Common Issues
Mechanical Damage
Causes - various
- Mishandling
- Misaligned tape machine
- Play through tape machine over time
- Tape passing through worn or misaligned rollers
- Poor pack on rewind
- Poor shipping (improper packing, rough handling, exposure to elements)
Mold, Mildew, and Fungus
Causes - storage under humid conditions
- Organisms start from the outside edge and cause damage to the emulsion layer
- Once the organisms have eaten the emulsion layer the damage is irreversible
Cause – hydrolysis (absorption of moisture from the atmosphere)
- High temperature and relative humidity can change the molecular structure on the binder surface
- Results in playback machine head clogs
- Tape must be dried out properly
Cause – tape is stretched or deformed in some way
- Certain tracks especially near the edges are susceptible to damage
- Also caused by poor storage conditions, heat and cold
Cause – playback, use of the videotape
- Each time a tape is played it rubs against the playback machine rollers machine heads; material is abraded causing holes in the oxide.
- The binder on the magnetic coat begins to weaken especially on older tape
- Results in increased dropouts, missing information and high frequency noise
Cause – Changing Technology
- Machines needed to playback each format
- Machine maintenace, sometime imperfect, difficulty obtaining parts
- Results in increased cost, space, labor, down time as well as tape damage