The Tech Behind the Magic

Teranex | 12G SDI | UltraStudio 4K | Stable Diffusion AI software

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Professional Tape Cleaning

At Alive Studios, we take the condition of your video tapes seriously—because great results start with careful preparation. That’s why every tape we receive is professionally cleaned before transfer, even if it looks clean to the eye.

For tapes affected by mould, we use a specialized tape cleaning machine that gently removes surface contamination without damaging the tape. Mouldy tapes are common, especially if they’ve been stored in damp or humid environments—and we have the tools and expertise to restore them safely.

We also handle tapes suffering from Sticky Shed Syndrome (SSS)—a condition where old tape stock becomes gummy or unplayable. For these, we use a dedicated video tape baking oven, a controlled heat process that temporarily restores the tape’s playability so we can transfer it without further damage.

Best of all, this essential cleaning and preparation process is included in our price because we believe every memory deserves the highest quality care from start to finish.

Moldy VHS tapes

Teranex Quality

Teranex converters feature advanced patented algorithms that allow for the processing of millions of pixels simultaneously in X/Y positions and between video frames,  You get full 10‑bit image processing, extremely high quality de‑interlacing and optical quality scaling algorithms that simulate an optical zoom. Sub-pixel processing and multi-directional diagonal filters are also used to eliminate “jaggies.” That means you get the cleanest looking video tape conversions and retain as much detail and clarity as possible!. To find out more about Teranex go to Blackmagic.

Teranex AV

High Quality De‑Interlace

Most video tapes like VHS, Betamax and Hi8 are interlaced. Teranex’s proprietary and patented PixelMotion de‑interlacing algorithms create perfect progressive frames for conversion by adjusting the aperture on a pixel‑by‑pixel basis. That means you get improved image quality because the vertical resolution is maintained and source detail is preserved!

What Is Interlaced?

Interlaced Scan is an old technology. In interlaced scan, every frame in a video is divided into a number of horizontal scan lines. For example, every frame in 576i video will be divided into 576 horizontal scan lines. Then, it will split those lines into groups of odd lines and even lines. A complete frame is displayed in two times.

Interlaced scan example

Interlaced Scan vs Progressive Scan

The difference between interlaced scan and progressive scan involves how they display a frame. Interlaced video divides a frame into even filed and odd filed to display while progressive video displays the entire frame at once. Alive Studios provides everything back to you in progressive scan.

Interlaced vs progressive

UltraStudio 4K - World's Highest Quality Connections

Our New Teranex 4K is connected with 12G-SDI with our new ultra studio 4K giving us Professional Captures in broadcast quality 10‑bit YUV and 12-bit RGB in Apple ProRes and uncompressed file formats.

Black Magic Ultrastudio-4k

In-house Stable Diffusion AI software

Alive Studios now uses advanced AI to restore video tapes with precision. Our in-house diffusion model sharpens details, reduces noise, and preserves the video’s natural look.

To start getting your tapes transferred and restored head over to our video tape transfer page for more information and pricing.

Home / Video Transfer Selection / Video Tape Transfer Equipment
PHOENIX 5K

New for 2023, our Phoenix 5K full frame scanner gives us our most significant camera system update ever, offering next-level image quality in a 16-megapixels frame scan. Our scanner takes individual photographs of each cell of your film from 8mm all the way up to 35mm film. You can have your film scanned in 2K, High Definition, or 4K Ultra High Definition. AI technology is then used to remove dust, remove harsh noise while recovering real detail, restore colours and create an artefact-free perfect 24fps movie.

Alive Cloud
ALIVE CLOUD

Alive Studios AI Movie hosting is free for 14 days.
 Log in via your computer, or download the free APP to your phone or tablet so you can take your memories with you wherever you go. Automatic AI indexing of your videos, Search for words, car, dog, person and more.

Log in online to make changes to the titles of your movies, make dvd style chapters and create multiple user logins for all your friends and family so they can share the experience too. from £24/year

Terms and conditions.

General
Alive Studios is a trading name of The Good Life Studios Ltd.

Leader tape
We edit out as much unused film as possible including the leadertape at the start of each reel. Whilst we cannot remove everything without charging for a full edit, we do endeavour to remove as much unused film as possible.

How long does it take?
This is a tricky question. We receive orders from a single video/reel to a room-full, so we’d need to know what you’re sending to give a lead-time. We find we are in high demand and always have seveal weeks of work already scheduled in, so if your order is needed in a hurry, just phone and tell us what you need :)

Damage, Loss, Post & Insurance
Orders are accepted on the basis that the liability of Alive Studios for any lost or damaged material shall be limited to the replacement with an equivalent amount of new blank stock. This is due to the unavailability of General Insurance cover for work of undefined value. When returning material to you we will use the post office services or a courier for larger items. We respectfully remind customers to retain a safety copy or take out Specialist Insurance Cover where appropriate.

Film Format
Our DVDs are region-free and play in PAL. DVD’s are normally DVD-R, but we may use DVD+R or Dual-layer discs where required.

Framing and TV Cropping
In standard definition, some film types do not fit modern TV formats, so we may re-size to fit for the best viewing pleasure. You should also note that some TV set apply their own cropping to a picture as well. By agreeing to these terms, you accept this information.

Damaged Film
Whilst we don’t generally charge extra for poor/damaged/dirty film, we reserve the right to do so if we feel it is required, but will always agree it with you before starting work.
Where splices break, we repair them without charge. If a film is temperamental and doesn’t want to go through we will always try it in several machines to make sure it’s had it’s best shot at a transfer. Where sprocket holes are punctured or torn, we will still transfer the film, often with no visible problems. However, some sprocket damage prevents a steady image from being obtained, in which case we transfer the whole film, then edit out any sections which ‘jump’ or drag because of the damage. This way we keep as much film as possible, and with careful editing you don’t even notice any is missing.
information.

Dust and Hairs
We employ a very good dry-cleaning system which catches most of the dust and hairs commonly found on cine film. It is inevitable however that there will still be dust and hairs present, as it’s impossible to remove them completely with a dry-clean system. It is also common for the dust/hairs to be imbedded into the emulsion making them impossible to ‘blow’ away, so you should expect a small amount to be visible in any transfer. The demos on our website give you a very realistic example of what you can expect.

Content of film
By signing our terms you are stating that you own or have permission to copy the material provided, and indemnify Alive Studios against any action including copyright infringement. If we feel the material to be of an indecent or illegal nature we reserve the right to refuse to continue and no refund will be offered.

Mistakes/Backups
We aim to keep your film footage on our editing suite for 30 days after completion to allow us to correct mistakes, after which time all footage is deleted. You must report any problem with your order within 14 days of receipt. We will retain a backup file of your DVD/Blu-ray for 60 days after completion to allow you to order extra copies. After 60 days, you would need to return your original disc if you wanted us to duplicate it for you. Due to the instability of data storage devices, this backup service is not guaranteed, and whilst every effort is made to retain your files for these periods, we cannot be held responsible for hard-drive failure resulting in us not being able to access your job. For very important projects, we suggest you order a digital copy on a hard-drive for your own security.

Delivery/Collections
We return orders via signed delivery with royal mail, or courier. This courier demands that items delivered damaged are reported within 24 hours of receipt, so it’s essential that you contact us immediately if your parcel is damaged.

Cancellation Policy
You can cancel your order by email any time up until we begin physical work on your job.
If no work has been started, we will refund you in full (less any costs we have incurred in taking your order shown below).

Cancellation fees
If we arranged a free courier collection, you will need to pay for this at £8.50.
If we processed a card payment, we will have incurred a handling fee which will be deducted from your refund. If we have to return your material to you, we will deduct £8.50 for the courier fee.
We will deduct £2.50 admin fee in handling the paperwork involved with a cancellation.

Refunds
Orders paid for by card will be refunded to the card.
Orders paid by cheque or bank transfer will be refunded by bank transfer.

Faults/Returns
You must notify us of any damage to your parcel or missing items within 24 hours of receipt.
You must notify us of any errors or faults with your transfer within 14 days of receipt.

Order Cancellation
In the unlikely event that you cancel your order, we reserve the right to charge a fee to cover admin/postage/bank fees we may incur.
Credit card payments are refunded subject to 1.197% charge.

Misc
We reserve the right to demonstrate our abilities by showing examples of work undertaken for our clients on our website, brochure, DVD and other advertising or promotional activities.