NextArchive Quiz: Preservation Standards

NextArchive Quiz Framework

• Designed with two difficulty levels for assessing knowledge

Difficulty Levels

• Easy Quiz assesses basic knowledge, format recognition and understanding of analog versus digital
• Difficult Quiz evaluates advanced understanding with technical specifications, signal types, and VTR models

Question Types

• Primarily multiple-choice (A/B or A/B/C/D)
• Includes drag-and-drop and image identification questions

Outcome and Advice Logic

• An Easy Quiz answered mostly correctly means a recommendation for a Difficult Quiz or Advanced Training
• An Easy Quiz answered mostly incorrectly means a recommendation for Entry-Level Training
• A Difficult Quiz answered mostly correctly possibly suggests certification or direct project collaboration

Category 1: Best Practices & Standards

• Focuses on theory, preservation ethics, and international guidelines

Entry-Level Quiz (Category 1)

• Covers basics of IASA-TC 06 and TC 04
• Explores importance of standards
• Defines terminology includes preservation master, access copy, and checksum
• Details file formats and metadata types

Advanced Quiz (Category 1)

• Requires deep understanding of IASA-TC 06/04
• Covers wrappers, containers, and codecs recommended in standards
• Addresses legal and ethical concerns
• Assesses format obsolescence risk strategy
• Includes interpreting tables and technical recommendations

Category 2: Playback Devices & Media Formats

• Focuses on recognition, operation, and limitations of equipment and formats

Entry-Level Quiz (Category 2)

• Covers identifying formats like VHS, Betacam, U-matic, and ¼” audio
• Includes matching formats to playback machines
• Teaches basics of film gauges like 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm
• Covers differences between analog and digital formats

Advanced Quiz (Category 2)

• Covers signal path inside VTRs and film scanners
• Covers TBCs, servo systems, and RF envelopes
• Deals with head drum types and tape path design
• Covers format-specific quirks and known risks like tape dropout in D1 and mold in S-VHS

Category 3: Digitization Workflow & Processes

• Focuses on practical production, project workflows, and digital handling

Entry-Level Quiz (Category 3)

• Covers basic cleaning procedures
• Teaches simple baking concepts like sticky-shed tape recovery
• Teaches how to label tapes and log data
• Introduces digitization stations and QC basics

Advanced Quiz (Category 3)

• Requires full digitization workflow mapping
• Covers signal chain from deck to file including A/D conversion, QC, and capture software
• Requires the use of XML sidecars, checksums, and metadata standards like PREMIS and METS
• Covers multi-site digital preservation strategies like LTO, cloud, and RAID

Best Practices & Standards (Entry-Level)

• The primary goal of IASA-TC 06 is to guide preservation of audio and video recordings
• "Preservation master" refers to the highest-quality digital version of media intended for long-term storage
• WAV is the recommended file format for long-term preservation of uncompressed audio
• Metadata ensures proper documentation, searchability, and provenance in digital preservation
• An MD5 checksum verifies file integrity and detects corruption
• Digitization captures content from an analog tape into a digital file
• IASA-TC 04 recommends a minimum bit depth of 24-bit for audio preservation
• IASA stands for International Association of Sound Archives
• Avoid using lossy compression for preservation masters because they permanently discard data
• It is important to follow international standards in preservation work to ensure interoperability, long-term access, and archival quality
• The purpose of creating a "preservation master" is to store high-quality content for long-term preservation

U-Matic Format

• U-matic video format offers around 60 minutes of recording time per cassette

U-Matic Technical Information

• A standard U-matic low-band recorder typically has a composite analog video signal output
• The Sony VO-5800 model is compatible with the U-matic KCA-60 cassette

Betacam SP Format

• Betacam SX is a digital video format
• The Sony DNW-A75 VTR is compatible with Betacam SX cassettes
• Betacam SX uses MPEG-2 compression

Video Heads and Drums

• Video heads are attached to the outer edge of a video drum
• The video drum gets installed inside a video tape recorder
• Multiple video heads mounted around the drum surface improve scan coverage and reduce dropout
• Calibration of head switching and RF alignment must be done after a video drum replacement

Betacam Origin

• VTRs were originally designed for Betacam (oxide)
• The jog/shuttle wheel provides frame-accurate cueing
• The "SP Playback" label indicates that the unit was upgraded to allow Betacam SP playback

Video Signal Standard

• Y/R-Y/B-Y is the standard component analog video output signal on the BVW-40P

Digital Video

• The Sony DVR-2000 uses the D1 video format
• D1 is a digital video format, in component digital (4:2:2)

D1 Limitations

• A known limitation of the D1 format is that it requires high bandwidth and expensive infrastructure

Dial Gauges

• A dial gauge measures height or runout with high precision
• This tool adjusts the video drum

Video Drum Alignment

• Inconsistent head-to-tape contact will cause tracking errors if the video drum isn't properly aligned

Quarter-Inch Audio Tape

• Open reel tape recorders commonly playback quarter-inch audio tape
• Binder hydrolysis (sticky-shed syndrome) visibly affects tape reel

Tape Baking

• Baking tapes at low temperatures is a common first step when preparing a tape for playback

Studer Audio Recorders

• Designed for open-reel, analog audio tape

Cleaning the VTR

• Rust or debris can damage tape
• Cleaning the video drum with a soft cloth prevents scratching the delicate video heads

Potential VTR Head Damage

• Signal dropout or permanent damage could occur

Rotating Drums Carefully

• Rotate manually during cleaning
• If you power the drum on to clean, the drum spins too fast and may cause injury or head damage

SMPTE Color Bars

• This provides you with a display on the monitor
• Calibrate video equipment with this pattern

SMPTE Calibration

• With a blue-only test, the brightness on an accurate monitor should be even in alternating blue and white bars

Sony Test tape (WS-24)

• The test tape is a Microcassette
• The main use = testing wow and flutter in audio recording with Microcassette recorders

Wear and Tear on Equipment

• Physical harm alters the recording performance of a test microcasette over time
• It has a 3 kHz test tone - this tone measures "wow" and "flutter," the audio defects

Overview of Tape Formats

• Audio and Video = Umatic brands in image

Why Institutions Preserve Tapes

• Cultural institutions preserve tapes to maintain and protect the audiovisual content from being lost or destroyed

Tape Maintenance

• The Sony KCS-1CL cassette cleans video heads for U-matic devices
• This cleaning cassette = entirely U-matic

Keeping a VTR Clean

• Dropouts and signal loss due to dirt buildup can occur if a VTR isn't properly maintained
• Dry-type U-matic head cleaners should remain in the device for a couple of seconds to avoid putting wear on the head

Storage Tips

• Items in film reels should be kept in metal cans
• Film reels in plastic containers create airflow and allow moisture to escape the device.

Preserving

• Film reels, if stored incorrectly, can decay in acetate
• The Vinegar Syndrome occurs as a result.

Tape Oven

• A standard method of preventing tape decay
• Degraded tapes will temporarily retain original playback
• Magnetic videotapes require baking

Overheating Tapes

• Can create irreversible harm to the magnetic layer.

Cleaning Molds

• Molds contaminate tape and grow as an organic compound

Avoid Head Complications

• The drum also has a high likelihood of suffering further trauma from infection

Mag film

• In particular, it is the type that exhibits a heavy buckle, not necessarily just regular magnetic film

Film Preservation

• Damaged acetate is more prone to further dimensional deformation
• High binder coating on single sided material can lead to such issues.

Mold on Tape

• Playing them may result in a transfer to your VTR
• Prevent this by not playing it, or utilizing a professional machine to do the cleaning if you have one

Steps to Ensure a Proper Experience

• Start, and stop, when it comes to the digitization of magnetic tape
• You should also, use the process of logging meta data, inspect, and clean the tape

Steps to Take During an Experience (optical tape)

• For proper playback, use unique identifiers which should be properly linked to a database
• When it comes to a large scale project, using unique identifiers is an important function and necessity