Contents:
- Scope
- Executive summary
- 1. A summary of PrestoPRIME public activity in 2011
- 2. PrestoPRIME technology
- 3. PrestoCentre Developments in 2011
- 4. Technology – Brief Encounters
- 5. UK, European and International Developments
- 6. Preservation of Signals
- 7. Glossary
- 8. References
This status report is the seventh in a series of annual reviews of audiovisual preservation in Europe produced by the PrestoPRIME and PrestoSpace projects. Besides a review of the current status of PrestoPRIME technology tool development, PrestoCentre activity and domain related EU project and policy work, the author, from project partner BBC, presents technology updates on a variety of topics. These include the current thinking on containers, authenticity, quality vs compression management, considerations on FRBR and how to document complicated relationships between files; the move from real-time broadcasting to published content on demand and the implications for archives; new approaches to analogue video and audio tape digitization, how source-separation technology may influence the integrity of audio archives; and an update on the current thinking about embedded metadata. The report ends with, what the author calls, ‘an engineer’s view of digital preservation and audiovisual content’. This section sets out to explain how fundamentally different audiovisual files are from text and general digital data due to the significant fact that audio and video content is in fact a signal.
Like their predecessors, this annual report offers a clear overview of important developments in audiovisual preservation. Whether looking for project and tool development activity or current thinking on the burning issues of the day, this report offers both. For audiovisual digital preservation archivists looking to stay on top of developments or for those just interested in a good overview of the domain in Europe at present, this is valuable reading.