![]() Most of us have probably had experience with a VHS deck that has eaten a tape.īecause of potential damage to the tape, it is important that the tapes be inserted and ejected at areas of the tape that contain no recorded information. Also, when a tape is removed from a recorder, the tape must properly retract into the cassette, otherwise it will be damaged when the cassette doors close and the tape cassette is ejected from the recorder. Debris on the loading mechanism can scratch the surface of the tape. This mechanism can damage the tape if the guide pins are not properly aligned. It is also exposed to less than ideal conditions, especially if the materials are removed from the building in which they are normally stored.Įvery time a VHS cassette is loaded into a recorder, the recorder mechanism pulls tape from the cassette. The more a tape or cassette is handled, the more it is contaminated with fingerprints and debris. How many insert and eject cycles will your media be required to handle? This may limit the life of the cassette. In one instance, the life of a tape cassette was limited by failure of the cassette door, not because of any fault of the tape media. The life of the media may not be determined by data error rates, but by the life of the media housing. Tapes that are frequently accessed may have a reduced life expectancy due to wear and tear. This is generally not a problem, unless the materials need to be transported or shipped. Because they are a magnetic form of storage, exposure to strong magnetic fields must be avoided to prevent information loss. Magnetic tapes do require some unique care and handling precautions. Refer to the Ampex Guide in the Appendix for more information. They should not be allowed to lay flat (reel flanges parallel with the table top) for extended periods of time. ![]() When the tapes are not in use, they should be placed back on the storage shelf, and stored on end.Do not store tapes on radiators, window sills, televisions, electronic equipment, or machinery.Keep tapes out of strong sunlight and avoid contact with water.Take care not to drop tapes or cartridges.Avoid contamination of the tapes by dirt, dust, fingerprints, food, cigarette smoke and ash, and airborne pollutants.Use and store magnetic tape reels and cassettes in a clean environment.In general, handle the tapes with care, keep them clean, and apply common sense: Magnetic tape should receive the same kind of care that you would give to a valuable book or important photograph. For example, quadruplex videotapes still exist in archives however, the equipment to play them back is considered obsolete, and it is difficult to find working recorders. Future availability of system technology to play back the tape.Variation in the quality of the manufacturer for example, a name brand versus a bargain brand.The quality of the tape being purchased for example, standard grade versus high grade VHS.The physical components of the tape, discussed in Section 2: What Can Go Wrong with Magnetic Media?.Other factors that affect media over which you have less control are: The number of times the tape is accessed during its lifetime, discussed in Section 5.1: Care and Handling: Frequent Access.The quality of the conditions in which it is stored, discussed in Section 5.2: Storage Conditions and Standards.The care with which it is handled and shipped, discussed in Section 5.1: Care and Handling.However, you do not always have control over the quality of the tape wind, or the brand, type, and format of the tape media on which the information is stored.įactors affecting the life of the tape over which you have some control are: For example, you can normally decide the storage conditions and level of access to an archive collection. Some of the factors to be discussed are more controllable than others. The remainder of this document answers this question.
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