AIC's 42nd Annual Meeting

For original archival audiovisual materials, the recorded signal must be reformatted in order to remain accessible. During playback and reformatting, errors become apparent, but how can we determine if an error is inherent to the original recording, was the result of an imperfect transfer, or the result of file corruption? How can we tell if it is a sign of equipment malfunction or media damage and how do we know if it can be remedied?

Conservators working with audiovisual content need to be able to reliably identify such errors, but often lack formal training in audio and video engineering and may not be familiar or comfortable with its terminology. The need to understand and communicate about technical anomalies is particularly important when working with reformatting service providers.

The A/V Artifact Atlas (AVAA) addresses these challenges. Originated by the Stanford Media Preservation Lab and the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), the A/V Artifact Atlas is a community-oriented living glossary of video and audio reformatting errors and artifacts, with vetted descriptions, proposed remedies, and the goal of producing a common language for media preservation professionals. The AVAA URL is: http://preservation.bavc.org/artifactatlas.

In this session we will present the AVAA, highlighting special efforts underway, including a NEH-grant funded initiative led by BAVC, to enhance the Atlas contents and extend its utility as a resource for educators, students, and practitioners. We will also give a brief demonstration of QCTOOLS, an open-source software tool developed to identify common reformatting errors, which is being developed in conjunction with the AVAA.