COMMERCIAL SERVICES
SPECS BROS. offers Restoration, Digitization, Disaster Recovery, Consulting, and Training. We also offer Support for Other Professional Transfer Facilities. Brief descriptions of each service level are provided to assist you in determining which of our services would be best for you.
Archival Restoration and Transfer
At this level of service, all tapes are examined and cleaned before playback to maximize signal retrieval. In addition, prior to mechanical cleaning and as needed, tape cases are repaired or replaced, bad splices are replaced, decay/contamination is removed from the functioning parts of the tape mechanism/reel, scratched or abraded tapes may be burnished, stretched tapes are resized, hydrolysed tapes are incubated and minor amounts of decay/contamination are removed from the tape surface.
The first few minutes of tape are scanned to determine levels and the equipment is adjusted to AES/SMPTE standards so as to produce as accurate a reproduction of the original recording as possible. The transfer process is closely monitored and, where applicable, an exception report is generated to highlight any serious problems. After transfer, the new tape/file is scanned to make sure it matches both the original recording and the labeling, the levels/encoding are correct and the entire program has been recorded.
Disaster Recovery and Transfer
This service is used for materials that have been seriously compromised either by long-term exposure to inadequate storage and handling or by short-term exposure to extreme conditions. Disaster Recovery includes all of the protocols included in Archival Restoration and Transfer but also includes protocols for stabilization of near-terminal hydrolyzed tapes, treatment for heat and water exposure, fungus remediation, treatment for binder-base adhesion failure, advanced crease reduction and chemical decontamination to remove adhesives, biological or industrial contaminants.
Unique Artifacts
Unique Artifacts level of service is offered for individual items of very high commercial, historic, forensic or other information content value that are seriously compromised and must be recovered, as fully as possible, without regard to cost. Procedures for Unique Artifact processing are specific to each item.
Consulting and Training
Over three decades of on-going research, extended involvement in writing and reviewing both National and International Standards, combined with the experience gained by processing more than 350,000 tapes, has allowed us to achieve a unique level of expertise in the field. We provide training for conservators and archival staff as well as consulting on preservation, digitization and disaster recovery.
To the Trade
Due to SPECS BROS’ ability to restore tapes that other facilities can’t, transfer facilities across the country send us tapes to process when they encounter materials that they cannot play back. Common services we supply are tape cleaning, chemical decontamination, tape repair, fungus remediation and stabilization of decayed materials. We can perform restoration and return the tapes back to the originating facility for transfer or, if requested, we will do the transfer. When doing support work for other facilities, at no time do we contact the originating facilities’ clients unless we are specifically asked to do so IN WRITING.
Archival Restoration and Transfer
At this level of service, all tapes are examined and cleaned before playback to maximize signal retrieval. In addition, prior to mechanical cleaning and as needed, tape cases are repaired or replaced, bad splices are replaced, decay/contamination is removed from the functioning parts of the tape mechanism/reel, scratched or abraded tapes may be burnished, stretched tapes are resized, hydrolysed tapes are incubated and minor amounts of decay/contamination are removed from the tape surface.
The first few minutes of tape are scanned to determine levels and the equipment is adjusted to AES/SMPTE standards so as to produce as accurate a reproduction of the original recording as possible. The transfer process is closely monitored and, where applicable, an exception report is generated to highlight any serious problems. After transfer, the new tape/file is scanned to make sure it matches both the original recording and the labeling, the levels/encoding are correct and the entire program has been recorded.
Disaster Recovery and Transfer
This service is used for materials that have been seriously compromised either by long-term exposure to inadequate storage and handling or by short-term exposure to extreme conditions. Disaster Recovery includes all of the protocols included in Archival Restoration and Transfer but also includes protocols for stabilization of near-terminal hydrolyzed tapes, treatment for heat and water exposure, fungus remediation, treatment for binder-base adhesion failure, advanced crease reduction and chemical decontamination to remove adhesives, biological or industrial contaminants.
Unique Artifacts
Unique Artifacts level of service is offered for individual items of very high commercial, historic, forensic or other information content value that are seriously compromised and must be recovered, as fully as possible, without regard to cost. Procedures for Unique Artifact processing are specific to each item.
Consulting and Training
Over three decades of on-going research, extended involvement in writing and reviewing both National and International Standards, combined with the experience gained by processing more than 350,000 tapes, has allowed us to achieve a unique level of expertise in the field. We provide training for conservators and archival staff as well as consulting on preservation, digitization and disaster recovery.
To the Trade
Due to SPECS BROS’ ability to restore tapes that other facilities can’t, transfer facilities across the country send us tapes to process when they encounter materials that they cannot play back. Common services we supply are tape cleaning, chemical decontamination, tape repair, fungus remediation and stabilization of decayed materials. We can perform restoration and return the tapes back to the originating facility for transfer or, if requested, we will do the transfer. When doing support work for other facilities, at no time do we contact the originating facilities’ clients unless we are specifically asked to do so IN WRITING.