Time Base Correction

Time Base Correction: Eliminate Video Imperfections

There is nothing worse than playing an old home video only to discover that it’s jumbled and unsteady due to the ravages of time and aging equipment. This can be a big issue if the video has treasured family memories, but it can often be fixed through time base correction.

Two Squares is a big supporter of fixing video-related problems with a video time base corrector. We use it with all our analog video transfer services. A time base corrector ensures your treasured memories are in states worth saving. Then, you can enjoy a warmhearted feeling as your cherished sights are more familiar than ever before.

Two Squares offers local media conversion services in the Minneapolis, MN area. Don’t live near Minneapolis? Shipping your media to us is also an option. Contact Two Squares to have our specific equipment and skills ensure your treasured media is recognizable.

The History of Time Base Correction

Media restoration experts use time base correction to stabilize video signals, allowing them to mix with other video signals in a studio.

Lesser quality video sources such as tape-based video tape recorders (VTRs) and video cassette recorders (VCRs) need additional frame buffering to guarantee signal timing and stability.

As time base correctors for VHS and other media evolved, these devices added a feature called drop-out compensation. Drop-out compensation corrects lost or corrupted video lines and frames by re-using previous frames and lines to fill in unrecoverable data.

While drop-out compensation might not provide perfect restorations, it can eliminate many visual faults in a video stream.

How Does Time Base Correction Work?

A video time base corrector is essentially a real-time playback buffer. Each frame of the video enters the buffer, and is “re-timed” or corrected so that it plays properly. This provides a stable overall picture for VHS and S-VHS tapes. The original media is unchanged, but the signal from the timebase corrector plays much better.

Benefits of Timebase Correctors for VHS Tapes

  • A cleaner overall video quality
  • Reduced distortions and video noise
  • Reduces and prevents dropped video frames
  • Overwrites damaged signals with cleaner signals
  • Prevents jitter that causes image bounce

After our process is complete, media with a potentially damaged timebase will be converted to digital with a more stable picture. This won’t fix your original VHS tape, but you’ll notice smoother playback with fewer if any, video-related issues in the digital version.