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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) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-10 | $40.00 | |
| 11-25 | 10% | $36.00 |
| 26-50 | 15% | $34.00 |
| 51-100 | 20% | $32.00 |
| 100-200 | 25% | $30.00 |
| 200+ | CALL |
| ADDITIONAL U-MATIC TAPE TRANSFER OPTIONS | |
|---|---|
| Capture Video Footage Over 60 Minutes | $10 per Tape |
| Create Video DVD with Custom Menu & Case | $15 per DVD |
| Additional DVD Copies | $9 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.
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What people are saying
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What Our Customers Say
We had such a great experience with Smooth Photo Scanning, and I really can’t recommend them enough. We brought them a very old book with Sanskrit/Devanagari text, which turned out to be a much more complicated project than a standard book scan. Brandon took the time to go through the book, understand exactly what we were trying to accomplish, and talk through the different options with us. One… of the biggest challenges was the OCR. Devanagari wasn’t compatible with the typical OCR programs they normally work with, but instead of just telling us it couldn’t be done, Brandon independently researched different OCR programs and tested several options on our pages. He spent a lot of extra time trying to find something that might actually work for us which was so above and beyond of him. The scanning itself was incredible. The book was scanned completely non-destructively, with absolutely no damage to it, and the quality of the finished images is beautiful. We were honestly amazed at how clear and professional everything came out. The pricing was also very reasonable, especially considering the amount of time and care that went into the project. We were also on a bit of a time crunch because we were trying to get the material ready to begin working with our teacher, and everyone went above and beyond to accommodate our timeline. Everyone we interacted with was super understanding and helpful.. While we were there Brandon also took the time to show us some of the incredible archival work they’ve done, involving places like Madison Square Garden and historical works. It was extremely fascinating to see the level of care and expertise that goes into preserving these materials. We are so grateful to Brandon and the whole team. They were amazing to work with and this truly is a passion for all of them. The quality of the scans is amazing, and we couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out. If you have something valuable or irreplaceable that you need scanned, especially if it requires extra care, I would seriously recommend Smooth Photo Scanning. 11 out of 10!
- Apoorva YaddanapudiGoogle review
Great experience overall. I brought in my paintings to be scanned and they had everything done same day, which I really appreciated. The customer service was very friendly , professional, and made the process smooth. The quality came out exactly how I needed. Definitely a solid spot if you're an artist looking to get your work digitized . I will be back for sure .
- Tamar RobinsonGoogle review
I brought in 17 beta tapes from an old camcorder and within a week and a half they were put on a thumb drive! Excellent service, really nice people that work there! I highly recommend! It was so nice to be able to share these videos from almost 30 years ago with my grown children! They loved seeing themselves as little kids.
- Lesley RafesGoogle review
The old video tape that Brandon had digitized for me had presented a few difficulties on my end. I got back in touch with him with questions a couple of times, via email. He responded quickly every time and guided me to find a solution to the problem. He is a very responsible and professional businessman. I highly recommend Smooth Photo Scanning.
- Guillermo GallegosGoogle review
I had three very old family group photos colorized by Smooth Photo Services and the result was amazing, seemingly bringing those persons back to life with perfectly chosen colors, an excellent job. I wholeheartedly recommend them for your more important b&w photos.
