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General discussion

Old Betamax tapes

Jan 31, 2005 5:00AM PST

Is there any professional service that can enhance old betamax recordings?

Many years ago I recorded on to used Betamax tapes. Some of the images are now degrading. Fuzzy lines across the screen and other, what appear to be, tracking problems.

Discussion is locked

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betamax...
Feb 12, 2005 6:54PM PST

I doubt it. I had a client about 10 years ago that had betamax tapes they needed put into a video and it took us 1 week, 30 phone calls and 300 dollars to even get a betamax machine located.

I'll bet it isn't your tapes though, it is probably the heads on your machine. You could try a different machine (if you can find one) or get the heads cleaned (if you can find a repair shop to do it!)

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old betamax tapes
Mar 17, 2005 8:23PM PST

If these are priceless tapes, I would recommend looking for an extended definition betamax machine (ie. Sony EDV-7500 or EDV-9500). These models give the best playback of old tapes recorded on non EDV models, incorporate drop-out suppression circuitry (I think the only beta models with this), and have S-video output. You can find these models (rarely) as well as many other non-EDV models on Ebay. A great resource for having your old betamax tuned or overhauled, blank tapes, head cleaning tapes, rewinders, etc. is Absolutebeta.com.