The tape washing machine

Alberto Grifi designed the tape washing machine and the Consorzio Media Communication implemented it. It is already working inside the Tortona Parco Scientifico and involves regenerating the physical state of analogical tape emulsion and transporting them onto a digital support. The above equipment was so successful that it may be said that the major problem blocking the way to restoring tapes may be considered solved.

The equipment has been designed on purpose for restoring video tapes sixties belonging to the seventies period (open reel Prosumer tapes - ¼ or ½ inch - U-matic and BVU ¾ inch tapes. Open reel broadcast tapes - 1 or 2 inch - RVM video documentations using video recorders (studio or portable). These contained the first documents recorded using studio or portable video recorders, which over a twenty year period have undergone a rapid and unexpected aging process due to obsolescence, so that there was no way of using them.

Apart from being able to restore and transfer these video tapes onto a digital support, the program also provides post production availability together with assembly and personalised additions on the digital format.

Accessible, structured audio/video archives may be created and collected together via customised Active Management software which the customer may demand. Digitalizing and automation techniques can be used for gathering and managing metadata to enable the integration of digitalised audio/video material. This would then provide a solution to meet any customer requirements ofor the most varied types of archive (broadcast or otherwise).