CBC is destroying its broadcast archives after they’re digitized
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Re: CBC is destroying its broadcast archives after they’re digitized
#2[Edit: See comment for correction that explains that Radio-Canada includes TV. I'll leave this here because some of the info is valid]
From the article: It also questioned why Radio-Canada was preserving its master recordings after making digital copies but CBC had opted to rely only on digital copies
This statement shows a lack of understanding of the problem. Old audio recordings can still be played. Old video recordings from the early VTRs[1] are going to be unplayable soon: the people who have the skill to refurbish an old VTR are well into retirement age now. There are only a handful of the original VTRs still operating.
Re: CBC is destroying its broadcast archives after they’re digitized
#3[Edit: See comment for correction that explains that Radio-Canada includes TV. I'll leave this here because some of the info is valid] From the article: It also questioned why Radio-Canada was preserving its master recordings after making digital copies but CBC had opted to rely only on digital copies This statement shows a lack of understanding of the problem. Old audio recordings can still be played. Old video reco…
Radio-Canada is the french language arm of the CBC. It is television and radio, not just audio.
Re: CBC is destroying its broadcast archives after they’re digitized
#4To play Devil's advocate, keeping the originals isn't just keeping, it means a commitment to maintaining them in an environmentally controlled space, following all fire prevention standards, in an organized fashion. It's easy to see why they would be wanting to cut down those costs to zero, especially due to forthcoming digitization and storage costs.
On the other hand, it's also clearly an issue of controlling who has access to the material - I highly doubt it will be simply dumped online for free. So once you take it out of the live, high maintenance archive, you will not throw it in the rubbish or donate them to a friendly NGO, since that might limit your ability to control it in the future.
Re: CBC is destroying its broadcast archives after they’re digitized
#5To play Devil's advocate, keeping the originals isn't just keeping, it means a commitment to maintaining them in an environmentally controlled space, following all fire prevention standards, in an organized fashion. It's easy to see why they would be wanting to cut down those costs to zero, especially due to forthcoming digitization and storage costs. On the other hand, it's also clearly an issue of controlling who h…
Yes.
Magnetic tape is hard to keep. Film is even harder, it is flammable and decays as well. Needs controlled atmosphere to keep well.
Re: CBC is destroying its broadcast archives after they’re digitized
#6I'm sure somebody would buy at least some of them if they were on offer
Re: CBC is destroying its broadcast archives after they’re digitized
#7I'm sure somebody would buy at least some of them if they were on offer
Letting random people take ownership of various chunks is—in all practical respects—identical to destroying them. This stuff is expensive and complicated to archive long term.
Re: CBC is destroying its broadcast archives after they’re digitized
#8To play Devil's advocate, keeping the originals isn't just keeping, it means a commitment to maintaining them in an environmentally controlled space, following all fire prevention standards, in an organized fashion. It's easy to see why they would be wanting to cut down those costs to zero, especially due to forthcoming digitization and storage costs. On the other hand, it's also clearly an issue of controlling who h…
An organisation is offerring to do the retention, as mentioned not only in the article itself, but directly in its subhead: "A charitable foundation asked CBC for time to find a storage space for the archive, but was turned down."
CBC are destroying the records regardless.
Re: CBC is destroying its broadcast archives after they’re digitized
#9To play Devil's advocate, keeping the originals isn't just keeping, it means a commitment to maintaining them in an environmentally controlled space, following all fire prevention standards, in an organized fashion. It's easy to see why they would be wanting to cut down those costs to zero, especially due to forthcoming digitization and storage costs. On the other hand, it's also clearly an issue of controlling who h…
And why do they want to keep it? Even old film has a low resolution, let alone magnetic media. Do they expect to be able to better digitalise the same media that will be in worse state (more decay) in a distant future?
Re: CBC is destroying its broadcast archives after they’re digitized
#10>He who controls the past controls the future.
Hard to see this as anything other than an attempt to minimize and erase Canadian culture, such as it is. Nice A / B with the french counterpart, where there is political will to bolster theirs.