There are certain situations where it is best to look for another copy - rather then going to such extraordinary means to effect play back. In almost all circumstances I have found other copies - and it is more cost effective that way. Basically you need to bring the curatorial aspect in here - a question like - are the extraordinary efforts being attempted here justified by the value of the content in the first place?- are there other copies?- and indeed - by spending the money required by such extreme rescue efforts - are you limiting the opportunities to restore a great deal more content? These are all very important considerations as well. Basically - if you only have so much money - is it best to spend it to play back one recording or remaster 20 at the same cost. There have only been a very few times - and I have done allot of stuff - where the answer is - yes it is that valuable. Frankly - when the answer is YES - it has almost always been a forensic project where the budget money is available and the evidentiary nature of the tape is critical so that work is cost justified. So the issue goes beyond technical and into the areas of curatorial and business. Topics that may be worth discussing - I don't see much discussion on these points - but they are extremely important.
I think that it is very important when discussing these issues to also
consider the business and curatorial aspects. ... If you are
looking at large migration projects - which is the market space in which we
operate - [these issues] become extremely important. The numbers get so high that
decisions need to be made and not all of them are "optimal". There are
trade offs.