VidiPax Articles - Brochure

Popular belief has always been that the information stored on audio - and videotape is permanent. Magnetic tape has become the archival storage medium of our age. In the short term, magnetic tape has allowed us to save and replay history at will - whether a major national event or important personal moment. Only recently have we realized that with audio-and videotape there is no long term. Magnetic media has a very limited life span and priceless sounds and images are in danger of being lost.

Thank You Bing Crosby Wherever You Are

In his time, Bing Crosby was one of the biggest names on radio. He was also tired of doing a live radio show and needed some time off. He first attempted to prerecord programs on discs, but the results were poor. Under tremendous pressure from the radio network to return to live broadcasts, Crosby asked his engineers to look into a device called the Magnetophon that had been developed during the Second World War. He liked what he heard and hired Jack Mullin to develop a more sophisticated audio recording machine based on the Magnetophon. Working closely with a newly established company called Ampex, Mullin and his engineers produced their first high-quality audio recorder in the fall of 1947.

In 1948 came commercial television. To broadcast the programs in different time zones, kinescopes or "kines" - films shot directly off studio monitors in New York - were used to rebroadcast the shows three hours later to the West Coast. This process was costly, time-consuming and, most importantly, hard to watch. 

In 1951, David Sarnoff, Chairman of RCA and Founder of NBC, gave a speech in which he challenged engineers to come up with a machine that could record video signals using inexpensive tape. This sparked one of the great technological races in American history. By the spring of 1956, Ampex developed a machine that recorded commercial television broadcasts on 2" magnetic tape manufactured by the 3M Company.

Since that time, countless videotape formats have come and gone. After 2" Quad came 1" type A, followed by U-Matic 3/4" and 1/2" helical, followed by 1" type B, 1" type C and Betamax, and on into the age of digital recording.

The Problems With Magnetic Tape

Magnetic tape was never meant to be a long-term preservation medium. The main intent was to allow Bing Crosby to take a short vacation from radio and for David Sarnoff to play his New York programs three hours later in Los Angeles. In fact, magnetic tape was routinely reused by the networks. Very few early programs were saved on tape.

 Audio - and videotape can be thought of as being comprised of three different layers: A polyester base, an adhesive binder, and metal oxide particles. When a tape is exposed to extremes of temperature and humidity, the layers expand and contract. As magnetic tape ages, the oxide particles whose magnetic properties hold the image may begin to separate from the base. Age may also adversely affect the adhesive binder, causing the tape to become sticky - thus making playback impossible.

Improper storage creates additional problems. Excessive humidity can cause microorganisms to flourish. Tapes not properly wound may have uneven tension resulting in tape stretch and warpage. Stretched by just 1%, the tape will be unusable. Food and coffee are frequently spilled on tapes in control rooms. VidiPax has even found videotapes held together by staples.

Even when magnetic tape is kept under the most ideal conditions, if a working machine is not available, the information stored will be irretrievable. Recording machines rapidly become obsolete and unavailable. Those machines that still exist are often poorly maintained and seldom able to give optimal playback. In addition, the expertise needed to maintain and operate these machines is hard to find.

VidiPax is Now the Largest and Most Advanced Magnetic Tape Restoration Company in the World

VidiPax is dedicated to restoring magnetic tape and keeping the stored information accessible and usable in the future. With headquarters located in New York and local offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Canada, VidiPax is now in the process of opening offices worldwide. VidiPax has the staff and the facilities to evaluate, restore, and remaster virtually every form of magnetic media.

• We own a museum of recording equipment that spans the history of recorded media including every conceivable broadcast, corporate, and consumer format - domestic and international. In addition, VidiPax has recording options that are state-of-the-art and include digital recording as well as direct output to computer files in all formats. VidiPax has been involved in the restoration of magnetic tape used in major television and motion picture productions, including Oliver Stone's Nixon.

• Our staff are highly trained professionals who work with irreplaceable collections on a daily basis. VidiPax clients include the NBC News Archive, Library of Congress, Yale University, and the Andy Warhol Foundation, in addition to many other leading broadcasters and archives.

• The VidiPax philosophy and technique for magnetic media restoration is similar to art conservation. The restored master must be as faithful a reproduction of the original as possible. Changing this material by altering the listening or viewing experience distorts the way we interpret our history.

• Each tape is examined independently and the condition of the master is documented through all phases of the restoration process. The client receives this information back in the form of a Tape Condition Report for each and every master. Our goal is to preserve the original impact and artistic intent, while improving the electronic signal to contemporary standards. In effect, we seal the image and sound in Electronic Amber, preserving the content as it was at the time of production.

• We use non-invasive techniques to preserve the original. Each tape is examined thoroughly and then cleaned using VidiPax's proprietary cleaning processes. No chemicals are used because they might contaminate the master. The use of heat by baking a tape is normally not part of the process for similar reasons.

• The electronic restoration of the tape signal is a vital phase in the remastering process. VidiPax Restoration Specialists closely monitor and document each master to assure optimal playback.

• In addition to restoration services, VidiPax provides archival film-to-tape transfers. In working with older broadcast material, VidiPax has invented a proprietary process called KineYmazing - restoring the "video look" of film that was used to archive video images.

Learn More About VidiPax

VidiPax is ready to protect your valuable collection of magnetic tapes. You may call VidiPax for printed information on magnetic tape restoration and make an appointment to talk to one of our Restoration Specialists about your needs.

VidiPax Toll-Free Help Line: 1-800-653-8434