Videotape is a fragile medium that can be damaged in many ways. Physical damage to a tape will negatively impact its playback performance, especially when being digitized.
Problems with VHS are often easy to resolve if they are caught early. These issues range from simple maintenance (using cotton swabs with isopropyl alcohol) to more involved repairs.
Tape Slippage
While the physical problems that can occur with VHS tapes may seem insurmountable, most are fixable. Even though it might be difficult, the most common problems, like tape slippage and tracking lines can be solved through various means. For instance, you can try using tape baking or having your tapes digitized by Capture. Moreover, you can also transfer vhs to digital.
VHS tapes are stored in a special cassette with two small spools, the supply reel and the take-up reel. During playback, the video head drum spins to pull tape from the supply reel and wind it up onto the take-up reel. There are a number of sensors that ensure the tape is properly spooled and prevent unspooling.
These sensors include beginning-of-tape and end-of-tape, as well as tape index search capabilities. Depending on the age of the tape, its environment and its handling it is possible that the lubrication used in these sensors can wear away or become degraded. This can cause the tape to be pulled off of the index or the spools can get stretched by repeated rewinding and playback, causing tracking lines.
It is also possible that a tape was recorded on a different type of VCR than the one you have. Most VCRs have a ‘head first’ and ‘tail out’ position that was designed to help avoid stiction, but the differences between machines can still cause issues with the tape slipping.
Tape Warping
VHS tapes can be prone to warping, especially in warm temperatures. It is a common cause of playback problems, but it can be corrected. The first step is to make sure that the cassette is properly seated in the player. Then, slowly rewind the tape while holding it in place to prevent further damage to the cassette shell or the tape itself.
Once the tape is rewound, it is important to check for tracking errors. These errors can dramatically decrease playback quality, making it difficult to watch your home videos. They can also cause the tape to completely degrade over time.
The tape’s backing and substrate can get stretched out due to multiple rewindings and playbacks, which causes tracking errors. This can dramatically reduce quality and even lead to loss of data.
The tape’s binding layer wears out over time, causing the magnetic particles to lose their adhesion to each other. This causes the magnetic information to become corrupted, leading to audio and video distortion. The problem is even more serious when humidity affects the binder’s polymers, which can absorb water in a process known as hydrolysis. This can lead to a delamination of the tape’s outer shell and the tape itself, making it unplayable.
Tape Damage
VHS tapes were once the most popular way to record and watch home videos. Compared to modern, digital recordings, VHS has more moving parts which means there are more occasions when something can go wrong, damaging the tape or preventing it from playing back. Tape damage is often caused by storing the tapes in the wrong conditions. For example, temperature changes and humidity fluctuations can cause tapes to lose their tension or become warped.
Water damage can also be a major problem for your VHS tapes. This can happen if the cassette shell becomes broken or damaged and water seeps into the reels of the tape. The water can cause mold and other problems like brittle parts, wrinkled or crinkled tape, and leader damage.
If your tapes are wet, try not to play them as this will do more damage. Instead, let them dry out in a cool place away from sunlight with constant air flow. Never use a hair dryer or space heater to try and dry them out as the heat can further damage them. A fan placed in a cool room is much safer and will help the tapes dry out faster.
Audio Issues
VHS tapes were once a popular way for families to store precious memories and watch them for years to come. It became a tradition for them to gather around the TV and watch videos of incredible moments like baby’s first steps or Mum and Dad’s wedding. But, for as revolutionary as the technology was back then, there are now far more efficient ways to capture footage and store it for the future – such as the likes of DVDs and MP4 recordings.
One of the common VHS playback issues is audio problems – either no sound, or distorted sound when playing the tape. This is usually caused by a number of things. One of the main culprits is the VCR itself, but it could also be caused by the type of tape being used or even by a bad tape head.
Another possibility is that the tape may have been recorded at the wrong speed (VHS tapes can be recorded in SP, EP, or SLP – the first is the fastest and the only speed all machines had). This can cause problems because many VCRs were designed to only play SP and EP speed cassettes.
Tape Loose
VHS tapes have a lot more moving parts than newer digital recording and playback technologies, which means there are many more times when something can go wrong. For example, if your tape is loose or unwound, the coded magnetic signals that make up your footage won’t be transmitted properly and you’ll see no sound or distorted video.
You can fix this problem by pinning your tape to the reel with a rubber band or similar. This will keep it from falling out or unwinding, which is a real pain. You can also remove the case of your tape reel and wrap it up in some tape, so that it can’t turn, then put the case back on and screw it shut.
Another common reason for fuzzy tapes is that the cassette tape’s mechanics are clogged or gunked up. The cassette itself has all sorts of little bits that help it run – audio, control, and erase heads, to be specific. You can usually use cotton swabs and some rubbing alcohol to get rid of any built-up grime that’s causing your tape to fuzz. You can also try re-aligning the cassette. I’ve done this for my own mini DV and digital 8 tapes and it has always made them much more clear and enjoyable to watch.
Tape Errors
VHS was a revolutionary technology when it came out, but it degrades quickly if not stored in optimal conditions. This is why it has been replaced by media like DVD that can be safely stored for many years without degradation or problems.
When a VHS tape plays and jumps all over the place it is often because of the tracking adjustment. The VCR’s tracking mechanism adjusts as the tape runs to optimize picture quality. This may take a few minutes and during this time the image will appear jumpy or distorted until the tracking stabilizes.
Another common reason for a tape to skip is that it has started to shed oxide. This is a chemical that will clog the VCR video heads and will make it difficult to digitize the tape. This usually happens due to age and neglect (not being used regularly) but can be caused by other things like leaving a tape in a hot car.
Aside from this, a tape can start skipping because of an alignment issue between the P and Q guides. This can be cured by using a calibration tape to re-align the VCR. Alternatively if your VCR has manual tracking knobs you can try rewinding and fast-forwarding the tape to get it in better alignment.