Rädda Banden

Digitalisera video- och ljudband

U-matic Digitization Across the EU

U matic digitization Europe

Digitize U-matic €90 per casette

Digitalisera U-matic till datafil med valfri codec t.ex. Apple Prores  eller h.264.

€90 per cassette including Swedish 25% VAT. Will be deducted if you have a EU VAT number.

• No customs, no import duties and insured shipping within the EU. We book door to door shipment with DHL for you unless you prefer another carrier.

• Full frame TBC from Snell & Wilcox or Datavideo TBC-3000.

• AJA Kona capture card.

We can manage all the U matic formats: U matic low band, U matic high band and U matic SP

Unless otherwise agreed, your recordings are delivered as Apple ProRes 422 files.

For long-term preservation, we also offer digitization in accordance with IASA archival recommendations. Master files can be delivered as:

• Uncompressed 10-bit QuickTime (.mov)

• Losslessly compressed Matroska (.mkv) using the FFV1 codec

Please contact us for a quotation if you require archival master files.

• We also have extensive experience in baking U matic cassettes affected by Sticky Shed Syndrome (SSS) using our purpose-built, temperature-controlled tape oven.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions, big or small.

✉️ info@raddabanden.nu
📞 +46608 22 20

We’re located in Vendelsö 20 km south east of Stockholm City. The studio is run by experienced broadcast engineers who work regularly with Sveriges Television (SVT), Swedish Radio, and the majority of Swedens television and production companies. In addition to these, museums and archives are also among our clients for media digitization services. We have one foot left in the old analogue technology, while the other is at the frontier of the digital domain.

The name “Rädda Banden” roughly translates as “Save the Tapes” and is a play on the Swedish name of Save the Children, “Rädda Barnen”. The organisation gets an annual donation from us for their important work around the world.

digitalisera videoband hos rädda banden

 

About the U-matic Video Format

U-matic is an analogue videotape format developed by Sony and first introduced in 1969. Commercial sales began in 1971, and the format was launched in the UK in 1973. Production of U-matic equipment and tapes gradually came to an end during the 1990s.

U-matic was one of the first professional video formats to use a cassette instead of open-reel videotape, which was the industry standard at the time. This made the format more practical and robust for field production, news gathering and general television use.

Unlike most other cassette-based videotape formats, the supply and take-up reels inside a U-matic cassette rotate in opposite directions during playback and fast winding. This distinctive tape transport was a unique feature of the U-matic design.

Digitizing Sticky U-matic Tapes

Some brands of U-matic tapes, like certain open-reel audio tapes, are prone to absorbing moisture over time. This can cause the binder to become sticky, making playback difficult or even impossible.

At Swedish Tape Transfer, we use a specialised tape oven originally designed for the controlled heat treatment of open-reel audio tapes – a process commonly known as tape baking. This treatment can also be used on U-matic videotapes affected by sticky-shed syndrome, allowing them to be safely played back and digitized.

History

During its development, Sony, Panasonic, JVC and five other electronics manufacturers agreed on a common standard in 1970. U-matic uses 3/4-inch (19 mm) videotape and was often referred to simply as “three-quarter-inch” to distinguish it from later videotape formats such as Betacam SP, which uses 1/2-inch tape.

When U-matic was introduced, Sony originally intended it to become a consumer videocassette format. However, the system proved too expensive for the home market. Instead, it became a highly successful format for professional and semi-professional applications, including corporate communications, educational television and local TV production. U-matic gained further popularity in the television industry during the 1970s, when many broadcasters replaced 16 mm film with videotape for electronic news gathering (ENG).

A smaller cassette version, known as U-matic S, was later introduced for field recording and used with more portable equipment.

Today, U-matic digitization is usually straightforward, provided the tape is in good condition and has not been affected by the sticky-shed problems described above.