Truly    professional    videotape    digitization    starts with   a   well   planned   digitization   station   that   is flexible,   versatile   and   uses   proper   measurement tools   to   set   up,   analyze,   improve,   monitor   and digitize   video.   This   is   a   portion   of   our   main   video digitization   rack,   custom   designed   to   optimize video digitization. For   formats   that   we   digitize   often   or   formats   that exhibit   common   problems,   the   video   decks   have the   tops   removed   and   are   mounted   on   pull-out shelves   or   rack   rails   so   that   we   can   closely   monitor the   tape   transport   during   repack   and   playback   to insure   there   are   no   problems   or   issues   with   tape handling.   Easy   access   to   these   decks   gives   us   the ability   to   easily   clean   video   heads   and   tape   paths on   a   regular   basis.   Easy   access   also   gives   us   the ability   to   make   custom   adjustments   for   problem tapes    that    require    special    tracking    adjustments, tape pack or tape tension adjustments. Multiple     models     and     manufacturers     in     each videotape   format,   where   possible,   insure   the   best tape   playback.   Tape   A   may   play   back   better   in   deck A.   Tape   B   may   play   back   better   in   deck   B   or   C.   To have    a    second,    third    and    fourth    option,    insures best playback quality of the raw signal. We      have      many      different      choices      of      signal processing.   Proper   Time   Base   Correction   (TBC)   and other   signal   processing   capabilities   stabilizes   the analog   visual,   can   greatly   reduce   color   noise   and other   analog   image   issues.   Poor   and   decaying   tape signals    are    often    significantly    improved.    We    set levels     such     as     Pedestal     (blacks),     Luminance (brightness),   Chroma   (color   value),   Hue   (weighting of    color    value)    back    to    professional    standards. Reducing   the   color   noise   and   stabilizing   the   image in     the     analog     portion     of     the     chain     is     very important.   It   can   be   very   hard   to   remove   problems that   are   "baked-in"   to   the   digital   version.   We   have over    10    different    TBC's    and    processors.    One    or several can be used in the conversion chain. The    master    QC    switcher    is    the    heart    of    our digitizing    station.    A    feed    from    every    single    deck and   signal   processor   in   our   video   digitizing   station is    fed    through    master    QC,    then    to    a    set    of oscilloscopes,   then   to   a   master   reference   monitor. This    allows    us    to    monitor    the    raw    feed    off    the video   decks,   the   processed   feed   through   the   TBCs and   signal   processors   and   digitized   output   feed   to insure       quality       processing       at       each       stage. Oscilloscopes   are   the   ONLY   way   to   guarantee   that video     is     adjusted     and     processed     properly     to professional    standards.    Making    adjustments    by eye    using    only    a    monitor    is    akin    to    playing    the blind   man's   game   of   "pin   the   tail   on   the   donkey". Both   a   waveform   monitor   and   a   vectorscope   are used.   A   waveform   monitor   gives   us   the   ability   to see   the   luminance   range   of   the   image   and   adjust this   range   with   processing   amplifiers   to   insure   that the   details   in   the   shadows   and   lighter   portions   of the   image   are   not   lost   prior   to   digitizing.   (if   the visual      information      is      crushed      during      the digitization   process   -   there   is   no   way   to   recover   it later).    Waveform    monitors    also    allow    us    to    see sync   timing   issues,   which   are   critical   to   get   the   best image   stabilization,   see   closed   captioning   to   insure the   lines   that   hold   this   information   are   not   deleted during   processing,   see   copy   protection,   see   color burst    and    how    stable    the    color    information    is, along   with   a   number   of   other   factors   that   make   up the   analog   signal.   A   vectorscope   allows   you   to   see the    weighted    values    of    the    color    information.    A vectorscope   gives   us   the   ability   to   properly   adjust white   balance,   see   if   the   color   value   is   over/under saturated, adjust for proper flesh tones and more.   For    content    where    camera    settings    were    poorly adjusted     in     the     first     place,     high-end     video processing    amplifiers    can    make    the    difference between   seeing   important   visual   information   and missing   it.   The   samples   below   were   taken   from   ½” EIAJ     video     with     a     camera     that     had     auto-iris engaged.   The   camera   iris   had   stopped   way   down because    of    the    window    in    the    background.    The client    required    us    to    make    adjustments    so    that they   could   see   the   subject’s   face   and   read   their   lips as   they   talked,   without   any   post   work   required   in the   digital   version.   Processing   amplifiers   enabled us   to   take   the   luminance   and   pedistal   levels   far beyond   the   original   range   so   that   we   could   easily see   the   subject's   face   and   lips   as   they   talked.   The relevant   information   was   preserved   properly   for research.   If   processing   amplifiers   were   not   used   to improve     the     information     required,     the     digital version    would    have    lost    the    information    in    the darker areas. At   the   same   time,   we   can   employ   real   time   audio processing.      Professional      audio      leveling      gain control   processors   can   bring   up   low   volume   level subjects     while     keeping     higher     volume     level subjects   from   getting   too   high.   This   is   especially helpful   for   group/meeting   videos,   clinical   videos   of live   videotaped   subjects   and   family   video,   where subjects   of   varying   audio   levels   appear   in   the   same video   and   audio   improvement   techniques   will   not be used in post, with the digital file versions. High-end    custom    built    computer    ingest    stations assure   we   ingest   video   without   dropped   frames,   or ingest   files   with   corrupted   data.   Onboard   software monitors   the   entire   ingest   process   to   confirm   that all   the   files   we   produce   are   legitimate,   whole   and in-tact.      Our      capture      workstations      are      not networked,   nor   do   they   have   any   connection   with the   internet   to   insure   that   no-one   outside   of   our facility   has   access   to   our   client’s   information   and that     we     comply     with     all     HIPPA     AND     HITECK regulations. Although    all    these    steps    are    critical    for    proper video   digitization,   the   human   element   is   the   most important    key    to    quality    video    digitization.    The experience   required   to   design,   build,   properly   run and     maintain     all     the     equipment     in     a     video digitization     chain     only     comes     with     time     and knowledge.    John    Schroth,    President    of    MTS    has been   working   with   professional   analog   video   gear since   the   mid   1980's.   His   passion   and   love   for   this format goes into every client project we work on.

Production Manager Brian Prosser, calibrates our ingest system prior to a new digitization project