base), the tape may develop clear spots where oxide no longer exists. This absence may cause the machine to shut down and recorded material to get lost. If the substrate becomes brittle, it may be too delicate to make the bends necessary to complete threading in the machine and result in disintegration.

Recording Equipment 03 | Video Restoration Services | Hopkinton, MA

     

Talk to AVRS when you have damaged video or audio that needs rescuing.

CALL (508) 653-8449


Hardware Conditions

Another consideration is the availability of machinery to play back recorded material that has been in storage for many years. This concern is especially important for mediums recorded on obsolete formats such as reel-to-reel audio and reel-to-reel video in a variety of incompatible proprietary formats, all popular in the '60s and '70s.

Over the years, AVRS has nurtured many obsolete and unique format devices. We have developed conservation techniques to recover and transfer these endangered recordings to current viable formats.


Contact

Thank you for your interest. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Phone
(508) 653-8449

Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday & Sunday By Appointment Only

Address
3 White Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748

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