Protecting Your Multimedia Library
Protecting vinyl long-playing records was the audio buff’s main care in the world 20 years ago. Now we have multimedia audio-video collections. We have to learn the finer points of handling, storing and protecting not only videotapes but CDs and laser discs.
Dust and microscopic debris are the greatest enemies of the videotape. As a tape winds through its cassette shell, it can build up a static charge that attracts dust and cigarette smoke particles.
Roughly five-millionths of an inch separates the VCR’s recording heads and the tape itself; a fingerprint or dust can close this gap and create white specks--called dropouts--on the tape, which can be temporary or permanent, explains Phil Hage, spokesman for 3M’s Scotch brand videocassette tapes.
If you regularly rent videotapes, foreign debris can be transferred from the tapes to the heads of your VCR. “You don’t know where that VCR tape has been,” says Hage.
Videocassette experts are unanimous in recommending regular maintenance on VCRs, which they say will extend tape life considerably. Running head cleaner through the VCR once a month will remove debris that can produce a fuzzy picture, static streaks and loss of sound quality.
Rewinding the tape when finished will prevent dust buildup, as will storing the tape in its cardboard sleeve or plastic container.
Environmental extremes can contribute to degrading the tape or cause trouble when the tape is run. Prevent direct exposure to light, heat and humidity, says Gary Curtis, owner of That’s Entertainment in Corona del Mar.
Heat can stretch the tape. The videotape industry has developed a heat sensor, an information tag that changes color if it reaches the danger point of 125 degrees. If the tag turns black, most rental shops will force you to buy the tape, Curtis explains.
With a new tape, fast-forward through it at least once to get any moisture out. This will help prevent jams. At least once a year, rewind the tape to redistribute it on the hubs and re-tension it, Hage suggests.
Don’t store the tapes too close to or on the TV, Curtis suggests. A television’s electromagnetic field may disrupt the arrangement of particles on the tape that form the images. Although some experts believe that the common electromagnetic fields found in a house will not be enough to disrupt a videotape, be safe and keep tapes at least two to three feet away from the TV.
In storing videotapes, stand them upright on their narrow ends, which will keep the tape from settling on the hubs. Settling doesn’t represent a problem with good quality name brand tapes such as Scotch/3M, Fuji, Kodak and Maxell, but you may have more problems with lesser brands and counterfeits.
Although they’ve been around for years, compact discs care is still penetrating the market. “Some people don’t seem to realize how vulnerable a CD can be,” says Wanda Hawkins of Digital Ear in Tustin.
“People at this stage still do not know how to take the CD out of the jewel case,” says Mike Lefebvre of the Pepperland CD and tape store in Anaheim. “Never touch the underside.”
The reflective underside, the side with no printing, is the CD’s information surface. Scratch the reflective surface clean through and the laser beam may not reflect properly, causing skipping. Also avoid repeatedly bending the CD, which can warp it, Lefebvre says.
CDs can be stored flat or on their edges. One popular CD storage unit is a stackable slotted modular unit for $12.99, Hawkins says. Another popular storage unit isn’t slotted, but it has a bar that fits over the jewel cases and keeps them upright.
Most people like to alphabetize their CDs, Hawkins says, and with no slots in this storage unit, the CDs can be easily repositioned to accept a new CD.
Like CDs, the quality of the laser disc image can be compromised by scratches that disrupt the signal. Don’t scratch them; that’s the key, says Pam Heath of Ken Crane’s Laser Discs in Westminster.
Treat the laser disc like a record, Mike Lefebvre says. Don’t touch the playing surface. Store the disc in a plastic sleeve; a paper sleeve may mark the surface. While deep scratches don’t cause the problems they do on CDs, they can still cause the beam to bounce around. And fingerprints can also cause playback problems.
Store laser discs upright in a dust-free spot. And beware of warping the discs. Never stack laser discs, because the weight can warp them, Heath says. A warped disc can catch in the door of the laser unit, and you won’t be able to remove it.
Remove the shrink wrap, which can warp the laser disc if storage temperatures vary widely, Heath says.
Once you’re done with a disc, remove it from the machine. The heat of the machine could warp the disc, Lefebvre says.
To clean CDs and laser discs, use a soft cloth. Baby diapers make excellent cleaning cloths. Clean straight out from the doughnut hole, Hawkins says; don’t use a circular motion. She also suggests using plain water on the disc rather than cleaners or alcohol.
Ken Crane’s Laser Discs in Westminster also carries a spray called Brillianize. The product is made for polishing airplane cockpits, but Heath says it works well on CDs, helping to repel dust and fingerprints.
