The unique project by ZKM was established in 2004. The laboratory develops methods on restoration of old formats of AV material. It owns more than 300 machines – which they also obtain from ebay, for instance – and processes approximately 50 various video formats (such as open reel, quarter inch reel, half inch reel, cartridge, etc), mostly from the period of 1960-1980’s.
The tapes that enter the laboratory are often in bad condition, as due to a chemical reaction, the tapes decay after 30 years. First, the tapes have to be cleaned in a special way. The tapes have to be then played on an adequate machine. The laboratory also collects video machines as it is crucial to have the original machine the tape was intended to be played on. A time-based corrector prepares the tape for digitization. The tapes are then digitized, an analogue copy is stored. The laboratory also restores and preserves tapes for companies outside the ZKM.
