beyond the awe: perspectives on pragmatic audiovisual collections care

Beyond the Awe

Perspectives on Pragmatic Audiovisual Collections Care

56th Conference of the Michigan Archival Association Holland, MI; Friday, 12 June 2015

AWE?

AUDIOVISUAL PRESERVATION

Ryan Edge, MSU Media Preservation Librarian

Open Reel Audio:• 2" Open Reel• 1" Open Reel• 1/2" Open Reel• 1/4" Open Reel

Cassette/Cartridge Audio:• Continuous Loop Cartridge (Cart)• Compact Cassette• Microcassette• 8-Track• Digital Audio Tape (DAT)• Digital Compact Cassette (DCC)

Phonograph Record:• Shellac Disc• Laminate Disc• Aluminum Disc• Vinyl Disc

Wire Recording

Grooved Cylinder:● Wax Cylinder● Plastic Cylinder

Optical Media:● Compact Disc (CD)● CD-R; CD-RW● DVD● DVD-R; DVD-RW● LaserDisc (LD)● MiniDisc (MD)

Film:● NItrate Film (35mm)● Acetate Film (35mm, 16,

9.5, 8, Super 8)● Polyester Film (35mm, 16,

9.5, Super 8)

Open Reel Video:● 2" Open Reel (Quad)● 1" Open Reel (Type C)● 1/2" Open Reel

Cassette/Cartridge Video:● U-matic● U-matic SP● Betacam● BetacamSP● Betamax● D-1● D-2● D-3● Digital Betacam● DVCAM● DVCPRO● Betacam SX● DVCPRO-HD● MPEG IMX● D5● HDCAM / HDCAM SR● HDV● MiniDV● VHS / S-VHS● Hi8● Video8

The A/V Media Family

The A/V Media FamilyImages courtesy of the Preservation Self-Assessment Program (PSAP)

WINTER IS COMING

“...in the mid- to long- term there is a major risk that carrier degradation combined with playback obsolescence will defeat the efforts of archivists”

– International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives, 2003

IASA Technical Committee. (2009). Guidelines on the production and preservation of digital audio objects. 2nd ed.Available at: www.iasa-web.org/tc04/audio-preservation

“ How much time do we have?

10 – 15 years ”– Mike Casey, 2013 ARSC Conference

https://www.prestocentre.org/blog/going-going-gone-prospects-analogue-audiovisual-content

How soon is now?“… many analog audio recordings must be digitized within the next 15 to 20 years ... ”

— The Library of Congress National Recording Preservation Plan (p.7)

Torn film sprockets image. Credit: Wilson Library, UNC at Chapel Hill

Physical Degradation

Format Obsolescence

Degradation of physical carriers

+Obsolescence of playback wares

DEGRALESCENCE!

Conservation: maintaining the original item and hardware so that content can be retrieved

Preservation: stewarding content of the original so that it is available for long-term use

Systems Preservationists?

Components:• OBJECT (e.g. Hi8 videocassette)

• ACCESS EQUIPMENT (Hi8 VCR; A-D converter)

• SOFTWARE/STANDARDS supporting access (AV codec libraries; VLC media player)

Supplies & Demands

• Equipment and replacement parts

• Expertise: playback and repair technicians

• Tools: capture hardware and signal monitors

RISK LEVEL AUDIO VIDEO FILM OPTICAL MEDIA

HIGH RISK / EXTINCT

Lacquer disc;Shellac disc;Cylinder;Wire;Digital Audio Tape (DAT);Open reel tape on paper

Open reel video tape (½”, 1”, 2” Quad) Nitrate film --

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Open reel audio (acetate or SBS/SSS evidence);Aluminum disc;Digital Compact Cassette

U-matic/U-matic SP;Betamax;D-1;D-2;D-3

Acetate film

Recordable CD/DVD (-R;-RW);LaserDisc;MiniDisc

ENDANGERED

Continuous loop cartridge (Cart);Microcassette;8-Track;Open reel tape on PVC

VHS/S-VHS; Betacam/Betacam SP; Video8;Hi8;MiniDV

-- --

THREATENEDAudiocassette;Open reel tape (polyester w/o SBS/SSS evidence)

Digital Betacam;DVCAM;DVCPRO;

-- --

LOW RISK / VULNERABLE Vinyl disc

Betacam SX;DVCPRO-HD;HDCAM/HDCAM SR;HDV;MPEG IMX;D-5

Polyester film Pressed CD/DVD

• Degralescence factors:• Condition• Obsolescence

• Significance (cultural, historical, $)• Usage & Access• Rights & Restrictions

Assessment & Prioritization

AUDIO

Ryan Edge, MSU Media Preservation Librarian

Authorities / Leaders

IASA - International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives

ARSC - Association for Recorded Sound Collections

FADGI - Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative

Audio FormatsGrooved CylinderWax Cylinder; Plastic Cylinder

Wire Recording

Phonograph RecordShellac DiscLaminate DiscAluminum DiscVinyl Disc

Optical MediaDVDCompact Disc (CD)MiniDisc (MD)

Open Reel Audio2" Open Reel1" Open Reel1/2" Open Reel1/4" Open Reel

Cassette / Cartridge AudioContinuous Loop Cartridges (Cart)Compact CassetteMicrocassetteDigital Audio Tape (DAT)Digital Compact Cassette (DCC)8-Track

Lacquer disc delamination. Image by Flickr user windthoek, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Image courtesy of the Preservation Self-Assessment Program (PSAP)

Image 2 by Flickr user windthoek, CC BY-NC-ND.

Delamination of Agfa PE39 magnetic tape (L), image courtesy of Katrin Abromeit. Severe, fibrous residue after playback (R), image by Karl-Heinz Frommolt, Naturkundemuseum Berlin.

For more on Soft Binder Syndrome and other forms of magnetic tape breakdown, see the Preservation Self-Assessment Program (PSAP) guide.

For more on Soft Binder Syndrome and other forms of magnetic tape breakdown, see the Preservation Self-Assessment Program (PSAP) guide.

● Ampex/Quantegy 406, 407, 456, 457● Capitol Q15● Melody 169*● Pyral* unknown● Scotch/3M 206, 207, 226, 227, 806, 807, 808, 809, 175*● Sony PR-150,* SLH, ULH

Lists of known tape types are incomplete. This list compiled from Hess, 2008; Casey, 2007.

* Considered to behave as SBS, not SSS; not treatable through incubation.

Soft Binder Syndrome: Well-known manufacturers and types

Image courtesy of Katrin Abromeit.

Typical Signal Chain(s)

EBU Tech 3285 - Specification of the Broadcast Wave Format (BWF); V2. European Broadcasting Union (2011).

Available at: https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/tech/tech3285.pdf

IASA Technical Committee Guidelines on the Production and Preservation of Digital Audio Objects; 2nd Ed (IASA-TC 04). International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (2009).

Available at: http://www.iasa-web.org/tc04/audio-preservation

Preservation Master– BWF (WAV) file format– Linear PCM encoding– 96 kHz sampling rate– 24-bit depth

*IASA (International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives). Guidelines on the production and preservation of digital audio objects, 2nd ed., IASA TC-04. Available at: www.iasa-web.org/audio-preservation-tc04

Audio | Archival Sets

* Spoken word commonly digitized at 44.1 kHz, 16-bit.

spc-mss225-b01-t04_pres.wav

Data/storage rate @ 96 kHz, 24-bit: 1.93 GB/hr (1977.6 MB/hr)

Mezzanine – BWF (WAV) file format– Linear PCM encoding– 44.1 kHz sampling rate– 16-bit depth

*IASA (International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives). Guidelines on the production and preservation of digital audio objects, 2nd ed., IASA TC-04. Available at: www.iasa-web.org/audio-preservation-tc04

Audio | Archival Sets

Data/storage rate @ 44.1kHz, 16-bit: 0.59 GB/hr (605.4 MB/hr)

spc-mss225-b01-t04_mezz.wav

Access Copy– MP3 file format– 44.1 kHz sampling rate– 160 Kbps bitrate (if native mono); 320 Kbps bitrate (if native stereo)

Audio | Archival Sets

spc-mss225-b01-t04.mp3

Data/storage rates:@ 320 Kbps: 140.6 MB/hr;

@ 160 Kbps: 70.3 MB/hr

Fig. – Illustration of multimedia container format.

LPCM audio stream

WAV container format

BWF | Broadcast Wave Format

BEXT (embedded) metadata

Fig. – Illustration of multimedia container format.

Embedded Metadata

Descriptive

Administrative

• Technical

• Provenance

BWF BEXT info BWF MetaEdit

MOVING IMAGE / FILM

Tressa Graves, UIUC Graduate Student

Why Care About Film?

• Moving images show us material that �paper based manuscripts can’t always show.

• It’s a fairly stable format and there is a �good chance most archives have it in some shape or form.

Film GaugesMost Common• 35mm• 16mm• Super 8• 8mmRare• 9.5mm• 28mm• 70mm

Film Stocks

• Three Kinds:– Nitrate: 1895-�

1950s– Acetate:

1909*-present– Polyester: �

1950s-present

Good Storage is Key

• Proper storage conditions can extend the life of film.

• Moving film from room temperature (68F) to a cooler temperature (54F) can dramatically improve longevity even though it does not reach ISO standards.

:( :)

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Storage Recommendations

• Recommendations are set by IPI & ISO.�• There are guidelines but no set temp & �

RH for film because it depends on a film’s gauge, stock, & possible deterioration.

Graph is from a IPI online publication

Acetate Decay

From The Film Preservation Guide

Huckleberry Railroad Train

KISS

KISS

1956 Bay City Parade

Former CMU Mascot

VIDEO

Matthew Wilcox, MSU UAHC Audiovisual Archivist & Department Aide

MSU Archives & Historical Collections Multi-Media Lab

Matthew Wilcox, Michigan State University Archives

Humble Beginnings…Fall 2014

Additions and Upgrades:

February 2015 June 2015

Equipment List• 13” CRT TV monitor – Panasonic CT-1383Y

• Time Base Corrector – I.DEN IVT-7

• Analog to Digital Converter – Canopus ADVC-55

• Computer – Apple iMac w/ 27” monitor

• Betamax deck – Sanyo VCR 4030

• S-VHS deck – Panasonic PV-S4670

• Digital Betacam deck – Sony DVW-A500

• Betacam SP deck – Sony PVW-2600

• ¾” U-matic deck – Sony VO-5800

Betamax

VHS

Digital Betacam

Betacam SP

¾” U-matic

Obtaining the Equipment

• eBay / Craigslist / Online auction sites / etc.

• Salvation Army / Volunteers of America / Garage Sales / Estate Sales

• Utilization of Social Media Contacts

• Utilization of Work Relations

Typical Workflow• Assessing the collection

• Preparing the analog playback

• Implementing the digitization process

• Doing quality control

• Pennington, S., and Rehberger D. (2012). The preservation of analog video through digitization. In D. Boyd, S. Cohen, B. Rakerd, & D. Rehberger (Eds.), Oral history in the digital age. Institute of Library and Museum Services. Retrieved from http://ohda.matrix.msu.edu/2012/06/preservation-of-analog-video-through-digitization/

MSU Archives Multi-Media Lab Workflow

•VTR (videotape recorder) – TBC (time base corrector) – ADC (analog-to-digital converter) – iMac computer – Final Cut Pro X – KORA (digital repository, where metadata is created) – On the Banks of the Red Cedar website (http://www.onthebanks.msu.edu)

Analog Video Capture: Multi-Media Lab

• Preservation Copy: QuickTime wrapper (.mov extension), audio encoded at 48kHz

• Access Copy: MPEG-4 wrapper (.mp4 extension), encoded as H.264; audio encoded at 44.1kHz

Examples Of Titles In MSU Archives Collection

• The Campus at War for Peace (16mm film to U-matic transfer, 1944)

• Postmark: East Lansing (16mm film to VHS transfer, 1952; about the on-campus educational facilities at MSU)

• Stevie Wonder Speaks at Fall Commencement (U-matic, 1989)

• MSU Convocation with President Bill Clinton (VHS, 1995)

• University Archives: Film Review (2005; highlights from a promotional DVD about the UAHC)

ONLINE RESOURCES & TOOLS

Ryan Edge, MSU Media Preservation Librarian

• A/V Artifact Atlas (AVAA)

• Format ID Guide (PSAP)

• Museum of Obsolete Media [☍]

Reference Guides

• Care of AV Originals: Handling and Storage of Audio and Video Carriers (IASA-TC 05) [$20]

• Media Storage Quick Reference, 2nd Ed. (Image Permanence Institute) [PDF]

Media Preservation Survey Reports–IU Media Digitization & Preservation Initiative http://www.indiana.edu/~medpres/

–University of Illinois Libraries https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/50106

Essential Resources | General

• Sound Directions: Best Practices for Audio Preservation [PDF]

• ARSC Guide to Audio Preservation [PDF]

• Guidelines on the Production and Preservation of Digital Audio Objects (IASA-TC 04) [$20]

Essential Resources | Audio

• Video at Risk: Copyright Guidelines (NYU) [PDF]

• How Video Works (Weise, Weynand) [Book]

• Digital File Formats for Videotape Reformatting (FADGI) [☍]

• Determining Suitable Digital Video Formats for Medium-term Storage (G. Blood) [PDF]

Essential Resources | Video

• The Film Preservation Guide: Basics for Archives, Libraries, and Museums (National Film Preservation Foundation) [PDF]

• Home Film Preservation Guide (AMIA)

• Storage Guide for Acetate Film (Image Permanence Institute) [PDF]

Essential Resources | Film

• VLC Media Player

• QCTools, or “Quality Control Tools”

• Handbrake (leans on FFmpeg)

• BWF MetaEdit

Advanced Studies (command line)• FFmpeg

• MediaInfo

• ExifTool

(Post-Capture) Tools

VLC

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

The Most Supreme Media Player

QCTools

http://bavc.org/qctools

Quality Control Tools for Video Preservation

http://ffmpeg.org/

...or Handbrake, if you prefer a GUIhttps://handbrake.fr/

MediaInfoTelling you everything you need to know about

media X, Y, Z.

...and Exiftool

https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo

http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/

• NEH Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller

Institutions [☍]• NEH Challenge Grants [☍]• NEH Humanities Collections & Reference Resources [☍]• ARSC Preservation of Classical Music Historical

Recordings Grants Program [☍]• NHPRC Digital Disseminations of Archival Collections [☍]• IMLS National Leadership Grants (for Libraries, Museums)

[☍]• NFPF: National Film Preservation Foundation Grants [☍]

Relevant Grant Opportunities

David Shrigley, Join Us (1999) (detail). Private collection, courtesy Stephen Friedman Gallery.

Preservation in this century will involve collaboration.” – National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA)

David Shrigley, Join Us (1999) (detail). Private collection, courtesy Stephen Friedman Gallery.

Media Preservation rising (IU, UIUC, CIC)

Media interest groups (everyone likes coffee, donuts)

Keepers of the Flame:

NDSA - National Digital Stewardship Alliance

AMIA - Association of Moving Image Archivists

ARSC - Association for Recorded Sound Collections

Collaborate | Contribute

Ryan Edge, MSU Media Preservation Librarian edger@msu.edu | @rynedg

Tressa Graves, UIUC Grad Studenttmgrave2@illinois.edu

Matthew Wilcox, MSU UAHC Audiovisual Archivist & Department Aide

wilcox36@msu.edu

THANK YOUQUESTIONS?