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How to Preserve Audio (and video)

How to Preserve Audio (and video). Richard Wright BBC Information & Archives www.prestospace.eu. Overview. The audiovisual preservation problem The “digitisation factory” solution Problems with the solution Digitisation Factory approach Digital Preservation

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How to Preserve Audio (and video)

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  1. How to Preserve Audio(and video) Richard Wright BBC Information & Archives www.prestospace.eu

  2. Overview • The audiovisual preservation problem • The “digitisation factory” solution • Problems with the solution • Digitisation • Factory approach • Digital Preservation • Funding, equipment, training … • Rights

  3. The Problem: Analogue Media Decaying Obsolete Fragile Presto Survey, 2001 5 million hours of holdings (10 European broadcasters)

  4. Decaying Obsolete Fragile • Obsolescence: at least 2/3 of the material • Deterioration: approximately 1/3 of the material • Fragile media: roughly 1/4 of the material Overall: 70% of holdings have problems The Solution: digitisation

  5. Obsolescence • Videotape • 2”; 1”; U-Matic: no playback equipment • Film • Disappearing in post production • Audio formats • Grams : no playback equipment • ¼” no longer accepted in BBC radio production and playout systems

  6. Deterioration • Videotape – decay of adhesive • 2”; 1”; U-Matic (30% read failures at BBC) • Audio – decay of adhesive • ¼” tape (depends upon brand) • Magnetic sound tracks • Vinegar syndrome • Other Acetate – other sources of acetic acid • Decay of film splices • General decay of polymer materials

  7. Fragile Media • Vinyl • and shellac • Film • 10 plays per print (videotape: 50) • Video or audiotape can easily be physically damaged or affected be magnetic fields

  8. Size of the Problem – in Europe • Presto: found 5 million hours 2001 • Mainly broadcast archives • Prestospace: found 10 million hours 2004 • Broadcast and large national collections • TAPE: found additional 20 million hours • In collections not covered previously • UNESCO estimate: 200 million hours worldwide (100 million in Europe)

  9. Where is the material? • Broadcast archives 30% (roughly) • National collections 15% • Other major collections 15% • Small and specialist collections 40% NB: all these figures refer to archived material ONLY

  10. The “digitisation factory” solution • Efficient workflow • Staff specialisation • Triage

  11. Problems with the solution 1: Digitisation “You’re not preserving anything; you’re only making more proxies and adding to the problem.” • Not accepted as a solution for film • Not easy to implement for video (in full quality) • But – very much accepted for audio

  12. Problems with the solution 2: Factory approach • Works on homogeneous collections • Of good quality material – and lots of it • Which is well documented. • Also requires excellent staff and facilities

  13. Problems with the solution 3: Digital Preservation • Media • Multiple copies • Maintenance • Migration

  14. Media • Datatape is cheaper that hard drives • But needs an expensive tape drive • And has reliability issues • Optical is cheapest of all • But isn’t really mass storage (DVD=4.7 GB) • New DVD format(s) promise 20 to 100 GB • And has reliability issues • Hard drives prices have dropped sharply • Easiest to automate management • And has reliability issues • More information from PrestoSpace: prestospace.eu (“digitisation & storage”)

  15. Multiple copies • Two copies • Two technologies • In two places • But fastest recovery is by mirroring • Which means identical technologies • Big arguments about RAID vs simpler options vs more complex options

  16. Maintenance • Life cycle management • Should be every archive’s built-in process • Begins with blank media • Then the writing • Then the initial checking • Then the periodic checking and ‘aerobics’ • Ends with migration to the next format

  17. Migration • A fact of life • Every five years • Can involve a lot of manual handling (of datatapes or optical media) • Or can be nearly transparant (disc upgrades) – but: every three years! • Needs lossless file formats

  18. Problems with the solution 4: Funding, equipment, training … • TAPE – Training for Audiovisual Preservation in Europe • IASA TC04: Guidelines on the Production and Preservation of Digital Audio Objects • ARSC • PrestoSpace “Guide to Audiovisual Preservation”

  19. Problems with the solution 5: Rights • Huge pressure for greater access • Access is the key to funding (for cultural / heritage collections) • Web technology solves the technical issues • Rights limitations can be overcome: • Disclaimers; due diligence; escrow • Creative Commons; Public value; Fair Use; Educational and research use

  20. PrestoSpace Recommends • Set up your own factory if you can • OR: use somebody else’s • PrestoSpace working with the ‘facilities industry’ to convince them to give a high quality service at an affordable price

  21. How to get help: • PrestoSpace: technology and support for audiovisual preservation: information on the PrestoSpace websites, from TAPE training, and from the Preservation Guide wiki: • www.prestospace.eu • prestospace-sam.ssl.co.uk • www.knaw.nl/ecpa/tape/ • www.bbcarchive.org.uk

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