Cintrex AV

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Want to be sure your data sticks around for a long time?  Backblaze has almost 35,000 hard drives in use, and they regularly publish blog posts about which are the most reliable for their purposes.  The winner for September 2014 is the Hitachi Deskstar 5K3000.  This is a 3TB hard drive that they've been using for 2.1 years on average, with an annual failure rate of under 1%!  Get the full stats from their blog post:  https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-reliability-update-september-2014/

Of course, Cintrex AV recommends the 3-2-1 rule for all backups:

At least three copies,

In two different formats,

with one of those copies off-site.

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Memorial Day: Thank You to All Veterans

At Cintrex AV we would just like to take a moment to thank all veterans and their families in honor of Memorial Day. Your bravery and sacrifices will never be forgotten.

We came across this cool story of what one town did for their wounded veteran and we wanted to share it. 

“Marine Corporal Juan Dominguez lost both legs and his right arm in an explosion in 2010 while serving in Afghanistan. On April 27, 2013, the community of Temecula, California came together to give Dominguez and his bride Alexis their dream wedding.

Everything for the event from the reception venue and rehearsal dinner to the entertainment, photography, flowers, cake and makeup, were donated by various local businesses to the young couple.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSpOkCKT0oA

We also wanted to say a special thank you to our very own video editor Ian Molina & his wife Sarah Molina, who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!

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Digitally preserving old home movies from film reels and video tapes is important to people who are looking to save content for future generations. We help customers every day that want to convert their irreplaceable memories, but we often get questions on why they should choose one media format...

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How Cintrex AV Employs Ultrium LTO Tape to Back Up Customer Video Assets

Cintrex AV regularly archives video files to both LTO-6 and LTO-5 tapes.  We use Ultrium tapes for both archiving and delivering files to our customers and for internal company storage.  Internally, Cintrex provides 90 days of backup storage on all of our completed customer projects.  This means that we need to be able to keep large amounts of video data on-hand, especially in the 90 days following the holiday season.  To to this, we utilize LTO tapes as a supplement to several network connected Drobo storage systems.  We’ll often back up multi-terabyte jobs directly to LTO tape, saving our spinning disk storage for jobs that we may need to access more actively.  We use Hewlett-Packard LTO tape drives, and format the tapes with either HP's StoreOpen (LTFS)  or Tolis Group's BRU Professional Edition software.  We use StoreOpen from both Windows and Mac workstations, while BRU PE is currently Mac specific.

Different versions of LTO Ultrium tape have different native and compressed capacities.  Because we typically store only video content on LTO tape, the hardware compression provided by the tape drive has little to no effect.  This means we can store about 2.5TB of video on an LTO-6 tape, or about 1.5TB on an LTO-5 tape.

When archiving content onto LTO tapes for customers that primarily use Mac OS, we prefer to use Tolis Group's BRU PE software for tape formatting and archiving.  BRU PE offers more robust verification and restoration, and is much faster and more capable of handling jobs that are ‘large’ both in terms of total bytes stored, as well as total number of files.  Jobs requiring us to store hundreds of thousands of files on each tape can be completed much more quickly with BRU PE than with a LTFS formatted tape, and the integrity of every file written can be verified automatically.  When we return a completed archiving job to the customer, we include a data DVD or USB Flash-drive along with the LTO tapes.  This extra storage media contains a catalog of what’s been archived on the LTO tapes, as well as a copy of BRU PE restoration software if appropriate.   We also now provide cloud storage for these two items, enabling our customers to access their tape catalogs whenever/wherever they might need.  If restoration of files contained on the tapes becomes necessary, the customer will simply need access to a compatible computer and LTO tape drive.  Because LTO is an open standard, any compatible (same generation) LTO drive can be used.  This gives our customers the flexibility to restore files in-house, or with any vendor they choose.

If our customer uses a primarily Windows environment, we archive their files using HP's StoreOpen.  When mounted on either a Mac or Windows computer, the LTFS formatted LTO tape appears identical to any other attached hard drive.  This enables us to use any Windows or Mac software to copy files onto the LTO tape, or reverse the process when restoring a file.   If restoration is needed in the future, HP's StoreOpen application can be freely downloaded, again giving our customers the flexibility to restore files in-house, or with any vendor they choose.

For our internal Cintrex LTO archiving, we employ a networked HP LTO-5 tape drive.  This allows us to write to tapes from any workstation on the network, and store completed jobs for future editing work or long-term storage.   We prefer LTFS formatted tapes for internal backup because LTFS is fast and easy to use when archiving smaller numbers of large files - the drag and drop functionality suits our internal workflow well.  Restoring a video project from LTFS formatted tape is also simple to do from any station on the network.  The life expectancy of the R/W LTO-5 tapes used by Cintrex is estimated to be 200 complete tape rewrites.  We began using LTO-5 tapes for internal backup in January 2012, and have not yet experienced a tape failure as of March 2014.    

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Is the Optical Disc going away?

Netflix replaced Blockbuster.  New Apple iPads and MacBooks do not have a disc drive.  Video editing software from Final Cut Pro and Adobe Creative Suite are not upgrading Compressor or Encore (the programs to author DVDs and Blu-ray Discs).  Cloud storage with iCloud and Google Drive and other providers, is becoming ever popular.   The question being asked by some is whether the disc is dead, is it going away?

The disc is not dead.  It may not remain the most popular method to show or share movies in the future, but it will remain a popular way to save or archive your memories securely.   Here at Cintrex AV, we are starting to experience more customers asking for conversion of their video tapes and movie film to data file formats for watching on their computer or sharing over the Internet.  However, at the same time, these customers are wanting a second copy in disc format (DVD or Blu-ray Disc) as the permanent copy for safekeeping and backup.   A properly stored disc is a better backup compared to flash-drive or external hard-drive.  You can always play the video disc, or use it to create a replacement video movie file for the previous file corrupted in your computer or lost in Cloud storage.  Choose the disc, because you want peace of mind when saving your special video recordings for the future. 

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My Film is over 50 years old, is it worth transferring?

Two answers to this question. Yes and Maybe. 8mm and 16mm home movie film contains one-of-a-kind irreplaceable content about your family. If you want to digitize it so that family members can again view and share earlier generations’ recordings, then the answer is most definitely YES. However, if the film was not properly stored and handled over the years, it may have been damaged or suffered deterioration, and repairing this damage may be outside your family’s budget to convert and transfer the film to DVD, Blu-ray Disc or Data File format.

Everyday Cintrex AV scans and converts 8mm and 16mm film from the 1930’s – 1980’s. Most of the film is still in decent shape, but sometimes the film has been damaged and this can impact the quality of our film transfer.

Reasons we might not be able to transfer your film:

Mold & Mildew - These types of damages occur if film was improperly stored. The mold & mildew can cause damage to the quality of the picture on the film. The film might look extremely faded or be too brittle to unwind off the reels.

Vinegar Syndrome - This is caused by a chemical reaction combined with heat & moisture. You will know if your film has vinegar syndrome by the distinct odor! The film will also start to shrink and curl up in a tube shape rather than laying flat. In bad cases the film is not flexible and you will not be able to unwind it from the reel.

Pulled Perforations (perfs) – This type of damage is usually caused when threading a projector improperly. If every perf is torn or damaged, the film will not run through the projectors smoothly.

Most of the time we can transfer the film even if it has started to deteriorate. We can work with these problems if they are not too advanced. When receive film that has been affect by the above problems, our trained technicians will perform a couple tests to find the condition of your film & whether it can be transferred or not.

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Tips for Packaging & Shipping Your Family Memories

When you ship your items to Cintrex it is important to pack your items to protect them from being crushed or damaged. We take pride in the fact that we have never lost a customers order. A package that is improperly wrapped and taped could possibly allow a valuable recording to be lost in shipment to Cintrex AV.

Below are a couple tips to ensure that your memories are safe in transit.

Select a sturdy box with no ripped areas. A box is a better choice than an envelope. Envelopes are not sturdy and won’t protect your items from being crushed. For large orders you might need to divide your order into separate boxes. We provide an optional service, a Safe Shipping Kit, where we will send out ahead of time containing packing materials, tape & a GPS tracking chip for an extra level of assurance for customers that are shipping us their valuables, one-of-a-kind media memories. The GPS tracking chip online application gives detailed visibility to the viewer, allowing one to follow the package as it makes its way into our labs.            

Place your Tapes, Film, Photos, Slides, etc. in a plastic bag to prevent from water damage and to keep separate from packing materials. If you are sending in photos it is helpful place a piece of cardboard in with the photos to prevent them from being bent.

Line your box with padding, bubble wrap works. Place the plastic bag containing your items in the center and then fill up the empty spaces of your box with more bubble wrap, newspaper, or shopping bags. When you close the box you should be able to shake it without the contents shifting a lot. Use study tape to seal the box along the top and bottom seams.

Through our website you will be able to print a free UPS shipping label which will contain your origination address & our lab destination address. Cintrex will provide free shipping, both ways, on orders valued over $100. Once your order is completed, we return your original contents and new digital formats via UPS.

Include specific instructions on your job and the expected results. We want to make sure that our final product is not an unpleasant surprise for you.

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Calculating Film Feet for a film project

 Would you like to have your film transferred , but you're unsure how much film you have? This is the #1 issue that people come across when planning a conversion project.  They have several different reels of varying size, and aren’t sure how to determine how many feet of film they have.  Here's the process, step-by-step.

  Before we get started, you will need a few items that will help you calculate film feet.

The film you want to transfer

An area to work

A pen or pencil

A pad of paper

A ruler or tape measure

A calculator (optional for adding up totals)

The first thing you need to do is gather up all of your film that you want to transfer and group it by size.  It will be easier to calculate film feet, when you know how many reels you have of each size.

With all of your film reels grouped by size make sure you have your tape measure handy. You will want to measure a reel out of each size group, which is the next step when you calculate film feet. Make sure you measure the film reels across their center, you’ll want to measure the film reels diameter, and write down the size of each group.

 Measure Film Reels Across The Center

The next thing you need to know is the amount of film feet on each size reel.  Below is a list of the most common reels sizes with their corresponding feet.

3 inch reels hold 50ft. of film.

4 in reels hold 100ft.

5 inch reels hold 200ft.

6 inch reels hold 300ft.

7 inch reels hold 400ft.

10 inch reels hold 800ft.

  It is helpful to take notes on your paper of the number of reels you have in each size, what size they are, and how many feet each size contains. This way you have a quick reference guide for the next step.

Now you are ready to calculate film feet!

  Calculating the total amount of feet you have is easy.  In this step you just take the number of film reels for each size and multiply it by how many feet that reel size holds.

Here is an example:  Lets take our 3 inch – 50ft reels

  As you can see from the picture above, we have 5  of the 3 inch or 50ft reels.  If we take the number of film reels and multiply it by the number of feet per reels we can calculate film feet for this size group of reels.

5 reels of 50ft = 250ft of film.

Now look at your pad where you made your notes and repeat this process for each reel size, you will then be able to calculate the total number of feet you have for your entire collection.

Now that you have your total amount of film you can easily estimate how much preserving your memories will cost or you can simply enter that amount in our quantity box to place an order.

So just remember that it is easy to calculate film feet, you just need to have a few things.

  Gather your film and other necessities, calculate your subtotals for each group, and add them all together.

If you need help or have any questions about calculation film feet, film transfer, or other media conversions visit www.cintrexav.com for more information or contact us at [email protected]

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What 2000 slides looks like . . .

Today we received a shipment containing 2000 slides, all from a single customer. 

That’s a lot of slides to digitize, but it’s well worth preserving all of those important memories.

We receive slides in for digitization in many ways,  some people keep their slides organized and accessible by storing them in slide carousels, others just send them in via  old shoe boxes.  However, they have done the most important part, which is taking the steps to preserve their content.

Today’s order came in neat and organized.  As we process the order we’ll carefully remove the slides from the carousels and check that they’re right side up and facing forward.  We then create pristine digital copies in our slide scanners.  Once the slides are scanned we’ll place the slides back into their carousels in the same order that we received them.

For this particular order we’re returning the digital images as files burned to DVDs, though we can also deliver them in other ways.  We often return the customer's content as  downloadable files, on a flash drive, or even on a hard drive.

We want our customers to be ecstatically happy with the services we provide, so whether it’s slides that are carefully arranged in carousels or photos that have been living in an old shoebox in a dark closet, Cintrex will create new digitally preserved copies for you and return your original content exactly as they were when you sent them to us.

For more information about our slide, photo, and negative transfers check out our website at www.cintrexav.com.  We also create photo slide shows and can take your slides, digitize them, and place them on DVD with titles and music.  Great for special occasions.

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Transfer 8mm Video Tapes – Cintrex’s Video Conversion Process

8mm Video Tapes were once some of the most popular formats used by consumers and semi-professional camcorders.  Today they are nearly extinct, but at the formats peak there were three major types of 8mm video tapes – Video8, Hi8, and Digital8. While all three of the formats were created by Sony,  the technology was widely used in camcorders and tape players sold by many different manufacturers.

The three different versions of the 8mm video tape cartridges were virtually the same. All three types of the 8mm Video Tapes are the same size – 95mm x 62.5mm. (about 3.75 x 2.5 inches) and Hi8 and digital8 are actually identical.

Video8 tapes have a slight difference and are missing a small extra hole in back of the cartridge.  Some of the newer versions of Video8 tapes have an indentation, but no hole, in the same location.  So distinguishing between the three versions of the tapes can be difficult, but Cintrex can convert all three types of tape.  So there’s no need to worry if you can’t tell which version of the 8mm video tapes you have, just send them in and let us preserve them for you.

How Cintrex converts your 8mm Video Tapes -

8mm Video Tape

Once you’ve made your purchase from shop.cintrexav.com, the next step is to pack up your 8mm video tapes and send them to us.  If you plan on using peanuts or shredded paper for packing your tapes, we recommend enclosing the tapes in plastic bags first. This will help ensure that no small particles of packing material make it into your tapes.

When your 8mm video tapes arrive at Cintrex, we unpack your shipment and carefully catalog its contents.  If there are any differences between your purchase and the contents of your box, we’ll contact you right away to resolve the discrepancy.  Then it’s off to the prep area so your tapes can be carefully cleaned before capturing them into our computer systems.  We capture the 8mm Video Tapes at 720x480i and Digital8 tapes we convert directly from the DV stream on the tape.

Once we have the content from your 8mm video tapes, we add them to our computer system, where we digitally edit out any static, black or blue screen, or otherwise unusable sections.  If you order on-screen titles, noise reduction, or color correction we perform these enhancements and make any repairs at this stage.  Then we convert the file to the destination media format in your order –  mp4, Blu-ray or DVD.  After conversion, a copy of your finished video is put on our backup archive system for 90 days.  This ensures us that your media is still available in case your shipment is lost, you accidentally delete your file download, or you decide you’d like additional copies.  After 90 days we delete your  video backups permanently.

Finally, we carefully pack up your 8mm video tapes that were cleaned, converted to their new format and are being shipped back to you no additional charge.  After updating your 8mm video tapes to more durable and modern formats, you’ll be able to view and share your videos for many years to come!

For more information about 8mm Video Tape Transfer or all of our other media conversion services visit our website at www.cintrexav.com 

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M-DISC for Permanent Storage on Optical Disc

I can see the billboard now – M-Disc storage for your grandkid’s grandkids grandkids grandkids. . . .well you get the point.

Most of us that are concerned about preserving our digital legacy think about saving our collections for our kids or grandkids but what about the stuff that really matters? How long would we like to like to preserve that content?

100 years? 200 years? 500 years? 1000 years?

Who knows what the world will look like in 1000 years but if you have content worth saving, then maybe the M-Disc is the answer.

  Today we’re going to look at what makes the M-Disc the choice for the data archiver in all of us.

The Millenniatta Disc or M-Disc is an archival disc comprised of patented inorganic materials that captures your content by physically altering the recording layer through engraving.

The developers of the M-Disc wanted to create a digital equivalent of engraving information in stone.

This method of engraving the data is superior to other optical discs that use organic dyes to write material to the disc, which have tendencies to fade and decay over time (which cause data loss and disc read errors).

The M-Disc is not susceptible to conditions (temperature, humidity, and light) that degrade other optical discs.

The M-Disc holds the same capacity as a DVD (4.7 GB ) which translates to 8,000 photos, 240 minutes of video footage, or over 100,000 documents.

The U.S. Department of defense thoroughly tested the M-Disc in the harshest environments over extended periods of time and not a single M-Disc suffered any data corruption. However, every other optical disc in the test suffered an increase in data errors.

  M-Disc is a great solution for individuals that are looking to back up content and keep it intact for YEARS to come.

While the M-Disc has a lot of benefits there a couple of concerns when thinking about using the disc for data archival.

M-Discs can only be played in DVD or Blu-ray players manufactured after 2009.

Secondly, the disc cannot be overwritten or erased once you engrave your data on it.

Third, you must have a M-Disc capable drive to write files to the M-Disc.

And finally, the Disc can be quite pricey compared to other optical media sources, a ten pack will run you around $30 online.

However, when you think about the longevity of the disc and the potential of it lasting for 1000 years, the disc would really only cost you $0.003 per year, not a bad investment for your most precious family memories.

So, whether you want to preserve wedding videos, important documents, historical photos, or a family genealogy for generations to come, scratch that, for 40 generations to come, The M-Disc will have you covered.

Now your only concern is how long will physical media be around for, but that is a completely different topic we will be discussing in the next few weeks!

To check out more information about the M-Disc you can go to www.m-disc.com

Or to see a list of all our archival services check out our products at http://www.cintrexav.com/digital-archiving-service.aspx or check out all of our products and services at www.cintrexav.com

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The Rule of 3 – Easy Digital Preservation

How many times has your hard drive crashed, computer stop running, or you get an error that your memory card has gone bad?  Everyone has lost data at some point due to technology failing.  There is almost no way to guarantee that you equipment will never go down, but following the the simple rule of 3, can help keep your important content around and stop you from pulling your hair out when your next piece of technology does fail.

The rule of 3 is simple and isn’t a new concept for people in archival and preservation circles.  It’s short, easy to follow and looks like this:

The Rule Of 3 or (3-2-1 Rule)

  “Make 3 copies of anything that you consider valuable, in 2 different formats, with 1 of those versions offsite.”

Seems simple enough, so why do so many of us continually lose our data files, irreplaceable photos, and digital videos?

As a society we are always adding to our digital collections and its in our nature to capture life’s most valuable moments, but too often we neglect to do anything else with it once its recorded.

 In a previous blog we wrote about why you should digitally preserve, this one explores why following the simple rule of 3 is just as important.

Losing your Content:

  We have all heard stories about people grabbing photos, wedding albums and videos, or other important content out of their houses in an emergency.  They do it because those records are some of the most important instances of their lives, and they are irreplaceable.

Everyone has content that means the world to them, but wouldn’t it be nice to not have to worry about always losing it?  That is where following the simple rule of 3 comes into play.

The rule might seem complicated to some users but is actually really easy to do, and we can walk you through it:

Say you had baby photos in an album,  your first step would be to digitize the photos to have data files of your physical copies.  Now once you have created the digital copies, the next step would be to place them on 3 different formats:  lets put them on Data Disc, a flash drive, and on a storage network in the cloud.  By doing this you have ensured that your most important memories are preserved and now you are complying with the rule of 3.

  Place your important content on 3 different formats

    How easy was that?

Essentially, what you have done is created back ups of your album, placed them on different formats, and created an offsite storage in the cloud.

Different Formats and Offsite Locations:

  Now when choosing the formats for your content there are many options and it really depends on what you have access to and how you will want to retrieve it in the future.  Your formats can be anything from DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, memory cards, external hard drives, flash drives, LTO tapes and more.  Whatever you choose make sure it’s a format that you know you will be able to use when recalling the content later.

For offsite backups, the general rule is to have a copy of your content in a place that you can access, that is not with the existing copies.  Cloud storage networks are a popular choice because you can access your files from anywhere, but there are other options out there.  Using a professional service like Iron mountain to protect and store your content, placing a backup in a safety deposit box at a bank, or even giving a copy to a family member or friend.  These all work and are all great ways to ensure that you have a copy that you can get to when you need it.

The Rule of 3 preserves your legacy

  You never know when your next piece of technology or equipment will fail but it can be certain that at some point you will lose something that is very valuable to you.  It’s frustrating when it happens but by following the rule of 3 you can rest assured that you have not lost it for good.

Whatever you formats you decide or where you place your offsite backup, the important part is that you have decided to follow the rule of 3 and are being proactive in preserving your most important content.  If your families digital legacy is important to you then you should really consider following this one simple rule.

For help digitizing content for a project or your own check out our website and professional services at www.cintrexav.com

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Blu-ray Disc, not just for the Motion Picture Industry.

As a media conversion company we get a lot of requests to preserve some really cool content to DVD, Blu-ray, and Data Files. People come in all the time and ask us about transferring their old home movies to DVD.  They want to update their video collection and share their priceless adventures with friends and family.

“Sure we put things on DVD all the time”, we say, “but you have a lot of content, have you ever thought about putting your collection on Blu-ray?”

Usually a confused look starts to form on their faces and what typically follows is. . . “BLU-RAY, what the heck’s a Blu-ray”.

Most of you know by now that Blu-ray is a video disc format pioneered by Sony that’s been available for about 8 years.  However, when it comes to using blu-ray discs for preserving home video content, it's often overlooked.

After having this interaction several times in the past months, we figured that it might be good to go over a few of the basics of the Blu-ray Disc.  But don’t worry, there won’t be a test at the end, think of this more like the cliffs notes version.

Convert Home Movies to Blu-ray Disc

Standard Facts about the blu-ray disc:

The Blu-ray disc was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association of America, with their first prototypes back in 2000

The name Blu-ray really comes from the “blue” laser diode that is used to read the disc, however, the diode is actually more in the violet range

A single layer Blu-ray has a storage capacity of 25 GB and the double layer holds 50 GB (compared to a DVD that holds approximately 4.7 GB)

Blu-rays can store up to 9 hours of standard definition content and up to 3.5 hours of High Definition content

Blu-ray discs are scratch resistant and last longer than other optical discs in the market due to a special hard coating applied to the disc

Using Blu-rays for Content Preservation:

We know what you’re thinking, this information is great but why should we consider putting our video collection on Blu-ray instead of DVD?

The answer is simple, Blu-ray discs offer a larger storage capacity than DVDs so you can have more of your video collection onto fewer discs.  Fewer discs make it easier to store and share your content with loved ones.

Also, putting your home movies on Blu-ray in High Definition ensures that you get the highest quality of life’s most valuable memories.  Having high quality copies of your content, guarantees you will get the best experience when you enjoy it in the future.

Now add all of that to the increase in durability of the disc and I think the questions becomes “Why WOULDN’T you convert your video collection to Blu-ray disc?”

There is one caveat though, the only devices that can play the Blu-ray disc is a Blu-ray player or drive.  So if you are thinking about converting all of your home movies to Blu-rays you must have a Blu-ray player to view your content.

The great news is the price of Blu-ray players have gone down considerably since their release and can be found as stand alone players, in laptops and desktops, and even in gaming systems.

Finally, no matter what format you decide, (DVD, Blu-ray, or Digital File) the important thing is that you have made the choice to digitally preserve your family’s collection and share your legacy for future generations to come.

To find out more about blu-ray disc visit our website at www.cintrexav.com or visit our online store at shop.cintrexav.com,

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Video Tape Repairs

All of us have past memories on video tapes.  We recorded school recitals, little league sporting events, birthday parties, and even weddings.  But over time new formats were created, the video tapes were boxed up, thrown in closets, usually mishandled, and forgotten.

If that sounds like you, don’t worry.  It’s a pretty common occurrence when new technologies come around.  Only when we’re feeling a little nostalgic to relive these great memories, do we try to dig out our video tapes from wherever we put them.

But finding them isn’t the only challenge.  Do we have the equipment to play them, are they broken, or has time taken its toll on our once precious memories?

The good news is, as long as you have found your video collection and even with aged or broken video tapes they can be captured, digitized, and restored.  We can convert them to new formats for you to share with your family and friends and your can relive your greatest moments whenever you want!

Restoring Memories with Video Tape Repair

We recently received an order from a couple that lost everything in a house fire.  They were walking through the molten remains and stumbled upon several of their most important memories that were saved from serious damage.  Even though they had lost almost everything it made them feel comfort to know that some of their memories were not completely destroyed.

Video tape was broken (right pic) and warped from the heat – hard to see from photo (left pic)

The tape above was the worst of the damaged and broken video tapes that they had sent in.  It wasn’t in horrible condition, the top was broken off and the case melted from the extreme heat.  But with a new case and repair to the inner tape we were able to save these home movies from being lost forever.

Our Video Tape Repair Process

Video Tape Repair – replacing the casing and splicing out the bad section

Each video tape repair is different, this particular tape had a couple of problems that needed attention, so for this repair we took the following steps:

We begin by removing the original broken and warped cartridge.

Dissembling a pristine tape to get a new outer cartridge.

Discarding the new unused inner tape. ( We only needed the new casing for this repair)

Place the old spools and tape into the new cartridge.

Splice the tape back together, removing the bad torn section.

 Reassemble the tape.

Clean the tape with our professional video tape cleaner, removing any dirt, debris, or smoke residue.

The video tape is digitally captured and the content is restored for the customer.

There are some more complicated issues that we come across in our video tape repairs but that we'll be explained in a future entry, so be on the look out for that.

Quick reminders when dealing with damaged video tapes

First, just because the tape is broken, warped, split, or aged doesn’t mean that content is. Some times with some easy video tape repairs, we can restore your video and preserve it.

If you really want something to be preserved/archived for the future check out our blog about the rule of three, because in tragic instances like this you can see that just having one copy of something isn’t always enough.

If you have damaged video tapes that need repair, or are looking to digitize your video collection, contact us for a custom quote or visit our storefront

To speak to a Cintrex Representative about your project contact us by email at [email protected]

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Kodak Slide Projector Repairs

Have you recently pulled out your old Kodak Slide Projector, wanting to view past vacation memories only to find that it is not working?   Years of neglect, along with dust and debris have collected in the gears and motors, causing it to malfunction.  If you want to view your irreplaceable memories that you have captured on slides you basically have two options.

1.  Start a digitization project and transfer your slides to new digital formats

or

2.  Use a projector.  But what if your projector is not working?  You either give up or find a company that repairs kodak slide projectors.

Well, you are in luck!  No matter which way you decide we can help you in both. However, this blog is about the the most common issues that plague Kodak Slide Projectors and some of the questions that people have.  If you would like more information on our slide transfer process visit http://www.cintrexav.com/slides-photos-negatives-scanning-service.aspx

First off lets look at the models of projectors that we get in for repair.  If you have a problem with one of these styles there is a good chance that we can fix it.

Kodak Ektagraphic III series – Models A, AMT, AFT, and E

Kodak Carousel Projectors – Models 600′s, 650′s 700′s, 750′s, and 800′s

Now that we’ve covered the most common projectors that we deal with, below we have listed the frequent issues that plague kodak slide projectors.

Common Problems with Kodak Slide Projectors

Motor Problems – motors wear down, overheat, and get clogged with debris

Internal Gears Get Stuck – Grease dries up and moving parts need lubrication

Projectors need cleaning – Dust and particles build up over time and can cause performance issues

Slides wont advance –  This is the most common problem that occurs when we do Kodak Slide Projector Repair.  Generally when a slide projector is having trouble advancing the slides the solenoid link is causing the malfunction.

(Top) Missing Solenoid Link from dry-rot and breaking  (Bottom) Replaced Solenoid Link

What happens is that over time the solenoid link dry-rots, breaks, and deteriorates.  Without the solenoid link , the machine does not release a latch that lets the camstack spin, and allows the internal mechanisms to work.  If you have a problem with your slides advancing this is the likely culprit.

The solenoid link is just one part of the tune-up and repair process that we preform on the Kodak Projectors.

Kodak Slide Projector Repair and Tune-up Process

Check the machine to see what is not working properly

Remove the outer cover of the projector

Make repairs on necessary parts

Clean out the machine – Remove dust and debris, blow out fan, wipe down mechanical parts

Check parts, gears, and fan

lubricate/grease moving parts  (if needed)

Reassemble

Test machine to make sure it is working properly

Even though we do regular repair work and tune-ups, we cannot determine what is causing the issues with your slide projector until you send it in to our lab.  Our Repair and tune-up takes care of cleaning, oiling, and replacing the most common parts (like solenoid link and rivet) but some parts (like motors) cost extra and require a custom quote.

If you are interested in sending in our Kodak Slide Projector Repair Service or would like more information please visit our website at http://shop.cintrexav.com/kodak-slide-projector-repair-p34.aspx or contact us at [email protected].

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Identifying Film with Sound

When we receive film transfer orders, one of the most common questions people have is how can they tell if  their film has sound.  Most of the time the film is very old, its contents have long been forgotten, and it is film that has been passed down from family members.  So it’s typical that not much is known about what is actually on each reel.

But determining if your film has sound is actually quite simple, but the procedure varies depending on what type of film you have.

8mm and Super 8 film with sound

8mm and Super 8 film with sound both contain sound on a magnetic strip that runs along the edges of the film.  Most of the time the magnetic strip is different in color from the rest of the film and will look discolored or brown.  Below is a graphical representation of what 8mm and Super 8m film with magnetic strips look like.

Film with sound 8mm and Super 8

Determining if your 8mm film has sound is easy, really all you have to do is examine your film.  If you have wider discolored areas that go down the edge of your film then more than likely your film does have sound.

16mm film with sound:

Now that we have gone over 8mm and Super 8mm film we will look at 16mm film with sound to see what the difference is.  16mm film can actually have two different types of sound depending on how it was captured.  The first is a magnetic strip just like 8mm and Super 8.  Again, with this version you will have magnetic strips that run along the edge of the film and just like the others will look different in color from the rest of the film.

However, 16mm film can also have optical sound.  With optical sound the film itself has sound waves on the outer edges of the film.  As you can see from the picture below the optical sound looks like a jagged wave that runs along the film.

  You can see the optical sound on the far right of this 16mm film.

Even though there are two different versions of film with sound, magnetic and optical, both types can be seen just by looking at the film.   If you have questions about if you have film with sound or not, the easy thing to do is unwind a little film, handle it delicately, use a magnifying glass if necessary, and inspect the edges of the film.  Look for 1 of 2 things.  Discolored strip along the side of them film or a jagged wavy line down the side.

For assistance on determining if your film has sound or if you are thinking about starting a digital preservation project visit our website at www.cintrexav.com or contact us at [email protected]

Images from wikipedia.

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Film Decay

Old home movies on 8mm, Super 8, and 16mm film are often packed away in boxes and canisters, left alone for years in dark damp basements or dusty attics.  These memories were important enough to record at one point but are often neglected over time.

Over time film decay can occur along with other problems in quality, But the film decay is not always the cause of the issues, many problems occur at the time the film was shot or when it was developed.

We have compiled a list of the most common issues that we receive when transferring customers film.  During our process we analyze, clean, and repair your film by hand to ensure the best possible transfer.

Because of the age of most film, the way in which is was stored, and the technology and methods that were used to shoot and develop the film, there are some unique challenges that arise during film scanning.  Our experienced technicians and careful transfer process ensure we are able to mitigate many of the common issues that plague old film.

Common film decay and other problems:

  Dense, Dark Pictures - This is often caused by film that was Underexposed when it was developed.

Black film - If there are sections in your film that are black, showing little or no image, it may that the film that was either poorly exposed or not exposed at all.   We prepare and analyze your film prior to transferring it and long sections of black film are removed to improve viewing quality.

Thin, Light Pictures - Light or an overly bright picture is caused by film that was overexposed when it was developed.

Wavy Pictures - A shaky or wavy picture is often caused by failure to hold the camera steady while filming. This is particularly noticeable when the camera operator is moving the camera back and forth rather then holding it still or using a tripod.  For minor shaking we can apply a filter during editing that stops minor movements.

Blurred or Fuzzy Pictures - This is caused by incorrect setting of the camera focus or extreme close-ups taken with a fixed-focus camera.

Blurred or Doubled Images - Pictures that show double images or blurred scenes with a vertical “jumpy” effect are caused by problems with threading the film into camera or a camera that is out of adjustment.

Heavy, Foggy Shadows - This is caused by failure to make allowances in exposure for side or back lighting. For example, a scene that is shot with the sun facing the camera. In this case, special allowances must be made when exposing the film due to the amount of light that is captured. Better results will be seen when the camera operator shoots with the sun or bright lighting behind the camera, often called front lighting.

Pictures Misty or Flat All Over - This is caused when the camera lens is veiled with dust, moisture, or oil.

Light Circular Spots or Curved Streaks - also called “lens flare”,  is caused by the sun or a light source shining on the camera lens when the film was captured.

Lines and Scratches - Continuous or intermittent perpendicular lines or short perpendicular scratches in the picture are caused by dirt and other particles that accumulated in the camera that captured the film. It can also be caused by film that was not properly threaded into the camera.

Yellow Pictures - This can be caused by a yellow filter (for black and white pictures) accidentally left on camera or waiting too long between exposure and processing, or possible exposure to excessive heat.

Excessive Redness - This can be caused by pictures taken in the early morning or late afternoon sunlight or Kodachrome film that is not exposed properly, we can sometimes correct tinting issues after transfer.

Excessive Blueness - Kodachrome Film used in the daylight without the proper filter, again our experienced technicians can often correct tinting issues of film.

Even though a lot of these issues occur at the time the film was shot or developed, film decay still does affect home movies that has been hidden away and neglected over time.  The best thing to do if you are concerned about preserving your family’s old home movies is get them transferred to DVD, Blu-ray, or data file.