Mr. Lewis,

After reading your inquiry, I thought that you may want to look over some
of the papers presented at the National Archives and Records Administrations
18th Annual Preservation Conference (March 2003):  Preservation
Reformatting: Digital Technology vs. Analog Technology.
I did not attend the conference, but found some of the papers posted on
their web site last summer and thought that they might be useful to you as
well: www.archives.gov/preservation 

Good luck with the project!

Best Regards,

Mark White
Human Studies Film Archives
Smithsonian Institution
4210 Silver Hill Rd.
Suitland, MD 20746

(301)238-1323


>>> [log in to unmask] 01/31 3:15 AM >>>

We've been offered about 20 hours of profesional video shot in the early 
1980s. The videographer would like to "copy" the tapes -- (and he is
willing to 
give us a letter/agreement allowing us to us it in any way we see fit).  
My 
question, is it best to copy the videos -- professional grade 3/4" tapes --
into 
another "tape" or (of the same or lesser quality) or onto a DVD?   Has
anyone 
experimented with storing/archiving digital files on a removable hard-drive

(like a fire-wire drive). 

I know neither tapes, nor DVDs, nor hard drives are particularly "archival"

-- and   I know if we go with a DVD or hard disk we will have to migrate
the 
digital files every few years to keep up with technology.   I'm worried
about 
the loss of quality if we simply go from tape-to-tape and because we don't
have 
the means to pay 3/4" tapes we'd probably look at copying them onto an 
inferior high 8mm or VHS tape.   A digital file also has the advantage of
being 
easier to view, edit, and use. (I am fairly techno-savvy -- we produce
several 
short videos each year in house using Final Cut and a Mac).   

Are removable/portable hard drives more stable (durable) than CDs/DVDs?  
Any 
professional standards I should be looking at using when we digitize this 
video?   Is "mpg" the industry standard format?   Any general guidelines
for how 
much file space a minute of video takes up?

Any advice anyone has to offer would be appreciated.

- David -
David Lewis, Curator (and chief ticket-taker/popcorn poper)
Aurora Regional Fire Museum
www.AuroraRegionalFireMuseum.org 

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