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The preservation of high-definition video data at the USC Digital Repository: The Television Academy Foundation’s Interviews Collection
Journal of Digital Media Management,
13
(1),
44-58
(2024)
Abstract
This paper presents a comprehensive case study examining a large-scale video migration project carried out by the USC Digital Repository involving oral history interviews from the Television Academy Foundation, captured in high-definition video (HDV). Unlike the more-widely compatible MiniDV format, HDV poses unique challenges due to its distinct format standard, rendering many open source toolsets geared towards capturing DV content incompatible. Consequently, this leaves archivists to rely on unsupported, proprietary tools, exacerbating the complexities inherent in large-scale migrations. Before presenting the troubleshooting process, this paper provides an overview of The Foundation’s Interviews collection, which includes over 900 interviews spanning over 3,000 hours of catalogued and publicly accessible first-hand accounts of television industry pioneers and professionals. Subsequently, the paper delves into the technical intricacies of the HDV format and the challenges of migrating data from HDV. It examines the strategies considered for identifying and addressing corrupt data, alongside implemented solutions aimed at balancing data authenticity with usability in the face of inevitable corruption occurrences throughout the collection. This study not only sheds light on the challenges inherent in preserving HDV content but also offers guidance for future endeavours seeking to safeguard valuable cultural and historical materials in similar formats.
Keywords: digital preservation; digital video; HDV; miniDV; videotape; audiovisual preservation
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Jenni Matz is the Director of The Interviews: An Oral History of Television for the Television Academy Foundation, where she is responsible for oversight of the programme, staff and budget. Jenni is also the Project Manager for the National Endowment for the Humanities Digital Preservation & Access grant, which is partially funding the preservation project. She has previously worked as a digital archivist for the Television Academy Foundation, the project archivist for the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College, and as an archivist for the University Archives and Special Collections, University of Massachusetts Boston. Jenni holds an MLIS from Simmons College and a JD from Southwestern Law School.
Nicholas Camardo is a digital imaging and content manager at the USC Digital Repository, where he is responsible for managing audiovisual transfer operations. Prior to this, Nicholas worked as a video archivist and post-production specialist at USC. Nicholas holds a dual BA in media and communication and digital cultures and technologies from St. John Fisher University, and an MA in cinema and media studies from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Alan Auyeung is a video archivist and post-production specialist at the USC Digital Repository, where he oversees media collection migration, transfer area of broadcast video equipment setup, and machine maintenance. Prior to joining USC, Alan worked as an electronic technician at a post-production technical support service provider. He also has experience in post-production systems and equipment repair, maintenance and troubleshooting.
Jossel Franco is a digital archivist at the Television Academy Foundation. Jossel manages the preservation of the analogue component of The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, which contains long-form interviews with esteemed professionals from the television industry. She holds a BA in history from Augsburg University and an MLIS from Simmons University.
Erica Titkemeyer is a consultant for Myriad Consulting & Training. Erica has been working with the Television Academy Foundation since 2020, advising on grant-writing, target preservation specifications, file transcoding, metadata modelling and quality control practices. They are also Archives Systems and Technology Manager for the GBH Media Library and Archives.
Jenna Hymes is a senior digital archivist for the Television Academy Foundation. She oversees access and preservation for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television and manages the collection’s born-digital preservation process. She was previously the Digital Projects Manager for The Interviews, and has worked at the UCLA Library and the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary. She holds an MLIS from Syracuse University and an MFA in creative writing from Queens College.
