How to Preserve Audio and video Richard Wright

  • Slides: 21
Download presentation
How to Preserve Audio (and video) Richard Wright BBC Information & Archives www. prestospace.

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

Overview n n n The audiovisual preservation problem The “digitisation factory” solution Problems with

Overview n n n The audiovisual preservation problem The “digitisation factory” solution Problems with the solution n n Digitisation Factory approach Digital Preservation Funding, equipment, training … Rights Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 2

The Problem: Analogue Media Decaying Obsolete Fragile Presto Survey, 2001 5 million hours of

The Problem: Analogue Media Decaying Obsolete Fragile Presto Survey, 2001 5 million hours of holdings (10 European broadcasters) Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 3

n n n Decaying Obsolete Fragile Obsolescence: at least 2/3 of the material Deterioration:

n n n 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 Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 4

Obsolescence n Videotape n n Film n n 2”; 1”; U-Matic: no playback equipment

Obsolescence n Videotape n n Film n n 2”; 1”; U-Matic: no playback equipment Disappearing in post production Audio formats n n Grams : no playback equipment ¼” no longer accepted in BBC radio production and playout systems Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 5

Deterioration n Videotape – decay of adhesive n n Audio – decay of adhesive

Deterioration n Videotape – decay of adhesive n n Audio – decay of adhesive n n ¼” tape (depends upon brand) Magnetic sound tracks n n 2”; 1”; U-Matic (30% read failures at BBC) Vinegar syndrome Other Acetate – other sources of acetic acid Decay of film splices General decay of polymer materials Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 6

Fragile Media n Vinyl n n Film n n and shellac 10 plays per

Fragile Media n Vinyl n n Film n n and shellac 10 plays per print (videotape: 50) Video or audiotape can easily be physically damaged or affected be magnetic fields Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 7

Size of the Problem – in Europe n Presto: found 5 million hours 2001

Size of the Problem – in Europe n Presto: found 5 million hours 2001 n n Prestospace: found 10 million hours 2004 n n Broadcast and large national collections TAPE: found additional 20 million hours n n Mainly broadcast archives In collections not covered previously UNESCO estimate: 200 million hours Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 8

Where is the material? Broadcast archives 30% (roughly) n National collections 15% n Other

Where is the material? Broadcast archives 30% (roughly) n National collections 15% n Other major collections 15% n Small and specialist collections 40% NB: all these figures refer to archived material ONLY n Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 9

The “digitisation factory” solution n Efficient workflow Staff specialisation Triage Richard Wright BBC FP

The “digitisation factory” solution n Efficient workflow Staff specialisation Triage Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 10

Problems with the solution 1: Digitisation “You’re not preserving anything; you’re only making more

Problems with the solution 1: Digitisation “You’re not preserving anything; you’re only making more proxies and adding to the problem. ” n Not accepted as a solution for film n Not easy to implement for video (in full quality) n But – very much accepted for audio Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 11

Problems with the solution 2: Factory approach n n Works on homogeneous collections Of

Problems with the solution 2: Factory approach n n Works on homogeneous collections Of good quality material – and lots of it Which is well documented. Also requires excellent staff and facilities Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 12

Problems with the solution 3: Digital Preservation Media n Multiple copies n Maintenance n

Problems with the solution 3: Digital Preservation Media n Multiple copies n Maintenance n Migration n Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 13

n Datatape is cheaper that hard drives n n n But needs an expensive

n Datatape is cheaper that hard drives n n n But needs an expensive tape drive And has reliability issues Optical is cheapest of all n But isn’t really mass storage (DVD=4. 7 GB) n n n New DVD format(s) promise 20 to 100 GB And has reliability issues Hard drives prices have dropped sharply n n n Media Easiest to automate management And has reliability issues More information from Presto. Space: prestospace. eu (“digitisation & storage”) Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 14

Multiple copies n Two technologies n n But fastest recovery is by mirroring n

Multiple copies n Two technologies n n But fastest recovery is by mirroring n n In two places Which means identical technologies Big arguments about RAID vs simpler options vs more complex options Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 15

Maintenance n n n Life cycle management Should be every archive’s built-in process Begins

Maintenance n n n Life cycle management Should be every archive’s built-in process Begins with blank media n n Then the writing Then the initial checking Then the periodic checking and ‘aerobics’ Ends with migration to the next format Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 16

Migration n n A fact of life Every five years Can involve a lot

Migration n n 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 Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 17

Problems with the solution 4: Funding, equipment, training … n n TAPE – Training

Problems with the solution 4: Funding, equipment, training … n n TAPE – Training for Audiovisual Preservation in Europe IASA TC 04: Guidelines on the Production and Preservation of Digital Audio Objects n n ARSC Presto. Space “Guide to Audiovisual Preservation” Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 18

Problems with the solution 5: Rights n n Huge pressure for greater access Access

Problems with the solution 5: Rights n n 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: n n Disclaimers; due diligence; escrow Creative Commons; Public value; Fair Use; Educational and research use Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 19

Presto. Space Recommends n n n Set up your own factory if you can

Presto. Space Recommends n n n Set up your own factory if you can OR: use somebody else’s Presto. Space working with the ‘facilities industry’ to convince them to give a high quality service at an affordable price Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 20

How to get help: n Presto. Space: technology and support for audiovisual preservation: information

How to get help: n Presto. Space: technology and support for audiovisual preservation: information on the Presto. Space websites, from TAPE training, and from the Preservation Guide wiki: www. prestospace. eu n prestospace-sam. ssl. co. uk n www. knaw. nl/ecpa/tape/ n www. bbcarchive. org. uk n Richard Wright BBC FP 6 -IST-507336 Presto. Space SAM Work Area 21