tape formats
We can almost certainly rescue your tape! At the Greatbear studio we maintain and care for one of the UK's largest collections of fully-working professional audio and video tape machines and equipment. We have been building expertise in tape migration for 20 years.
If you know what you have, or can describe it, please contact us here.
If you are unsure, see our media identification resource: formats we digitise.
We carefully restore and transfer the widest range of analogue and digital, professional and domestic magnetic audio tape / optical media.
You can find all our audio digitising services outlined on our audio transfer introduction page here >
The full list includes:
- Compact audio cassette; DAT cassette; dictation cassette; 4-track cassette; 8-track cassette; ADAT cassette; PCM audio on video tape; DTRS 8-track cassette (DA-88 & Sony PCM-800)
- ¼ inch reel-to-reel; ¼ inch multitrack reel-to-reel (Tascam ¼" 4-track, Tascam 388 Studio 8 ¼" 8-track, Fostex R8 ¼" 8-track, Fostex E8 ¼" 8-track); ½ inch 8-track reel-to-reel (Otari / Teac / Tascam) ½ inch 16-track reel-to-reel (Fostex); 1 inch 16-track reel-to-reel; 1 inch 24-track reel-to-reel; 2 inch 24-track reel-to-reel
- NAB cartridge; 8-track cartridge
- MiniDisc (Standard Play, Long Play - LP2 and LP4, Hi-MD - Hi-LP, Hi-SP, PCM, MD Data2 Multitrack); Compact Disc (audio, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW); Digital Versatile Disc (audio, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-ROM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM)...
If in doubt, please get in touch: contact Greatbear
We carefully restore and transfer the widest range of analogue and digital, professional and domestic magnetic video tape / optical media.
You can find all our video digitising services outlined on our video transfer introduction page here >
The full list includes:
- DV (miniDV / HDV); DVCAM; DVCPRO; Video8 (Sony 8mm) / Hi8 / Digital8; VHS (S-VHS / VHS-C / D-VHS); Betamax; Betacam (Oxide / SP); Digital Betacam / Betacam SX / MPEG IMX; HDCAM / HDCAM-SR; U-matic; D-1 (Sony) / D-2 (Ampex); D-3 / D-5 / D-5 HD (Panasonic); D-9 / Digital-S (JVC); M / MII; Philips N1500 / N1700 ; Video 2000
- ¼ inch Akai open reel; ½ inch open reel (Sony CV1200 / EIAJ); 1 inch open reel type A / type B / type C; 2 inch Quad
- DVD; CRVdisc
If in doubt, please get in touch: contact Greatbear
tape condition and repair
At Greatbear, we have many years' experience in restoring damaged tape to playable condition. We often successfully clean, repair and digitise tapes which have been rejected by other companies as un-playable!
Common conditions that we can treat include sticky-shed syndrome (binder hydrolysis), mould growth and mechanical damage.
Our methods include:
- 'tape-baking' at controlled temperatures in our Thermo Scientific Heraeus B20 laboratory incubator
- gentle cleaning and winding by hand or by RTI Tapechek Professional machine
- custom solutions for dealing with mould damage and chemical degradation
- splicing and re-shelling of torn tape and broken tape shells
Please CONTACT US for advice about tape repair and conservation.
turnaround times
Our usual turnaround time is 5 working days, providing your tape is in playable condition.
For rush jobs in smaller quantities we can digitise within 24 hours.
For large archives, please contact us for advice. We can work to your timescale.
If tapes are needing conservation treatment such as cleaning or tape-baking, these processes will add to the turnaround time.
We provide free tape-assessments, and can advise you on the condition of your tape before digitisation begins.
location
The Greatbear Audio & Video Digitising studio is located in the thriving multicultural city of Bristol!
We are quite central, based within several units at: 25 / 26, The Coach House, 2 Upper York St. Bristol, BS2 8QN, UK.
We work with clients from all over the UK, Europe and internationally.
sending your tape
We advise using a suitably-sized cardboard box to protect your tapes in transit.
Please enclose a covering note or our customer tape assessment sheet with your parcel.
In the UK:
We recommend using a tracked and signed for delivery service such as Royal Mail Signed For 1st Class, or Royal Mail Special Delivery, both of which give the added security of signature on delivery.
We do not want your tapes going astray before they reach us!
Using a 'next day' service minimises the time your tapes are out of a controlled environment. Radical temperature changes can damage magnetic tape.
If you have items over 20kg and/or want to use a courier, please contact us to discuss the safest arrangement.
Post to:
Units 25 / 26, The Coach House,
2 Upper York St.
Bristol, BS2 8QN
We advise using a suitably-sized cardboard box to protect your tapes in transit.
Please enclose a covering note or our customer tape assessment sheet with your parcel.
Worldwide:
Customers sending tapes from outside the UK by post (not by courier) must complete and attach a customs declaration form, available from the post office in the country from which the parcel is being sent.
The customs declaration form for tapes sent from outside the UK must state: “CUSTOMER’S OWN PROPERTY FOR REPAIR TO BE RETURNED AFTER REPAIR”
This is essential to avoid unneccessary customs charges, and to enable us to complete the UK CN22 form when returning the tapes to you after digitising, if required.
Post to:
Units 25 / 26, The Coach House,
2 Upper York St.
Bristol, BS2 8QN
Yes! Personal visits are very welcome, but please call us on 0044 (0)117 985 0500 before your intended visit to arrange a time. Appointments can usually be made between 2pm - 8pm Monday to Friday.
Accessibility
We’re sorry that the main Greatbear studios and office are situated up a flight of stairs and there is currently no lift. However we will happily arrange to meet you downstairs at The Coach House.
If you require any form of assistance to visit Greatbear, please let us know before you come. We're keen to make all our services fully accessible to all.
digital file delivery
Greatbear are happy to provide our customers with any type of digital audio / video file, according to your needs.
We deliver files formatted for both preservation and access.
Preservation files are large, uncompressed files such as WAV (audio) and MOV (video). These are recommended for archives and for those who may wish to edit or broadcast their content. They generally require larger storage media.
Access files, such as MP3 (audio) and MP4 (video) are smaller, and can be delivered and shared more easily online. They are suitable for listening / viewing on a wider range of computers, devices and TVs.
Access files and preservation files are both included in the price, but some customers prefer just to have access files.
We recommend file-based delivery online (we will email you a secure link to download your files), and on physical storage media such as high quality USB stick or hard drive.
We can provide suitable USB sticks and hard drives at cost, or you are welcome to supply your own (please consult with us re. capacity).
We can put your files on to optical media (CD or DVD), but we don't recommend using CDs or DVDs for long-term storage: they are simply not stable. USB sticks are a far more reliable, flexible, portable format.
We always advise keeping copies of your files in at least 2 places eg. a rugged hard drive + cloud storage.
Files will be kept on our servers and available for download for 8 weeks from payment date, and then marked for removal. If you require back-up online storage for a longer period of time, please let us know. We can provide back-up online storage at £30 + VAT per year.
price
Our services are bespoke. Due the unique nature of each transfer project, we’ve found that assessing tapes prior to confirming costs is the most accurate and fair method to provide the best value for our clients.
To determine the best price for your digitisation project, we offer a FREE audio and video tape assessment service.
For most small-order domestic tape formats we have a minimum charge of £50 +VAT.
For many types of tape we can be flexible on price, so give us a call on 0044 (0)117 985 0500 or CONTACT US via our online email contact form. We like talking tape!
returning your media
We are happy to return your tapes post-digitisation, together with any file storage media. We use a Royal Mail tracked delivery service, and a minimal P&P charge will be added to your final invoice.
If you prefer to arrange with us to collect your tapes by appointment, or allow us to safely dispose of them, please let us know.
For collection in person, please contact us in advance to arrange a date and time. Appointments can usually be made between 2pm - 8pm Monday to Friday.
Unfortunately, we cannot store uncollected tapes beyond 8 weeks post-payment.