[QuadList] OT: "Deterioration" Determination?

[Chill315 at aol.com]

Since I have not worked with tape in a number of years, I will give my  
thoughts on what I have seen in the past.  My biggest thing was when  the 
binder broke down and the oxide came off the tape.  That is what I used  as the 
failure mode for a video tape.  I saw a few other things such as  excessive 
dropouts or the binder being cracked by being played before the tape  had 
warmed up to room temperature.  There were other things that were minor  but 
these were the two biggest things that I have experienced as to tape break  
down.  
 
I understand that there are others but none that I have experienced.
 
Chris Hill
 
 
In a message dated 5/12/2011 2:27:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
walterforsberg at gmail.com writes:

Hello  All-

Just wondering what the group's thoughts were on what constituted  
"deterioration" of videotape.

Obviously, this term is a super-vague  one, yet one that the Copyright Law 
employs to qualify exemption for  duplication-without-permission under 
Section 108 (c). The existentialist in me  would like to say that all videotape 
is deteriorating from the point of  inception, aka "we're ALL dying from the 
moment we're born," but this  all-encompassing definition doesn't make a 
good legal argument. (I've been  told by lawyers that this is called an 
argument weakened by  "over-determination.")

So, what things can we point to as hard evidence  of "deterioration"? 
Dropout may have been original to the recording process,  but maybe also a 
symptom of shedding. Storage conditions may have not been  ideal, or in keeping 
with IPI temp. & humidity standards, yet if a large  number of tapes were 
stored in the same bad conditions, how could one  determine deterioration 
without a control tape perfectly stored for the same  amount of time? 

Any comments on what is undeniable evidence of  "deterioration," other 
than, say a tape being melted? Is there anyone out  there with a Magic Bullet?

Thanks in advance,
Walter  Forsberg



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