Preserving our visual History and Data needs a robust format that will
be around for years into the future. After looking at all the options
digital Beta Tape as used by commercial TV Stations
should be the foundation of all modern archives. trying to keep up
with new technology is impossible for the purpose of archiving and has
uncertain outcomes.
We need a standard ASAP.
How many years? It's not a trivial question. Where I work we transfer
off of 2" quadruplex for restoration and eventual transfer to DVD.
Parts are an issue on 30+ year old machines. The tape absorbs moisture
and gets sticky so we bake them at 135 F for 12 hours and - presto -
they play fine again. The thing is, digital beta is already 15 years
into its life and is beginning to fade as the HD machines get more
work. Bottom line - WHATEVER you choose as an archive format will be a
problem requiring transfer to newer formats as the media decays.
My goofy pet idea is to convert to DVD but do not complete the
manufacturing process. The 'rot' issues with optical media seem to be
failures of the reflective laye but the data is encoded into the
_length_ of the pits. So, stamp the discs but leave some discs un-
plated so that they can be plated later for playback. Of course THAT
format will also be replaced down the line. I've heard suggestions of
storing digital data on B/W 35mm film which would look like noise. We
KNOW the longevity of film as we have old film _now_.
G²
