VHS, S-VHS, Video8, Hi8, VHS-C, Digital8, miniDV, miniDV HDV and Audio Cassette tapes

We specialize in the repair of these tapes, and they are the only formats that we work with. This allows us to fix your tape at such a low cost, with our fast turnaround. Please visit our FAQ page for details regarding the repair process for Video8, Hi8 and Digital8 tapes.

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Broken or damaged shells

No matter what is wrong with the shell, we can fix it or replace it. Please visit our FAQ page for details regarding the repair process for Video8, Hi8 and Digital8 tapes.

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Tangled, snarled, or damaged sections of tape

If portions of the tape are wrinkled or crunched, we will cut them out and splice your tape back together, allowing you to watch the rest of your footage. Only sections of tape that cannot be salvaged and prevent playback of the rest of the footage will be removed.

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Tape that has snapped apart or come off the reel

We will splice it back together or re-attach it, making it stronger than new.

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Cassettes that won't play, or get ejected by a VCR

Jammed internal parts usually cause problems of this nature; we will diagnose and repair or replace anything that needs it. Please visit our FAQ page for details regarding the repair process for Video8, Hi8 and Digital8 tapes.

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Cassettes that are in pieces

We will put it back together.

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Cassettes that are missing pieces

We will replace all the necessary parts. Please visit our FAQ page for details regarding the repair process for Video8, Hi8 and Digital8 tapes.

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Mildew or Mold exposure

Please visit the section on Mold and Mildew Repairs for details.

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Flood or water damaged tapes

Please visit the section on Flood and Water Damage for details.

If you are looking for advice on what do to with your wet tapes please read our post on the topic: What To Do If Your Tape Gets Wet.

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Foreign substance exposure

Please visit the section on Foreign Substance Exposure for details.

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Humidity damage

Please visit the section on Humidity Damage for details.

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Fire or Heat damaged tapes

Please visit the section on Fire or Heat Damage for details.

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Lubrication deterioration

Please visit the section on Lubrication Deterioration for details.

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Sound is heard, but there is no picture

This can either be caused by a dirty tape being played in equipment, fouling the heads during playback, or a tape that is actually in good condition being played in equipment with dirty heads. If the problem is the tape itself it can most likely be cleaned to like-new condition, but if multiple tapes play improperly in your equipment the most likely cause is the equipment itself. If you are having problems with tapes playing with sound but no picture we recommend using a "wet" head cleaner with isopropyl alcohol to see if it clears up the issue.

If cleaning your equipment does not work and you'd like to send your tape in for assessment there would not be a charge unless your footage can be recovered.

The repair process for tapes that need cleaning and restoration of the surface layer is slow and gentle in order to increase the chances that footage can be recovered; working with tapes with this problem in batches is more efficient, a quantity discount for the repair work is available.

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Tapes that are tangled, snarled, or damaged for large sections

Sections of tape that are crunched or wrinkled cannot be restored and need to be trimmed out in order to save the rest of the footage. If the entire length or very large sections of the tape are damaged we will not be able to do anything with it since it would make your videotape useless to cut out too much.

If the audio sounds high pitched up sped up it is likely that the footage was recorded in the PAL format which is not compatible with NTSC equipment.

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Lines that appear on the screen for the length of the film or sound problems

Lines on your screen or muted sound occur when the tape itself has been damaged. If these symptoms occur throughout the movie, it means that too much tape needs to be trimmed out to warrant saving the rest.

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The picture scrolls vertically or there is static on the screen

This is usually because your VCR is trying to or can't adjust the tracking, and does not mean that your tape is damaged. If you still have your VCR manual, try looking to see if there is a way that you can manually adjust the tracking. Many times, the "channel" buttons on your VCR remote double as tracking adjusters. Sometimes you just have to be very, very patient.

If the audio sounds high pitched up sped up it is likely that the footage was recorded in the PAL format which is not compatible with NTSC equipment.

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Digitization interference in miniDV and miniDV HD footage

If you have a single miniDV or miniDV HD tape plays in your equipment but has pixelation noise or interference the problem was most likely caused by dirty heads in the recording camera and is not something that can actually be repaired. If you have multiple miniDV tapes that play with pixelation interference the issue may be related to lubrication deterioration and our free assessment policy would apply since we cannot know if we can be of service without testing the tapes/footage in our office.

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Tapes that have been recorded over or erased

We're very sorry, but to the best of our knowledge it is not possible to recover footage that has been recorded over or erased.

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