Although we have offered this service for some time, we do get a lot of enquiries asking about it so we thought it best to put a page up on the subject.

U-Matic tapes in particular are susceptible to something called Sticky Shed Syndrome. This is where there is a breakdown in the binder (or glue) that holds the oxide of magnetic tape. The symptoms of this are a very poor picture, tape squealing, or the refusal of a tape to play forward.

To combat this issue most tapes simply require baking. We have an industrial oven that tapes are baked in for 5-6 hours at a precise temperature. Once ‘baked’ the tapes are then captured straight away. The result, a perfectly transferred tape as good as when it was first recorded.

We DO NOT charge for this service and it is included in the transfer price.

1/4 inch audio reels are also affected by Sticky Shed Syndrome and are processed in the same way.