This is why your best bet cleaning and restoring stereo VCRs is most important having VHS tapes ripped to computers. even using Topaz Video AI might help improve such and such.
Used to work at LegacyBox/Southtree/Kodak, they're all the same company actually. At least LegacyBox/Southtree are, Kodak probably just has a deal. I mostly worked in the video film department, but did a couple weeks of training in tapes while the film area was being worked on. They have strict, unreasonable quotas for the techs. They hound you for quality, while also hounding you to get things out fast. You don't get the bandwidth to re-run more than 1 or two tapes a night. The stickers are a copout for the digitizers so when they get a bad transfer, the QA checkers send the tape back and set them further behind. Each person has about 40 different machines. If they see noise, they will take it out and move it to another machine to see if it plays better. If not, you just end up getting whatever comes out of the machine. They have techs that can go clean the heads and other repairs, but they work only during the weekday 9-5, so shifts outside of that getting a machine out of their rotation as a death sentence. They do use decent capture cards, I was pretty surprised by that. They use HD PVR 2 model 1512 cards. I didn't inspect the S-VHS machines to see if they actually use the s-video cables in those scenarios. After working there, I have always recommended against sending video tapes there. I would still recommend the video film department, since it's much simpler. Only *reel* issues you get are physical damage to the film. In those cases it's typically a lost cause, since the film curls up and it's just impossible to thread it through the machine without destroying it afterwards. Since they're your memories, if we know it'll break they won't purposefully break it. In a stark contrast to the 40 machines you manage in tapes, you get 4 machines in film. Your machine captures and transcodes everything, so too much multitasking slows down the whole process. Even capturing the film slower. I believe that software would take individual pictures of each frame, then compile into a video. So the end product was the same, just took longer to get it.
Hi! Thank you SO much for sharing your employment overview of Legacybox. I have to constantly redo atrocious work done by all of those companies. It’s pointless sending on. How many years ago did you work for them?
@gotmemories I was only there for a few months, I started right before Covid started, I think it was December 2019, and was there until August 2020. They have an incredibly high turnover rate from what I've heard.
Hello just found your page searching if vhs tapes can be restored. My parents passses away from COVID in 2020. After finding a vhs tape looking through their things I sent it out to be turned to a dvd through Walgreens, but it came back fuzzy for the majority of the video. Do you think you’d be able to help me restore this tape? 🤞🏼
Hi! Possibly. Most of these transfer companies are churning out junk so more than likely their worn out player and inept, untrained min wage staff. I do have min charges for any projects I take on. So pays you to find more tapes to digitize. Email info@gotmemories.com or text 6024384381
So this "fragments" at 1:39 are from a dirty recorder head and not from a broken band Im right? The VHS recorder of my grandma has the same artifacts but a bit less on a video from 1997. I plan to save all of out 300+ VHS. So if this is only caused by a dirty head this should be solveable right?
Could be a number of things. Good luck with all those tapes, you will need multiple VCR’s to second guess and check against when you come across issues.
So I have a few vhs tapes that got damaged/ mold and lost the visual quality but has sound. It just looks like tracking lines. Can these be fixed and recovered?
@@gotmemories could we just buy another new camcorder to play the video instead of cleaning the heads of old one to fix the tracking lines issue if we get one for a good price?
@@chinitopinoy1726 good luck finding a ‘new’ camcorder, some formats haven’t been made in 20+ years. They’re all usually junk and then heads get clogged by your tapes again. Just hand them over to a pro so you don’t have to mess with it. If you want a quote gotmemories.com
@@gotmemories also could it still be a dirty head issue if there are some tapes that play back fine but the majority of the tapes have these tracking line artifacts but audio intact?
![[How To] Best Way To Clean Tape Heads On Any Camcorder](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wfKcMoWL0pU/mqdefault.jpg)
This is why your best bet cleaning and restoring stereo VCRs is most important having VHS tapes ripped to computers. even using Topaz Video AI might help improve such and such.
Ideally yes; but when the avg customer is expecting to pay $10 for a 2hr tape, all the bells and whistles take time and nobody is willing to pay.
@@gotmemories Even if I try my best being that truthful honest person, this must give excellent reviews.
Do you find a larger portion of tapes have mould on them in recent years?
Here in Australia it's pretty common, especially 8mm tapes.
Not that common, only typical from Hawaii, Puerto Rico.
Used to work at LegacyBox/Southtree/Kodak, they're all the same company actually. At least LegacyBox/Southtree are, Kodak probably just has a deal. I mostly worked in the video film department, but did a couple weeks of training in tapes while the film area was being worked on. They have strict, unreasonable quotas for the techs. They hound you for quality, while also hounding you to get things out fast. You don't get the bandwidth to re-run more than 1 or two tapes a night. The stickers are a copout for the digitizers so when they get a bad transfer, the QA checkers send the tape back and set them further behind.
Each person has about 40 different machines. If they see noise, they will take it out and move it to another machine to see if it plays better. If not, you just end up getting whatever comes out of the machine. They have techs that can go clean the heads and other repairs, but they work only during the weekday 9-5, so shifts outside of that getting a machine out of their rotation as a death sentence. They do use decent capture cards, I was pretty surprised by that. They use HD PVR 2 model 1512 cards. I didn't inspect the S-VHS machines to see if they actually use the s-video cables in those scenarios.
After working there, I have always recommended against sending video tapes there. I would still recommend the video film department, since it's much simpler. Only *reel* issues you get are physical damage to the film. In those cases it's typically a lost cause, since the film curls up and it's just impossible to thread it through the machine without destroying it afterwards. Since they're your memories, if we know it'll break they won't purposefully break it. In a stark contrast to the 40 machines you manage in tapes, you get 4 machines in film. Your machine captures and transcodes everything, so too much multitasking slows down the whole process. Even capturing the film slower. I believe that software would take individual pictures of each frame, then compile into a video. So the end product was the same, just took longer to get it.
Hi! Thank you SO much for sharing your employment overview of Legacybox. I have to constantly redo atrocious work done by all of those companies. It’s pointless sending on. How many years ago did you work for them?
@gotmemories I was only there for a few months, I started right before Covid started, I think it was December 2019, and was there until August 2020. They have an incredibly high turnover rate from what I've heard.
Hello just found your page searching if vhs tapes can be restored. My parents passses away from COVID in 2020. After finding a vhs tape looking through their things I sent it out to be turned to a dvd through Walgreens, but it came back fuzzy for the majority of the video. Do you think you’d be able to help me restore this tape? 🤞🏼
Hi! Possibly. Most of these transfer companies are churning out junk so more than likely their worn out player and inept, untrained min wage staff.
I do have min charges for any projects I take on. So pays you to find more tapes to digitize. Email info@gotmemories.com or text 6024384381
So this "fragments" at 1:39 are from a dirty recorder head and not from a broken band Im right? The VHS recorder of my grandma has the same artifacts but a bit less on a video from 1997. I plan to save all of out 300+ VHS. So if this is only caused by a dirty head this should be solveable right?
Could be a number of things. Good luck with all those tapes, you will need multiple VCR’s to second guess and check against when you come across issues.
What do you think of Imemories in Arizona? Are you part of that company?
All corporate churn and burn, profit over quality. Low wage, unskilled labor, mass marketed, mass transfers, quality control is extremely minimal.
i do the basic Tape Transfer to DVD as well Just have two VCR Decks and DVD Recorders.
Great!
Are you able to fix damaged magnetic film? I paid someone to fix these home video of mine & its still showing really bad
Please email a picture of your media to info@gotmemories.com and I can let you know. Most companies are churning out sloppy work left and right.
@@gotmemories when you say picture, what do you mean exactly? A picture of the tape? Or the digital file of the tape?
Picture of the media. Also if you can send a link to the digital copy if you have it stored online.
So I have a few vhs tapes that got damaged/ mold and lost the visual quality but has sound. It just looks like tracking lines. Can these be fixed and recovered?
Sounds like your players head is dirty and or worn.
@@gotmemories could we just buy another new camcorder to play the video instead of cleaning the heads of old one to fix the tracking lines issue if we get one for a good price?
@@chinitopinoy1726 good luck finding a ‘new’ camcorder, some formats haven’t been made in 20+ years. They’re all usually junk and then heads get clogged by your tapes again. Just hand them over to a pro so you don’t have to mess with it. If you want a quote gotmemories.com
@@gotmemories also could it still be a dirty head issue if there are some tapes that play back fine but the majority of the tapes have these tracking line artifacts but audio intact?
@@gotmemories you’ll be surprised. My friend found a couple of new ones for a good price. And he tested and it works like new.
Does these VHS tapes used for head cleaning do the real job?
Usually not
Do you also accept tapes from abroad and how to handle the shipping?
Yes. Although pricing is higher if it’s PAL or SECAM formats.
Shipping, UPS recommended. Contact info@gotmemories.com
How to clean the video tapes ?
It’s a rabbit hole. Videos are on it but it’s a messy job.