Maxell's Professional Philosophy over three decades, Maxell has been dedicated to producing the finest magnetic recording media available. The strength of our commitment is evident in the superiority of our whole line of tapes and disks. We take special pride in our ultra-high quality professional audio and video products, because it is in these that the virtues of our original magnetic particles and exclusive advanced technologies are the most obvious. Reliability, durability and performance are the attributes that characterize our professional audio and video tape products. Because we know that professional tape products have to do much more than just record a favorite program or a big game, we've created a unique Maxell Philosophy that governs the development of each and every one our professional tape products. This philosophy is the reason why our professional audio and video products not only perform outstandingly, but are also built with the quality necessary for you to get the job done right. For 2 Contents Maxell Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 4 Recommended Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 5 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 5 Handling/Operating Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 5 Storage/Archiving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 6 Transport/Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 6 Cassette Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 6 Cleanliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 7 Stray Magnetic Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 8 Environmental Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 10 Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 10 Humidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 11 Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 12 Physical Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 13 Surface Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 13 Pack Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 14 Edge Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 15 3 Introduction Regardless of its rather simple appearance, magnetic recording media represents a highly complex manufacturing process that remains a critical component of the recording process: equally as critical as the transports on which those recordings are made. The media itself has little value until an artist, performer, actor or engineer makes it priceless by recording on it. Then the value of that magnetic media takes on a whole new meaning -- some master recordings can easily be valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars. Other recordings are considered literally priceless, perhaps not in a momentary sense, but in sentimental or historical value. Therefore, it is simply good common sense to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that: 1. High-quality, trouble free recordings are created. 2. That these recordings are preserved and protected for future use. Fortunately, proper media care and handling is neither difficult nor expensive. Simple, easy-to-follow principles and practices, when properly implemented, will help ensure trouble-free recordings. 4 Recommended Practices GENERAL 1. Keep media away from all stray magnetic fields; even weak magnetic fields can cause erasures. Induction motors, such as those found in air conditioners, refrigerators and compressors produce very strong magnetic fields. A typical color TV also produces a large magnetic field when it is first switched on due to the automatic degausser that is responsible for the restoration of purity by eliminating any residual magnetism in the picture tube. 2. Never store magnetic media on top of electronic equipment, even temporarily. Almost all types of electronic equipment produce magnetic fields and heat. 3. Discard physically damaged media. Such damage can easily introduce dirt and debris into other transports, affecting the running characteristics of magnetic media, and can even damage the recording heads and transports. 4. For the best protection when not in use, keep magnetic media in the original hard case or equivalent package. HANDLING/OPERATING ENVIRONMENT 1. Never touch the surface or the edges of any magnetic media. 2. Only handle, operate and store magnetic media in an environment that is free of dust, debris, smoke and food. 3. Maintain appropriate operating temperature and humidity at all times. We recommend you obtain a copy of the SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineer) Recommended Practice RP-103 (www.smpte.org) and refer to it for specific parameters, especially for professional video tape. 4. Whenever transporting magnetic media from an extreme environment to an operating environment, allow it to acclimatize to the operating environment for the same period of time it was in the harsh environment, up to a maximum of 24 hours. The greater the change of environment, the greater the required time for acclimation. 5 STORAGE/ARCHIVING 1. Magnetic media should be stored in an environment that meets the criteria of SMPTE RP-103 for professional video tape and the specifications defined by each format for computer tape pertaining to specific temperature and humidity levels (see Figures 3 and 4 below). 2. Put magnetic media in the hard case provided and store upright with the tape pack side down (two-reel type cassette) for long-term storage. 3. The tape should be fully rewound onto the supply reel before storage. 4. Periodically exercise the magnetic media by shuttling from end to end, preferably once a year. This will help ease the mechanical stress that may have been introduced into the tape pack. TRANSPORT/RECORDER 1. Perform routine cleaning, with approved solvents and cleaners, and routine preventative maintenance on all tape path components and alignment mechanisms, such as capstans, pinch rollers, scanners, tape guides and magnetic head assemblies. 2. Follow equipment manufacturer's instructions and recommendations on the use of highly abrasive cleaning tapes. 3. Always clean the entire tape path as thoroughly as possible. 4. Only use approved solvents and cleaners. CASSETTE PRODUCTS 1. Don't rotate spools by hand. 2. Don't use the cassette lid as a handle. 3. Don't open the lid to look at the magnetic media surface. 4. Always rewind the tape fully before ejecting from a transport. 6 Cleanliness The magnetic recording process relies on the recording heads (which may be stationary or rotating) transferring information to the recording media. In order to obtain a high-quality recording, it is essential that proper headto-tape contact be maintained. There are a great number of factors that may cause a loss in head-to-tape contact, many of which are related to the cleanliness of the tape transport and the operating environment. Figure 1 provides a useful indication of the types of debris that can be introduced in the record and play processes. In general, the larger the debris the greater the signal loss and therefore the poorer the resulting signal. Figure 1. Comparison of VTR Head-Gap and Size of Various Debris Found on the Tape The loss of head-to-tape contact is called "spacing loss" or "loss of RF signal" and results in an "analog drop out" or a "digital BER" (Bit or Block Error Rate). Different recording formats process spacing losses in different ways and, as a general rule, most analog video systems simply replace the missing information (drop out) with a reasonable approximation of that missing data developed from the previous data. Digital systems, both video and audio, attempt to mathematically calculate what the missing pieces of data should be. However, the manner in which various systems determine how to replace the missing data is highly complex and differs greatly from format to format. It is easy to draw some conclusions about spacing losses and debris. Quite simply, the less dirt and debris in the operating environment, the less likely that spacing losses will occur. Therefore, the need to keep the operating environment clean becomes apparent. Please note the following: 7 · THE MACHINE ROOM Clean floors (preferably not carpeted), good air filtration and a smoke-free, food-free environment will all help to reduce debris. · THE RECORDING TRANSPORT Properly maintain and clean transports; replace worn pinch rollers and ensure proper alignment of tape path components on a regular basis. · THE OPERATOR Always wash your hands after eating food and before handling tape. Never smoke or eat in the operating environment. Stray Magnetic Fields The degree to which stray magnetic fields may negatively modify or even erase the recorded materials depends on two primary factors: 1. The strength of the magnetic fields 2. The coercivity of the magnetic particle used in the recording media itself Figure 2 shows Maxell's professional recording formats and the approximate coercivity of the magnetic media used in those formats. It is easy to see that older formats used magnetic media with lower coercivity, while most newer generation formats tend to use higher-level magnetic media. The formats with the lower coercivity will be the easiest to magnetize and therefore more susceptible to stray magnetic fields. Stray fields can come from a wide variety of sources, including loudspeaker magnets, fluorescent tube ballasts, handheld metal detectors (such as those used by airport security personnel), electrical transformers and especially electrical induction motors. The magnetic fields from these devices can cause an increased low frequency noise or higher levels of print-through. Total erasure is also a possibility, but not very common. Other devices such as walk-through metal detectors and radar signals generally do not cause problems unless these signals are of extremely high strength. Fortunately, this is a rare situation. 8 Unlike photographic film, X-rays do not affect magnetic recordings in any way. Problems from stray magnetic fields are very rare, even for recorded media shipped internationally without special precautions. However, it is a comfort to know that the magnetic field strength between the source and the target diminishes at a logarithmic rate as the distance increases. This means that even if the tape is near a magnetic source, the chances of it affecting the recording on the tape are very small unless the tape is very close to the source. Figure 2. Compared Coercivity of Various Media Coercivity (kA/m) 200 DDS-3, DDS-4 DVCPRO 180 160 140 120 100 80 S-VHS TR-3, TR-4 LTO-1 SDLT-1, DLT-IV D-5 DDS-2 HDCAM, Hi8 D-3, Digital Beta, DLT-III, Beta-SX, Beta-SP 8mm, D-2 DDS, DAT, MiniDV 60 40 U-matic-SP, Betacam Hi-Bias Audio, U-matic 3480 Low-Bias Audio 20 0 9 Environmental Conditions TEMPERATURE All current magnetic tapes, with the exception of magnetic evaporated tapes (e.g., AIT, miniDV, Mammoth, etc.), are composed of a formulation coated onto the basefilm (polyester or equivalent chemical compound). The magnetic formulation contains a variety of chemicals, including head cleaning agent, binders, surface lubricants, plasticizers, dispersants and of course, the magnetic particles. The temperature conditions recommended by many media manufacturers are dictated by a combination of the basefilm, binders and other components used in the tape itself and/or the plastics used in the cassette shell. The need to maintain dimensional stability of the cassette shells and the tape are critical factors in determining an appropriate operating range of temperatures. The basefilm on which the magnetic formulation is coated is somewhat temperature sensitive. Temperature variations will cause the film to expand or contract. This "growth" or "shrinkage" (which can be quite significant) may create stress within the tape pack that could result in physical damage to the tape. The magnetic particles of the formulation remain relatively stable and unaffected by extreme temperature. 10 HUMIDITY Except for metal evaporated tape, all magnetic tape uses some form of binder system. Binders essentially chemically weld the magnetic particles in place to the basefilm. In the early years of magnetic tape the binder systems suff ...