Getting Started With Video Digitization Brendan Roney Senior Digitization Technician Detroit Historical Society

The Detroit Video History Archive

Media

File Formats and Codecs Technology and practices are still evolving, so there is no present perfect solution.

SD Preservation/Master Video Codecs JPEG2000 Can Be Lossless (Mathematically or Visually) Intra-Frame Used by LoC and in Digital Cinema Packages Closed Source Good Support, but Varied Implementations No Real Time Playback FFV1 Lossless Intra-Frame Adopted by the UK’s National Archives Open Source Not Supported by Most NLE Programs

JPEG2000 Containers MXF Quicktime Used By LoC and in Digital Cinema Packages Because the Standard Is Film-Focused it has Poor Support for Interlaced Video. Theoretically Mathematically Lossless. NLE Support Is Still In Its Infancy. Quicktime Supports Interlaced Video Hidden as a “Legacy Codec” Visually Lossless at Maximum Settings Widely Supported

Preservation/Master Audio Codec Uncompressed 48000 Hz – DVD standard, dictated by capture device 16-bit – Initially dictated by capture device

Access/Service Codecs and Container Concerns Native Resolution Support for Interlacing Widely Used, Including by Potential Licensees .H264/AAC in a Quicktime Container Matches Blu-Ray/YouTube Specifications Quicktime Encoder Options are Straightforward

Compression and File Sizes Uncompressed 1.2 GB/minute Master (JPEG2000/Uncompressed Audio, QT container) 0.6 GB/minute Service (H.264/AAC, QT container) ~40 MB/minute

The Basics: Capture Device Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle Supports Composite, S-Video, and Component Captures Uncompressed 10-bit YUV 4:2:2 Thunderbolt vs USB 3 ($239 vs $199) AJA Kona Lhi Highly Recommended, but… $1500

Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle

The Basics: Time Base Corrector AVT-8710 Smooths the rough edges of analog signals Potentially unnecessary if you have a studio quality VHS or U-Matic deck with a built-in TBC $270

The Basics: Software Capture Software Editing and Compression Software Blackmagic Media Express included with Shuttle Editing and Compression Software Avid Suite Color Space Issues with Quicktime’s JPEG2000 Adobe Suite Pricing Model Initially an Obstacle

VHS Equipment: VCR Don’t sweat the number of heads! Super VHS and S-Video JVC or Panasonic Don’t forget the remote! Settings: Edit Mode SP Enhancements Audio “Enhancements” EBay! Our model: JVC HR-S4600U

VHS Set-Up

Set-Up With Makeshift RF Shielding

U-Matic Equipment: U-Matic Deck Dub Out Check head hours (if possible) Some models feature integrated Time Base Correctors Consult umatic.palsite.com/mode ls.html for features (but note slightly differing model numbers) Sony VO-9850

U-Matic Equipment: The Dub Cable

U-Matic Equipment: Transcoder Turns video output from U-Matic deck’s dub connector into a standard S-Video signal DIY Alternatives are possible for the brave. DPS-210

U-Matic Equipment: Audio level Interface For U-Matic decks that only have XLR audio outputs. Steps the voltage down from the XLR audio outputs to the level of standard RCA jacks. Simple adapters exist, but they don’t actually work.

U-Matic Set-Up

U-Matic Set-Up