Convert U-Matic
& save memories.

Backup your recordings

In order to save your recordings from decay, there are two options – converting by yourself or having converted.

Converting by yourself is expensive in time and effort, since every single tape is digitized in real-time. The production of matching recorders was stopped in the early 2000s and a used U-Matic recorder will cost about 150 to €200. Suitable software and a hard disk are required as well. Valueable time will however be the highest expense. If you add up all these expenses, it will pay off to have it done by a professional.

Since our customers usually don’t have the time, we can do it for you – at unbeatable prices. MEDIAFIX converts your U-Matic tapes starting at €24.99 per tape. The price includes saving as MP4 files. We have the experience of over 204 mio. digitized images and film minutes.

Convert U-Matic to digital: It’s that easy

1. Start a request & print the order form
2. Pack up your U-Matic tapes, add the order form and bring it to the post
3. We convert your U-Matic considering your wishes
4. Pay the order & receive your U-Matic tapes back (of course you get back the files and your tapes)
5. Invite your family and enjoy the precious memories

Convert U-Matic now!

MEDIAFIX provides high quality at low prices

MEDIAFIX converts your U-Matic starting at €24.99/tape – a price that is hard to beat. Low price, low-class service? Not at MEDIAFIX! Your satisfaction is important to us:

What we do for you:

• Included: Personal advice
• Included: An individual offer for your video collection
• Included: Our best-price-guarantee
• Included: Updates of the current status of your order
• Included: Accessibility by phone

What we do for your U-Matic tapes

• We charge for the actual durability of the recordings on a tape
• You get your converted U-Matic tapes back as MP4 file
• We convert your U-Matic tapes in Cologne and don’t send them abroad
• We fix film tears

How you get back your U-Matic

We digitize your U-Matic tapes as MP4 files, which allows easiest handling. You can watch your videos on a computer, tablet or smartphone and share the files with your friends and relatives all over the world. Editing the videos is possible as well. Modern TVs give you the option for playing the videos directly on the device without having to connect a DVD player or video recorder. Just plugin the USB drive into the port on your TV, choose “USB” as input source and enjoy the videos. The storage device used for digitizing your Betamax can either be an USB drive or external hard disk (with USB 3.0). You can buy a device from us or use an own one.

MEDIAFIX converts

Betamax * Betacam SP * VHS * VHS-C * S-VHS * S-VHS-C * MiniDV * Digital8 * Hi8 * Video 8 * Video 2000

We are the largest German scanning provider. Thousands of customers have confided their recordings to MEDIAFIX – and they are absolutely satisfied. 204 million converted recordings and a customer satisfaction rate of 94% are proof enough.

Convert U-Matic now!

U-matic came to the market in Japan in 1968 as the first type of video cassette ever. One cassette has a size of approx. 22 cm x 14 cm x 3 cm and contains two reels next to each other, which are covered by a 3/4 inch wide magnetic tape.

No big appeal

The system was originally developed for consumers, but didn’t become popular due to its high acquisition cost and unhandy size and heaviness. U-Matic tapes have a duration of 60 minutes and therefore were not suitable for recording movies. But since the tape were great in quality, the format established in the semiprofessional sector. At first the format was used for the industry and school program. After further development to the U-Matic high band format it also was used for electronic reporting and enabled the first filmless reporting for television.

Format war

As U-matic came to Europe in 1972, the VCR format was already existing. It was more handy and cheaper and even the better quality of U-Matic tapes couldn’t compete with it. U-Matic also didn’t have a chance against Betamax and VHS, which came out later. In the end, the VHS won this war and the 1978 released high band format couldn’t do anything about it. The new format was exclusively used in broadcasting stations for reporting.

Next to the standard tapes with max. 60 minutes duration, there was another cassette, the U-Matic S with 20 minutes duration. It was meant for portable recorders and quite popular. Especially for the advertising and television sector there were cassettes with durations of five or ten minutes that could be used for finished works.

Image: By DRs Kulturarvsprojekt from Copenhagen, Danmark (U-Matic tapeUploaded by palnatoke) [CC BY-SA 2.0]

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