{"id":1619,"date":"2020-11-02T09:40:01","date_gmt":"2020-11-02T09:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1619"},"modified":"2021-03-31T09:46:46","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T08:46:46","slug":"common-issues-with-vhs-tapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/2020\/11\/02\/common-issues-with-vhs-tapes\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Issues with VHS Tapes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

VHS tapes were, at one time, a very popular storage medium\nfor recording precious memories and having them to watch for many years to\ncome. The family would gather around the TV set to watch VHS tapes of times\ngone by and reflect on all those incredible memories like baby\u2019s first steps or\nMum and Dad\u2019s wedding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

But the VHS has long fallen out of use, and for good reason.\nFor as revolutionary as this technology was at the time of its inception, it\nhas nothing on today\u2019s recording and playback technology. Today, most people\ncarry around a device in their pockets capable of recording, and there are far\nmore efficient ways to create hard copies of video footage that won\u2019t\ndeteriorate over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look at some of the most common issues with VHS\ntapes and why the likes of DVDs and MP4 recordings do not have these same\nproblems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"VHS<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Tape\nDeterioration<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The tape inside the VHS cassettes is very delicate and can\nbe easily ruined, making them unplayable and unrepairable. The reason the tape\ndeteriorates is that the magnetic charge needed for them to work is not\npermanent, and the magnetic particles end up losing their charge in a process\nknown as remanence decay. These particles could also become demagnetised via\nbeing stored too close to a magnetic source. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The damage may be severe or just minor, but it will affect\nthe footage, making it shaky and unstable. With further damage, the image may\njump around on the screen and present black bars over the footage, incurring\ncolour shifts and a loss of detail. Excessive rewinding and playback of the\ntape can exacerbate the damage, making your video even more unwatchable every\ntime you watch it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deterioration can be slowed with proper storage and care,\nbut it will happen eventually. But unlike VHS tapes, a DVD does not suffer the\nsame fate as the discs do not have parts that can deteriorate gradually over\ntime, and MP4 files do not deteriorate at all.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital\nCorruption <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some VHS tapes like newer mini DVs and Digital 8 tapes can\nsuffer from digital corruption, meaning that the footage becomes lost and\ncannot be recovered. These tapes were the steppingstone from VHS to the digital\nage when capturing footage straight to digital became the norm. Unfortunately,\nthey are susceptible to digital corruption, which causes video pixilation\nand\/or loss of audio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Broken<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mould\nDamage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

VHS tapes that have been stored in suboptimal conditions can\ndevelop mould damage. Mould grows on the tapes when they are left in warm, damp\nconditions. These mould spores eat into the oxide coating on the tape which can\ncause the tape to stick to itself. Some mould can be cleaned and removed from\ntapes if caught early enough, but this is not always possible. Once the tape\nsticks together, they become unrepairable. Mould can also degrade the picture\nquality of your video footage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mediums like DVD do not suffer from similar problems and can\nbe stored for many, many years and suffer no degradation at all. You can\nprevent your VHS tapes from becoming mouldy, but you need to have optimal\nstorage conditions that are not too hot or humid, which can be difficult to\nachieve. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tape\nSlippage <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most significant issues with VHS tapes is that\nthey have moving parts, meaning that there are more occasions when something\ncan go wrong, damaging your footage or preventing it from playing back. The\ntape itself is a prominent cause of this, and tape slippage can occur. Tape\nslippage can be caused when the tape loses its tension, or it has become\nwarped. These problems can occur in storage due to high temperatures or\nfrequent changes in humidity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restoring tape tension can be done, but tape warping is when\nthe tape starts to stretch or bend, which can be very difficult or impossible\nto repair. These problems can lead to image disruption and noise during\nplayback, which cannot be fixed. Excessive tape damage can also mean that the\ntape cannot actually be played in the player. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lack of\nPlayers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of VHS players, these are becoming increasingly\nscarce. The last VHS player was manufactured in 2016, so it\u2019s impossible to buy\na new one now. Old VHS players can still be found online, but they will\neventually become so obsolete that it may be virtually impossible to find one,\nand very difficult to get yours repaired if it breaks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you\u2019ve got old VHS tapes lying around, you may find\nthat it becomes very difficult to even play the tapes and watch them back. Your\nchildren and grandchildren are very unlikely to have a VHS player to watch your\nvideos on at Christmas, which is why you should consider a DVD transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"VHS<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When you transfer video to DVD<\/a>, you get to keep hold of your precious video footage but on a much more reliable format that will not succumb to any of the issues mentioned. DVDs can be stored away in a case for many years and will still play perfectly in your DVD player, computer or games console. We have many years of experience converting VHS tapes, and we will always treat your video footage like it is our own. If you\u2019d like to learn more about our video to digital<\/a> services, do not hesitate to contact us today. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VHS tapes were, at one time, a very popular storage medium for recording precious memories and having them to watch for many years to come. The family would gather around the TV set to watch VHS tapes of times gone by and reflect on all those incredible memories like baby\u2019s first steps or Mum and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1619"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1619"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1660,"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1619\/revisions\/1660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}