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Old 20-03-2014, 20:37
Soundbox
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I was wondering if the damp weather we have had can affect video tapes. There is no mould or musty smell but quite a few of my tapes are refusing to play.

I get horrible noises and the tape stalling. I have tried a few machines but all won't play the stalling tapes. From Lethal Weapon, Star Trek and Indiana Jones - tapes are suddenly not playing at all.

Is it likely to be the damp affecting them or something else? I'm at a loss to know why.
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Old 21-03-2014, 10:23
kjhskj75
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Could be the VCR failing rather than the tapes.
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Old 21-03-2014, 10:27
Chasing Shadows
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Could be the VCR failing rather than the tapes.
Unlikely as he's tried multiple machines (though where he's found these multiple machines is questionable - haven't seen a video recorder in years!).
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Old 21-03-2014, 10:56
peteques
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If they are important tapes it might be better leaving it to professionals - have them put onto dvd or blu ray if its possible
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Old 21-03-2014, 11:22
chrisjr
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I was wondering if the damp weather we have had can affect video tapes. There is no mould or musty smell but quite a few of my tapes are refusing to play.

I get horrible noises and the tape stalling. I have tried a few machines but all won't play the stalling tapes. From Lethal Weapon, Star Trek and Indiana Jones - tapes are suddenly not playing at all.

Is it likely to be the damp affecting them or something else? I'm at a loss to know why.
If they are not tapes you have recorded yourself of irreplaceable family significance then I would just bin the lot and buy the DVD equivalent.

You could get them professionally recovered onto DVD copies. But they probably wouldn't touch movies or TV programmes due to copyright concerns. But for home movies with sentimental value it might be worth it.

But a trick that might work is to fast wind them from one end to the other and back. If it does that then it might free them up. But do so at your own risk as it may cause even more damage. So perhaps don't risk it on anything precious.
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Old 21-03-2014, 11:35
Soundbox
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Thanks for the thoughts. I have a few VCR's (all serviced and in good health). I tried the FF and then RW but you van hear the tape speeding and slowing as it passes through the cassette at speed. Even my 'full tape unwrap' deck threw the tape out. I tried a new shell on one tape but just the same.

Is tape hygroscopic in any way? Honestly, I have never come across this in all my life and I'm left wondering about the damp weather...


I could throw them out and buy the DVD (all are commercial releases) but most are films I have never seen so I don't know if they are even any good. Being John Malkovich was a gamble for 25p but that was ejected and put for charity after 40 minutes - complete drivel so glad I did not but the DVD. I just watch once and donate to charity. I'm really quite worried as some films are classics like Citizen Kane and Metropolis (will be my first time watching them).
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Old 21-03-2014, 11:44
stud u like
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Videos do disappear over time. I had to bin a lot that refused to play.
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Old 21-03-2014, 21:59
Kodaz
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Thanks for the thoughts. I have a few VCR's (all serviced and in good health). I tried the FF and then RW but you van hear the tape speeding and slowing as it passes through the cassette at speed. Even my 'full tape unwrap' deck threw the tape out. I tried a new shell on one tape but just the same.

Is tape hygroscopic in any way? Honestly, I have never come across this in all my life and I'm left wondering about the damp weather...


I could throw them out and buy the DVD (all are commercial releases) but most are films I have never seen so I don't know if they are even any good. Being John Malkovich was a gamble for 25p but that was ejected and put for charity after 40 minutes - complete drivel so glad I did not but the DVD. I just watch once and donate to charity. I'm really quite worried as some films are classics like Citizen Kane and Metropolis (will be my first time watching them).
You might find these articles useful (all from the videointerchange.com site):-

Damaged Audio Video Tape - Restoration Recovery

Video Tape Discussion

Vintage Video Conversion / Recovery

Flood-Damaged Video Recovery

(There are a lot more articles available via the links at the bottom).

All that said, that's only really worth bothering about if the material is rare (most probably your own home movies or whatever). I agree with everyone else that it's *not* remotely worth the hassle of worrying about- let alone trying to recover- VHS films widely available on DVD. If you still want it on videotape there's probably still a glut of unwanted copies out there. (*)

Not worth getting stressed about at any rate.

(*) A few years ago, there were so many unwanted videotapes being thrown out that some charity shops had stopped accepting them. If those have disappeared it's probably because they were so valueless that they were thrown away.
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Old 22-03-2014, 00:16
Winston_1
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Is tape hygroscopic in any way?
No. Hygroscopic means the object absorbs so much water that it eventually dissolves in it.

I don't think tapes absorb water at all.
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Old 24-03-2014, 00:49
Kodaz
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No. Hygroscopic means the object absorbs so much water that it eventually dissolves in it.

I don't think tapes absorb water at all.
The tapes themselves don't absorb water, but the binder (i.e. the "glue" that attaches the magnetic coating to the backing tape) can, in some cases:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky-shed_syndrome

That article says that "blank cassettes from the 70's-90's are unaffected because the hygroscopic binder was not used in cassette formulations". However, it's unclear whether they specifically mean *audio* cassettes there.

Apparently the "sticky shed" syndrome can affect video tapes too:-

http://www.thegreatbear.net/transfer...shed-syndrome/

That doesn't say whether the tape used in domestic videocassettes suffered from it, or whether it's a problem with more modern tapes.
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Old 24-03-2014, 07:39
White-Knight
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An issue you can get with tapes is uneven winding.

If they're played and not played fully to the end then you can get a build up of "ridges" where the tape isn't layed evenly on the spool but instead has ridges or edges sticking out from the sides.

These can contact the case and cause friction during playback either slowing or stopping it entirely.

It's also usually accompanied by winding issues where FF or RW occurs slowly or grinds to a halt as well.

The solution is to FF or RW the tape entirely several times to cause the tape to lay back in line. However, sometimes by the time you realise what's happening, it can be so bad that FF or RW is impossible.

Not saying this is necessarily the cause here, but it could be a combination of this perhaps and some of the moisture issues mentioned above.

There's a picture here of the winding issues (on the right):

http://www.tangible-technology.com/tape/polyace1b.JPG
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Old 24-03-2014, 09:11
Soundbox
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Thanks for the input and links. I tried to watch 'Hits 7' yesterday and that is another one that doesn't work - 1987 but the Housemartins 'Now That's What I Call Quite Good' from1988 plays perfectly. The Hits tape was wound to the end and back again but I could hear the dragging mechanical noises again. I think I must face the fact that I have lost some of my library.
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