Ingest, Digitizing Encoding, Restoration, Standard Conversion, Upscaling Video Audio Editing, Postproduction Authoring Others About me Imprint Home FAQ

Digitizing / Capture / Logging / Ingest

Service description
Formats from Broadcast, ENG, Production and archival use
Formate from semiprofessional and industrial surrounding
Formate for home use, end customer distribution, rare and vintage formats

Anybody can handle Digital Betacam - Me too. But the big challenges are to be found elsewhere. Master tapes from the old days, experienced archive supervisors who are desperately missing their old VTRs with which they could have been able to playback their old, valuable recordings and their young colleagues who only can guess that this mysterious open tape reel is some format from the last millennium. Mistakes made while copying old master tapes to new formats, unexperienced VTR operators or cheap equipment and quality is totally gone. Not here. Strength through diversity, quality through perfection, this is the way I work.

Instead of playing Digibeta on cheap Composite players from doubtable sources, resulting in 50% quality at 100% price, I use always the best transfer medium for every tape format. SDI for all Betacam formats, D-5 or D-9, YUV for analogue component formats like M-II and sophisticated decoders for Y/C and composite sources and consumer and industrial formats. Analogue sources are generally stabilized with a full frame timebase corrector, composite sources digitized by the top-notch Golden Gate Decoder from Snell&Wilcox. All devices are my own or will be rented from a strategic partner or a big broadcast supplier from Cologne with a virtually 24/7 availability. All machines have for sure been maintained at manufacturers specifications.

Normal Digibeta? No problem. Master tapes with bad quality through mistakes from older copy generations? I will look for a solution for you. And as I am specialized on exotic or vintage formats, all your old masters can be renewed and your archive supervisor does not have to tie himself a noose from the old tapes. U-Matic, M-II, D-5, D-9 a.k.a. Digital-S, 1"C or rare picture discs like CRVdisc or the Laserfilm-System developed by plane manufacturer McDonnell Douglas - I can play it. You have released a movie on VHS, Betamax, Video2000, TED picture disc or Laserdisc 30 years ago and now the the old consumer media are your only chance to revive a rare language version or even the entire movie? Thanks to top-notch digitizing technology and signal enhancement/filtering, even those consumer sources can be optimized for DVD release.

For legal reasons, I can accept masters of any kind, tape or picture disc, with commercial content (movies, series, TV shows) only from publishers, distributors, TV stations, right owners or with the confirmation of the right owner. If you are a private person, I can only accept recordings from your private surroundings.

Colour correction can, if necessary, be done according to two criteria. Subjective criteria, the visual check of the picture, is done on a calibrated CRT video monitor from JVC Professional which is checked and calibrated over blue-check test pictures in fixed intervals. The more important objective check is done over waveform monitor and vectorscope. Ideally the materials contain EBU colourbars in the preroll, but if they don't, at least the compliance to black and white limits and colour intensity can be checked and corrected. Color grading for individual look is also possible.

Flexibility counts also for the target format. Close cooperation with the ingest department in playout centers ensures the compliance of the file format according to any needs, be it uncompressed files or be it high quality MPEG2 encoding in a bitrate which your authoring department can use directly. Surely, I can also do the authoring for you and deliver the result on recorded DVD or BluRay or on DDP (DVD) or BDCMF (BluRay) image. Filtering/processing, encoding and authoring are additional services at extra cost.

I don't have a fixed price list. You as a customer with your individual challenge and your individual needs will get an individual service. Fixed prices would mean fixed services and would neither serve you as the customer nor me as the service provider. The prices of my "modular services" are measured by format and condition of the materials and additional needs and efforts. You only pay for what you need or want.

I am looking forward to send you your individual quotation, tailored to your needs and the different options. Copied media will be delivered on hard drive (to be supplied by you), CD, DVD or BluRay (data, authoring charged separately). Playout of filtered materials on Digibeta, Beta-SP, M-II, D-5 or D-9 upon request.

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Actually I have the following materials available:

Broadcast, ENG, Production and Archival

Format:
Betacam-Family

(After consultation!)
Betacam
Betacam SP
Betacam SX
MPEG-IMX
Digital Betacam

Video standards:
After consultation
625 (PAL/SECAM)
525 (NTSC)

Audio standards:
After consultation
Beta/BetaSP Linear
BetaSP FM
BetaSX
MPEG-IMX
Digibeta

Category:
Broadcast, Playout-VTR, Dubbing, ENG, Production and Postproduction, Compliance recording
1/2" tape in shell

Developed by:
Sony

Betacam only after consultation: For Betacam SP, I have an own VTR on site, which also features 4-channel audio (FM and longitudinal) support, SloMo and Trick-Play.
All formats (Betacam, Beta SP, SX, MPEG-IMX, Digibeta in 625/50 (PAL) and 525/60 (NTSC)) possible after consultation. I have two strategic partners and a well-known broadcast supplier from Cologne from where I can rent the machines short-term on a daily basis.
Betacam SP in NTSC will only be possible with 2 audio channels (longitudinal, channel 1/2, not FM channel 3/4)

Show/hide general information on the Betacam-System

Format:
1"C

Video standards:
PAL

Audio standards:
3ch Stereo

Category:
Broadcast, Playout-VTR, Compliance recording
1" Tape on open reel

Developed by:
Ampex
Sony

Under preparation. A working machine with faulty external TBC is actually being reworked to go back to prodcution with optimal results very soon.
Show/Hide general information on the 1"C-System

Format:
M-II

Video standards:
PAL

Audio standards:
Longitudinal Stereo
FM-Stereo

Category:
Broadcast, Playout-VTR, Dubbing, ENG, Production and Postproduction, Compliance recording
1/2" tape in shell

Developed by:
Matsushita/Panasonic

Show/hide general information on the M-II-System

Format:
D-5

Video standards:
PAL

Audio standards:
PCM 4-Channel

Category:
Broadcast, Playout-VTR, Dubbing, ENG, Production and Postproduction, Compliance recording
1/2" Tape in shell

Developed by:
NHK
Matsushita/Panasonic

Show/hide general information on the D-5-System

Format:
D-9 Digital-S

Video standards:
PAL

Audio standards:
PCM Stereo

Category:
Broadcast, Playout-VTR, Dubbing, ENG, Production and Postproduction, Compliance recording
1/2" tape in shell

Developed by:
Victor/JVC

Show/hide general information on the D9 Digital-S System

Format:
U-Matic (Lowband)

Video standards:
PAL
NTSC
SECAM

Audio standards:
Longitudinal Stereo

Category:
Semipro, ENG, Industrial, training videos, Dubbing, Compliance recording
3/4" tape in shell

Developed by:
Sony
Victor/JVC
Matsushita/Panasonic

Show/hide general information on the U-Matic-System

Format:
CRVDisc
(with reservation)

Video standards:
PAL

Audio standards:
Stereo

Category:
Archival
Videodisc (30cm) reflexive, double sided, recordable

Developed by:
Sony

!Acceptance only with reservation as I don't own media and therefore can't say if the laser unit in my player still works!
Show/hide general information on the CRVDisc-System


Further formats upon request. Short-term projects from DVCAM, DVCPro and similar should be possible after consultation. Availability of loan or bought VTR has to be checked before acceptance.

I am permanently extending my format range, specially by old professional formats like 1"B und 1"C, ENG-formats like DVCAM and surely also Betacam. Nearly any format upon request, I would have to check the possibility to rent or buy a VTR, depending on the project.

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Semi-Pro and Industrial formats

Format:
MiniDV
(LP with reservation)

Video standards:
PAL

Audio standards:
PCM 2x48/16
PCM 4x32/12

Category:
Consumer, Semipro, Camcorder
1/4" tape in shell

Developed by:
Industrial consortium
(Panasonic et.al.)

!MiniDV Longplay (LP) has a critical track geometry. It cannot be guaranteed that MiniDV-LP recordings can be copied without errors. Accepted with reservation only!
Show/hide general information on the DV-System

Format:
Video8
Hi8 

Video standards:
PAL

Audio standards:
FM Stereo (HiFi)

Category:
Consumer, Semipro, Camcorder
8mm tape in shell

Developed by:
Sony

Show/hide general information on the Video8/Hi8-System

Format:
Laserfilm
(with reservation)

Video standards:
NTSC

Audio standards:
Digital

Category:
Industrial
Videodisc (30cm) transmissive

Developed by:
ARDEV
McDonnell Douglas
Sansui

!Acceptance only with reservation as I don't own media and therefore can't say if the laser unit in my player still works!
Show/hide general information on the Laserfilm-System

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Consumer, Vintage and rare media

Format:
VHS
S-VHS
S-VHS ET
D-VHS

Video standards:
PAL (SP/LP)
NTSC (SP/EP)
SECAM-West (SP/LP)
SECAM-East (SP/LP)
Digital 625/50 (SD/LS3)
Digital 525/60 (SD/LS3)

Audio standards:
Longitudinal Mono
Longitudinal Stereo(*)
FM Stereo (HiFi)
Digital (D-VHS)

Category:
Consumer
1/2" tape in shell

Developed by:
Victor/JVC

(*) Longitudinal Stereo (also known as Linear Stereo) only in VHS/S-VHS PAL and VHS Secam-East SP
Show/hide general information on the VHS-System

Format:
Video2000

Video standards:
PAL (SP-2x4)

Audio standards:
Longitudinal Mono
Longitudinal Stereo

Category:
Consumer
1/2" tape in double-sided shell

Developed by:
Grundig/Philips

Show/hide general information on the Video2000-System

Format:
Betamax
BetaHifi
SuperBetaHifi

Video standards:
PAL
Secam-Ost

Audio standards:
Longitudinal Mono
FM Stereo (HiFi)

Category:
Consumer
1/2" tape in shell

Developed by:
Sony

Show/hide general information on the Betamax-System

Format:
Laservision
Laserdisc

Video standards:
PAL (CLV/CAV)
NTSC (CLV/CAV)

Audio standards:
Analog
Analog/CX
PCM Digital

Category:
Consumer
Videodisc (30cm) reflexive, double sided

Developed by:
Philips (Laservision)
Pioneer (Laserdisc)

Show/hide general information on the Laservision/Laserdisc-System

Format:
TED
(with reservation)

Video standards:
PAL

Audio standards:
Analog

Category:
Consumer
Videodisc, mechanical reading

Developed by:
AEG-Telefunken

Show/hide general information on the TED-System

Format:
DVD

Video standards:
525/60 (a.k.a NTSC)
625/50 (a.k.a. PAL)

Audio standards:
PCM 2.0
MPEG1-Layer2 2.0
Dolby Digital 2.0/5.1

Category:
Consumer, Semipro
Videodisc (12cm) reflexive

Developed by:
Industrial consortium

Show/hide general information on the DVD-System

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Volker Schauff Media Services - VS-Mediendienste - Small business according to German law §19 (1) UStG - The Imprint
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Fernseh- und Kinotechnische Gesellschaft
SMPTE - Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers - Associate Member
FKTG - Fernseh- und Kinotechnische Gesellschaft e.V. - Individual Member

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