Convert U-Matic Tapes to Digital
Do you have old 3/4″ U-Matic tapes without a way of watching them? If so, you’re in luck! We’re experts at transferring U-matic tapes to digital or DVD. ¾” U-Matic tapes were introduced by Sony in the 1970’s and quickly became a popular recording medium within the television broadcast industry.
If you or your organization still have video footage trapped on obsolete U-matic cassettes, now is the time to have us digitize them for you. Call today or place your order online to transfer those dusty ¾ U-Matic tapes to high quality digital files you can work with.
Accepted Videotape Formats:
Our Pricing for U-Matic Tape Transfer Services
| QUANTITY | BULK DISCOUNT | PRICE PER TAPE (UP TO 60 MINUTES) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 5 | $40.00 | |
| 6 - 15 | 10% | $36.00 |
| 16 - 25 | 15% | $34.00 |
| 26 - 50 | 20% | $32.00 |
| 51 - 100 | 25% | $30.00 |
| 100+ | 30% | $28.00 |
| ADDITIONAL U-MATIC TAPE TRANSFER OPTIONS | |
|---|---|
| Capture Video Footage Over 60 Minutes | $10 per Tape |
| Create Video DVD with Custom Menu & Case | $9 per DVD |
| Additional DVD Copies | $7 per DVD |
| Custom On-Screen Titles | $5 per Title |
| Repair, Re-case, Re-spool Damaged Tape | up to $35 |
| Bake and Dehydrate Tapes with Sticky-Shed Syndrome | $10 per Tape |
Every U-Matic Tape Transfer Includes:
- Professional Transfer to MP4, MOV, AVI or Apple ProRes Files
- Real-time capture using professional video decks
- Custom Naming of Video Files by Label
- TBC video filtering to eliminate jitter & improve quality
- Free Shipping for Orders Over $250
- Free Pickup for Orders over $500 (NYC Tri-State Area)
Our U-Matic Transfer Process
Once you drop off or ship your U-matic tapes to our secure facility in New Jersey, they are labeled and logged into our order tracking system. Each cassette is inspected, played and captured in real-time from beginning to end so that every moment is preserved. We use professional U-Matic tape decks along side TBC units (time base correction) to eliminate jitter, stabilize playback errors, and enhance picture quality.
A common problem encountered with ¾” U-Matic tapes is what’s called “Sticky Shed Syndrome.” This occurs when the adhesive that holds magnetic tape together begins to break down and renders the tape unplayable. One solution to this problem is to “bake” the tapes at a low temperature for a long period of time, which temporarily removes the moisture and allows the tape to play. We can perform this process if necessary, at an additional fee.
Once each tape is captured in its entirety, our video techs remove any blank space from the beginning and end of each video then convert the files to MP4, MOV, AVI, Apple ProRes (or any other digital format you chose). Your new digital files are saved to a flash drive or DVD, ready to be watched or edited.
U-Matic Tape Quality and Resolution
Our goal is to transfer your broadcast tapes to digital with the highest picture and sound quality. All U-Matic tapes are digitized at 30 frames per second at a resolution of 720×480. Whether you have a handful of tapes or work for an organization with thousands in their archive, we have the experience and equipment to get the job done right.
There are many benefits of converting broadcast tapes to digital. Having your footage saved to high-quality digital files ensures that your important footage will live on forever. Digital files don’t deteriorate or fade over time; and can be copied, edited, shared, and enjoyed with ease.
Smooth Photo Scanning offers video digitization services for the following lists of professional broadcast videotapes:
NTSC & PAL Formats – Betacam, Betacam SP, Betacam SX, DigiBeta, HDV, DVCAM, HDCAM, DVCPRO25/50/100, MiniDV, VHS, VHS-C and Hi8 tapes
NTSC Only (no PAL) – 3/4″ U-Matic Tapes, Open Reel 1/2″ and 1″ Tapes.
