One of the questions we receive most often from customers is, “Can my old VHS tapes be saved if they’re moldy?”

Most companies won’t even attempt to convert moldy tapes due to the possible damage the tapes can do to their equipment, but for a small surcharge, our team can help capture the memories you thought were long lost and give them back to you in a digitized format.

Understanding the Problem of Moldy Video Tapes

As technology progresses, old VHS tapes and similar analog media face a significant challenge: they deteriorate. Moisture and time can lead to mold growth, especially if the tapes are stored in damp areas with high humidity and low light. This mold can make the tapes unplayable, risking the loss of important personal or historical footage.

The magnetic tape itself can also degrade, leading to a loss of picture and sound quality or in the worst cases, also making the tapes completely unplayable. These issues damage both physical tapes and the precious memories stored on them. Luckily, there’s a solution for these problems.

The Digital Restoration Solution

ARS Video Inc. offers a specialized tape and film restoration service that can save your moldy tapes! The process begins with a careful assessment of the damage to each tape. Even if a tape seems beyond hope, it’s often possible to recover the footage through our professional cleaning and restoration techniques.

A critical component of the restoration process is digitization. This process involves converting the analog content of the tapes into a digital format. Not only does digitization save the footage from further physical degradation or mold growth, but it also makes it easier to view, share, and preserve your recorded memories for the future using today’s technology, via email or cloud storage, or on social media. ARS Video uses high-quality equipment to ensure the best possible digital conversion, maintaining the integrity of the original recording while enhancing its clarity and stability.

Repairing Damage

In cases where tapes have suffered from mold extensively, the restoration process involves several steps. First, the mold must be safely removed from the tape. This is a delicate procedure that requires expertise to avoid causing further damage to the tape or film media itself. Once the tape is clean, it’s possible to repair damaged sections of the magnetic tape, ensuring a smooth playback.

Color Correction and More

Apart from physical repairs, ARS Video also offers services to improve the viewing quality of the footage. This can include color correction, fixing exposure issues, and even editing out unwanted sections of video. These enhancements can make old, faded footage look clearer and more vibrant, bringing lost memories back to life!

Why Choose Professional Restoration

Attempting to play a moldy or damaged tape in a regular VCR can cause further harm to both the tape and the VCR player itself. Our professional restoration service has the right equipment to handle these tapes safely. Additionally, the expertise of our professionals means we can often recover footage that might seem lost forever.

Once restored and digitized, ARS Video provides the digital files on a USB flash drive, ensuring easy access on modern devices. This saves the footage from physical degradation and makes it easy to share with family and friends, preserving those precious memories for future generations. We also keep a copy of your media in our library, should you ever require another copy due to loss or accidental damage.

Choosing ARS Video’s Digital Film Restoration Service

The challenge of preserving analog media in a digital age is significant, but with professional film recovery and restoration services like ARS Video, it’s possible to save even moldy, damaged tapes. Through careful restoration and digitization, our digitization services ensure that your cherished memories are not only recovered but also preserved for years to come. Whether it’s a family video, a recorded creative project, or a piece of historical footage, the value of saving these visual records cannot be overstated. Keep them safe and accessible in the 21st century!

Contact us today for more information on our film preservation and restoration services or download our free packing slip to help ship your materials from your door to ours more easily!