GETTING STARTED ON A PROJECT

Before you start a digitization project, there are a few basic things that you need to know.

First, what kind of tapes do you have?

This will impact all of your decisions.  To help identify and describe your materials, a Basic Guide to Tape Identification is available. 

Second, you must determine what you want done with the tape content.  There is no “best” answer for everyone and you should contact us to discuss your needs and review your options.
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Third, you need to determine the condition of your tapes. Are they safe to play?

The Basic 7 Step Tape Examination developed at SPECS BROS. has been adopted as both a National and International Standard by the American National Standards Institute, the Audio Engineering Society and the International Standards Organization.
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Finally, you must determine how valuable your tapes are. More and more often, older tapes are not playing back properly without specialized handling and treatment. 

Before making any decisions on how you want your tapes handled, you should review the Dangers of Inadequate Restoration and The Benefits of Tape Cleaning.  If your collection has a large number of ¾” or Betacam video, you should also read Common Signs of Problem Videocassettes.  

​If the content on your tapes is valuable, you don’t want to risk not doing the job right.  To preserve valuable content, go to the best – first.