We are a content company. We do not make videotape dubs in-house. Nor do we encode master files inhouse. So we invariably ask that our clients purchase new videotape masters or master files at cost, because we must purchase the masters or have master files encoded or converted in order to service our deals. We will not provide masters on loan. We invoice for masters or master files separately from the negotiated license fee. We do so to be certain that we can provide the very best quality broadcast materials.
We archive our first-generation videotape masters in a temperature-controlled environment at state-of-the-art duplication and standards conversion facilities. These “archive masters” never leave our facilities. This insures that when our facilities make clones or do conversions for us, and if they are rejected for any reason, our facilities can easily compare the rejection report with the technical report on the original “archive master.” If the technical defect does not exist on the archive master the facility will make a new dub master or do a new conversion at no cost to us. If the identical defect is found on the archive master, then we know that a replacement dub or conversion will not solve the problem.
In prior years we found that no matter how well handled by a client, dub or “loaner” masters would invariably fail technical acceptance, if not the first time, the second or third time, and we would be losing too much money making replacement masters — the costs of which would not be covered by our facility, as they could no longer know whether they had created the defect in their own duplication or conversion process.
Our dubbing and stock prices are competitive, but they may be higher than in-house rates at many channels and networks. Prices vary from country to country as well.
Since the masters are not “on loan,” there are no return shipping costs. Our clients can keep the masters or erase them and use the stock again, because they own them.
