The Best Options for HD Video Duplication and Archiving

Lightning Media provides standard- and high-definition duplication services, including DVD authoring, encoding, digitizing, file transfers, digital storage, and SD and HD editing.
Bruce Friedman is a 25-year veteran of the production, post-production, and duplication industries and has extensive experience working with HD digital cinema mastering. He’s also worked freelance production on several independent movies and commercials.

Q: We still see a lot of 3/4-inch analog and Digital Betacam (“Digibeta”) tapes in use today. How do you account for that longevity?
A: The longevity seen in some of the older tape formats like 3/4-inch is very dependent on how they have been stored. Not all of them actually maintain their quality. Some of the tapes we get from clients are from the 70s and 80s, and we see many of the 3/4-inch masters come in with "shedding" oxide.

This means the actual magnetic oxide particles start falling off the tape base. The oxide is the program and, as it falls off the tape, it interferes with the machines playing it back to the point where it may be unusable. This problem is not a typical problem in Digital Betacam, as it is a new format and has a different base on it to record content. Additionally, Digibeta is a newer and higher-quality format than 3/4-inch. As a result, the materials on Digital Betacam are often better cared for and still viable today. I believe DigiBeta will be around for quite some time. I’d encourage owners of 3/4-inch masters to get them protected as soon as possible.

Q: It seems that an increasing number of documentaries and independent features are being shot with HDV equipment. Is this trend due solely to the cost of the equipment?
A: The heavy use of HD equipment in documentaries and independent films is probably due mostly to the cost savings, at least on the production side. The size of some of the HD equipment also gives storytellers the ability to get these smaller HD cameras into places that would be more difficult for larger type shooting formats. And HDV yields great picture quality. Lightning Media is seeing more and more filmmakers shooting on the HDV format. We have supported this format for a few years now.

Finally, much of the HDV equipment is designed to be captured and edited on home equipment-it’s a simple prosumer solution that offers cost-effective, high (enough) quality.

Q: When dubbing 1/2-inch or larger HD footage to the smaller HDV format, is there a loss of quality?
A: Yes, there typically is a loss of quality primarily due to the higher compression rate of the smaller formats.

Q: What's the best way to prepare footage for duplication?
A: This depends on what the nature of the footage is. If we are speaking of production footage and camera tapes or storage, it is important to follow the same long-established production guidelines, regardless of format. This includes making sure time code is continuous without breaks. This is important for many edit systems. If the audio is clean and if a secondary audio device is used that matches the time code, consider final display formats when framing shots; is it for 16×9 or 4×3, or what computer resolution is it for?

Q: What format do you prefer your clients bring in as the master?
A: Generally speaking we accept all types of formats, and we do not prefer any specific format. As a rule of thumb, the larger formats are usually a bit more robust. Additionally, the higher-end formats usually have decks that are set up with a post-production workflow in mind. This can help make the post-production work go more efficiently, thus being cost-effective.

Q; What's the best format for archiving footage for long-term storage?

A: The one format that has very few variables and is proven and reliable is film. It has been around the longest and, to this day, we can extract picture and sound from elements created over 50 years ago. Videotape has been around for much longer than disc or media storage, so it is a more known entity and professionals have an expectation of shelf life and longevity.

The current trend and desire is to archive digitally. The issue is that there are different compression algorithms, digital file formats, storage methods, drives, discs, tape, etc. Furthermore, it is ever-changing and evolving, so there is no consistency.