[AV Media Matters] MiniDV archives?

[tony gardner <anthony.gardner@cec.eu.int>]

Have you considered the economics of a computer technology solution?
Copying via firewire to hard disc and from there to CD-R, DVD-R, zip drives,
removable hard drives,  other storage media or a data storage site (etc. -
depending on the length/size of a typical archive item) technically provide
transparent solutions.
These options give you good access to the material.
I don't think any of the above are real preservation formats for all the
reasons so often discussed, but use two different ones in parallel and you
are pretty secure for quite a while. DV as a format is of course well
established in the consumer and semi-professional grey areas, so you are
pretty sure of being able to play them back in the medium future.

The medium term future of SP as a format must now be in serious doubt. To
invest in it now as a new format in your archives seems to me to be ill
advised.

Tony Gardner
European Commission Video Library
Brussels