Historic Basketball Coach Frederick Snowden U-matic Tape Archives Preserved to Digital

Coach Frederick Snowden College Basketball Archives Transferred to HD mp4 Files

AV Workshop recently converted a historic archive of 3/4″ U-matic college basketball videotapes to High Definition mp4 Files. These videotapes feature Frederick Snowden, also known as ‘The Fox’, the first black head coach at a major college in the United States. Frederick Snowden held his position as the head basketball coach at the University of Arizona from 1972 to 1982. Coach Snowden’s accomplishments during this time include leading the team to the post-season three times (including a Western Athletic Conference Championship) and helping five University of Arizona players reach the NBA. The 3/4″ U-matic tapes documented various games Snowden coached, some of his inspirational locker room speeches, the creation of his game plan strategies, and even sit down interviews. AV Workshop was honored to help preserve so many tapes that marked a historic time in American sports. Now these memories will live on forever in a High Definition mp4 format so that they can be easily shared and used in future projects.

What is a 3/4″ U-matic Tape?

U-matic: The 3/4″ U-matic tape was introduced in 1971 and became the professional standard for broadcast industry edit masters throughout the 1970’s. These were the first tapes to make the transition from an open reel format to a cassette format.

Transferring 3/4″ U-matic tapes to High Definition mp4 Digital Files:

1) Professional Equipment / Capture / Stabilization

To begin digitizing the videotapes, we used our industry grade 3/4″ U-matic decks and high quality cables to capture the content directly into our editing suite. Here at AV Workshop, we make sure to routinely maintenance and clean the heads of the decks to ensure the audio and images are clear and have as little interference as possible.

2) Audio Enhancement

To obtain the best audio, AV Workshop captured both the right and left audio channels. We then raised the gain to approx -6db. As a finishing touch, we applied subtle noise reduction to help reduce any excess static and crackling sounds!

3) Editing

After capturing the videotapes, we went through each newly digitized file and removed any extra dead air at the beginning and end of each video. This process ensures that your digital files will only be the recorded portion of the tapes!

4) Output / HD Upres 720 60p

We output the movies using the H.264 Codec (max bitrate of 20mb/s). AV Workshop applied our HD Upres add on to these tapes – which increased the resolution to 1280 x 720 60p. 60p allows us to convert the interlaced even and odd fields to become 60 full frames per second – a format which helps smooth the motion in the video and create subtly sharper detail.

As a result, the HD mp4 Files can be played, uploaded, and shared easily and almost anywhere (Windows, Mac, Smart TV, Youtube, Facebook, etc…). HD mp4 Files are also compatible with most editing software including Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut, Sony Vegas, etc…

Now, these historic videos of Coach Snowden are preserved forever and can be shared and edited for future projects!

Transfer your old movies today!

If you have tried playing your videotapes and notice they make a screeching sound, it’s possible they’ve developed sticky-shed syndrome. This is something that we’ve been finding more often with both the 3/4″ U-matic tapes and regular VHS videotapes. Sticky-shed syndrome occurs when the binders on the magnetic tape have started to break down. Typically, you can identify this by a screeching or squeaking sound when you try to play your tapes. This deterioration causes the tape to stick to itself which prevents playback. Often, these binders can also absorb moisture (especially in humid environments) which prevents playback as well. Don’t lose your tapes forever! Let AV Workshop transfer your memories to digital today.