DIGITISATION
Professional Media & Archive Digitisation
Media Transfer & Preservation
Flying Tiger Productions provides media and archive digitisation, duplication and videotape transfer services across the UK for museums, galleries, broadcasters, universities, heritage organisations, public bodies, corporate archives and private clients.
We digitise broadcast, professional and consumer video formats, including Digital Betacam (DigiBeta), Betacam SP, Betacam, SX, U-matic (Low Band, High Band and SP), HDCAM, DVCAM, DVCPRO, HDV, VHS, S-VHS, MiniDV, Video8 and Hi8, alongside audio, cine film (8mm/super 8mm) and photographic collections.
From a single legacy tape to a complete archive, we tailor the digitisation process to the material and how it will be used, from restoration and digital encoding to preservation masters, access files, cataloguing and searchable metadata.
For larger collections, we can plan the workflow in advance, covering format assessment, file specifications, naming conventions, restoration, metadata, quality control and staged delivery.
Broadcast & Archive Digitisation Expertise
Our digitisation work is backed by extensive professional broadcast and post-production experience.
Technical Director Alex Diaz has 15 years' post-production experience, including five years as a media operator at Ascent Media/4MC in Wardour Street, Soho.
He worked extensively with professional broadcast tape formats, encoding, audio laybacks, restoration and full broadcast QC for clients including the BBC, Universal, Abbey Road and Paramount.
This technical background is particularly valuable when working with older broadcast masters and mixed-format archives where the correct playback equipment, signal handling, file specifications and quality control matter.
Alex is extremely reliable and proactive with a thorough knowledge of TV Broadcast Operations.
Technicolour, Soho
Alex’s technical knowledge is
considerable and broad-based.
International Broadcast Facility
Neal’s Yard
DIGITISATION SERVICES
Large-scale video and audiovisual archive digitisation for museums, galleries, universities, heritage organisations, public bodies, charities and corporate collections.
Digitisation and restoration of DAT, DA-88, DA-98HR, MiniDisc, CD, cassette, vinyl and other audio formats.
Professional broadcast tape digitisation and transfer from Digital Betacam, Betacam SP, U-matic, HDCAM, DVCAM, DVCPRO, HDV, SVHS and other legacy formats.
Digital transfer of cine film, photographic negatives, slides and other legacy visual media.
Restoration and recovery of ageing or problematic video and audio, including picture and sound correction, noise reduction, standards conversion and stabilisation.
Footage logging, file naming and searchable metadata to help turn digitised material into an organised and usable archive.
LARGE-SCALE ARCHIVE DIGITISATION
Working with The National Gallery
In 2023, The National Gallery commissioned Flying Tiger Productions to digitise and restore its entire videotape archive with a wide range of formats including U-matic, Betacam, DAT, Hi8, SVHS, DVCAM, MiniDV and HDV.
As part of the project, we also provided detailed footage logs and searchable metadata. This gave The National Gallery a clearer record of its collection and made previously inaccessible material much easier to identify, search and access.
Digitising the collection was an important preservation step, protecting valuable archive material from tape degradation and the increasing scarcity of working playback equipment.
Thank you for all the assistance and the services provided; it’s been a lengthy process but has been made easy with your organisation and diligence.
Flying Tiger have been helpful and reliable throughout our tape digitisation project, with physical formats dating back to the early 1980’s and content spanning nearly 40 years.
Jon Sheldon, AV Production Manager,
The National Gallery
VHS & HOME VIDEO DIGITISATION
We digitise a wide range of personal and family media, including VHS, VHS-C, Video8, Hi8, MiniDV, cine film, audio cassettes, vinyl records, slides, negatives and photographs.
Whether it’s a box of old tapes, a family cine collection or a mix of different formats, we can transfer your material to modern digital files and carry out restoration where needed.
We can return your films and recordings as digital files that are easy to watch, share and keep safe, or on DVD if you prefer. You can also choose to have both.
Our studio is based in Glastonbury, Somerset, and customers are welcome to bring valuable or irreplaceable originals to us in person.
You can meet us, talk through what you have over a coffee, and leave your material safely with the team who will be carrying out the work.
If you’re further away, we also accept collections securely by post from customers across the UK.
FORMATS & TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES
Video & Audio Formats
We transfer a vast range of broadcast videotape formats and also consumer-level recordings to digital files.
Broadcast Formats:
U-matic (Low Band, High Band and SP), Betacam-SP, Betacam-SX, MPEG IMX, Digital Betacam (DigiBeta), DVCAM, DVCPRO (625 OR 525), HDCAM, HDV
Consumer & Camcorder Formats:
VHS, SVHS, VHS C, SVHS C, Mini DV (PAL or NTSC),
HI-8/VIDEO 8, 8MM VIDEO (PAL), DVD
Audio Formats:
DAT, DA-88, DA-98HR, MiniDisc, CD, Cassette tape, Vinyl
Digitisation Hardware:
2x Blackmagic Ultrastudio 4K, Blackmagic Ultrastudio Express HD,
2x Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle HD, Blackmagic Hyperdeck Studio HD, Blackmagic ATEM SDI video capture, Blackmagic Synch Generator.
Digital File Encoding
We can supply preservation, broadcast, editing and access files in the format required for your project, including ProRes and MP4.
Video Restoration
We use a combination of hardware and software tools to restore your video and audio.
Restoration Hardware:
Blackmagic Teranex 2D processor, Blackmagic Ultrastudio 4K, Blackmagic SDI & HDMI switchers, Blackmagic Hyperdeck Studio, Snell & Wilcox ARC 125, Snell & Wilcox Alchemist Platinum, Snell & Wilcox Mach 1, Snell & Wilcox compression pre-processor.
Video Restoration Processes:
Denterlace, up/down conversion, cross conversion, standards conversion, noise reduction, time base corrector, cadence detect and remove, adjustable scaling, aspect ratio conversion.
Restoration Software:
After Effects, Topaz Video AI, DaVinci Resolve, Digital Anarchy, Boris FX and Red Giant.
Video Restoration Processes:
DeFlicker, DeInterlace, DeBand, DeBlock, DeArtefact, DeNoise, Broadcast Safe, dropout fixer, digital video fixer, lens corrector, dust and scratches clean-up, noise reduction, optical stabiliser, re-framer, pixel fixer, UpRes, wire removal, Beauty Studio.
AI Video Restoration:
Noise removal, DeInterlace, 4K upscale, 8x slow motion, stabilisation, correction of rolling shutter and jittery motion, motion DeBlur, adding film grain.
Audio Restoration
We can digitise and restore analogue recordings using a range of hardware and software including AI.
Restoration Hardware:
Tascam digital meter unit, PPM meters, Blackmagic Audio Analyser, Tascam DA-98HR, Sony DAT PCM-7040.
Restoration Software:
Adobe Encore, DaVinci Fairlight, Boris FX, CrumpolePOP, Apple Logic.
Audio Restoration Processes:
EQ and dynamics processing, noise reduction, isolate voice from background, traffic, wind and rustle remover, pop and echo remover.
Film & Photo Digitisation
Cine film reel transfers formats:
8mm
Super 8mm
Photo negatives and slides:
35MM NEGATIVE (135, 3:2)
35MM SLIDE (135, 3:3)
110 NEGATIVE (4:3)
126 NEGATIVE (1:1)
- transferred to 14 mega pixel JPEGs.
We also transfer hard drives out of casing and old memory cards.
