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Re: [ARSCLIST] Infinite digital storage
----- Original Message -----
From: <Mwcpc6@xxxxxxx>
In a message dated 10/13/2007 12:59:37 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
However, as we digitize movies (including their soundtracks...!) it is
easy
to see
that we have needs for more storage and/or larger archives...anyone out
there
want to hazard a guess of the size of "The complete archive of motion
pictures,
189?-1960"...?
Steven C. Barr
*************
I recently attended a local SMPTE session at Kodak demonstrating their
Digital Cinema system. The original "digital negative" (uncompressed TIFF
files of
each frame) of a feature film takes only 7 or 8 terrabytes, usually
archived
on data tape. The JPEG2000 lossless compression files used for
distribution
are much less than a terrabyte and easily distributed on hard drives to
theaters at far less cost than a 35 mm print.
The quality in the laboratory setting was far better than I've seen in a
theater recently; no dust, scratches or visible grain, or any digital
artifacts
that I could see. This, of course, includes color, multi-track sound, and
even 3D!
A server somewhat larger than a desktop computer can handle the all of
the
runs of a ten screen cineplex with each film occupying a hard disc slot.
JPEG2000 lossless is being considered adaquate for archival purposes for
film, so it is possible to calculate the size and cost of a digital
archive of
feature films now, and of course the cost will keep decreasing.
And if you are willing to accept compression losses, the files can be made
about as small as you want.
Interesting...but LOSSLESS compression? Closest I have seen to that is/was
"Zipping"
dBASE files, since much of their content is sequences of spaces (Chr(20))
which can be
easily replaced by something identifying the number of such bytes...!
However, considering that we may soon see hard drives containing
quintillions of bytes
(whatever unit THAT is...?!), one never knows...do one?!
At some point, the capacity of "current" hard drives may be a number of
available bytes
equalling the number of atoms in a smallish object...at which point working
definitions
of solid objects may be digitized and saved thusly...?!
...stevenc