French restoration specialist VectraCom has added Snell’s Archangel Ph.C – HD real-time video restoration system to its arsenal of state-of-the-art post-production tools.
“A large part of our work is focused on restoration and digitization of very old archival footage, such as black and white films from the 1930s and 1940s. These assets are often filled with noise, instability, scratches, dust, and other defects and require significant restoration in order to meet the high standards of today’s viewers,” said Bruno Burtre, commercial director for VectraCom.
“Because Archangel Ph.C – HD works in real time, we’re able to complete restoration jobs in a third of the time once required, which results in significant savings for our customers.”
A longtime user of the Archangel system for SD restoration, VectraCom served as the second beta test site for the Archangel Ph.C – HD and provided significant input into the development of the new system. Prior to adopting Archangel Ph.C – HD, VectraCom relied solely on a software-based restoration system for HD projects, which often required up to three weeks to complete restoration on a typical feature-length film.
In addition to the time savings, Archangel Ph.C – HD offers VectraCom a real-time window into the restoration process by enabling technicians to monitor the output continuously to ensure optimal restoration and to guard against introducing artefacts.
“While the restoration is in process, our technicians can view the results on-screen and determine whether adjustments and filters are set properly. If not, they can quickly make corrections,” said Burtre. “With a software-based solution, this type of real-time monitoring is simply not possible. Technicians would have to wait at least a day for the project to be rendered.”
“VectraCom has a stellar international reputation in the world of archival content restoration, so we were very pleased when the company agreed to serve as a beta site for Archangel Ph.C – HD. We knew VectraCom would provide invaluable input that would help us deliver the highest quality restoration solution,” said Paola Hobson, product manager for conversion and restoration at Snell.
“VectraCom is a perfect case study of a restoration service provider that needed to keep pace with the growing demand for historic films, features, and dramatic series to be remastered for sale in such formats as DVD and Blu-ray. With Archangel Ph.C-HD, VectraCom is able to do so in a high-quality and cost-effective manner.”
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