The whole chain in one diagram
Every analogue tape in our lab follows the same route: a serviced player, a time base corrector, the capture card and a final review. A weak link anywhere cannot be fixed afterwards by any software.
Key terms
- Serviced player
- A machine with clean heads and an adjusted transport. Noise from a worn head can’t be removed later, so we start with the hardware.
- TBC (time base corrector)
- Evens out tiny variations in tape speed. Without it edges wobble, lines drift and the computer may lose sync and drop frames.
- S-Video (Y/C)
- A connection that keeps brightness and colour separate. Clearer than the yellow composite plug, especially for S-VHS and Hi8.
- Capture card
- Turns the analogue signal into digital: 720 × 576 in PAL at 25 frames per second.
- Interlacing
- An analogue frame is two fields of odd and even lines. Modern screens show whole frames, so the fields must be combined correctly.
- Drop-out
- A brief loss of signal from a tape flaw or dust, seen as a white streak. A clean tape and a good player reduce them.
- MP4 (H.264)
- A compressed file that opens almost anywhere and takes little space while keeping visibly the same quality.
Why de-interlacing matters
Shown raw on a modern screen, moving objects get “combing”, jagged edges, because the two fields were recorded a fraction of a second apart. Good de-interlacing merges them so motion stays smooth and outlines clean. It is one of the first things you notice in a careless transfer.
What we deliberately don’t do
We don’t artificially blow the picture up to “Full HD” or 4K or smear it with heavy filters. Upscaling adds no detail, only file size and sometimes odd artefacts. Our goal is to preserve what is on the tape as faithfully and cleanly as possible.
Which formats are analogue
VHS, VHS-C, S-VHS, Video8 and Hi8 are analogue. Digital8 and MiniDV are already digital and are copied over FireWire, so this chain doesn’t apply. See the price list: VHS €15, other formats €9 per cassette.
Ordering in three steps
- Write to usList the formats and how many cassettes. We answer with exact details, the price and shipping instructions.
- Drop the parcel at a lockerUse Omniva, LP Express or DPD in Lithuania; the receiving locker in Tallinn is in our reply.
- Get your recordings backTypical turnaround is 10–14 working days. Files arrive as MP4 in a cloud folder or on a stick; you settle an invoice afterwards.
Common questions
Can I get the same result at home with a USB grabber?
You can get a watchable file, but usually without time base correction and on an old, unserviced player. The picture shakes, breaks up, and the sound drifts out of sync.
Does digitization improve the picture?
It preserves the picture as it is and stops further decay. Stabilisation and proper de-interlacing make it calmer, but missing detail is not invented.
How is payment made?
We send an invoice when the files are ready, addressed either to you or to your organisation.