Date : Sat, 23 Feb 2002.23:27:34 +0000 [*]
From : news@...
Subject: Re: BBC Domesday on the telly
>news@... wrote:
> >
> > > On Wednesday JISC (Joint Information Systems Commitee) is
> > > holding a press launch for the Digital Preservation
> > > Coalition
> > > (http://www.jisc.ac.uk/dner/preservation/prescoalition.html).
> >
> > > As part of the launch I produced a press release
> > > describing BBC Domesday as
> > > an example of the loss of digital materials thru hardware
> > > and software obsolecence (and hence the need for digital
> > > preservation work).
> >
> > With the exception of the huge laser disc players,I wouldn't count them
> > as obsolete!
>
> Well that depends on how you interpret the word obsolete.
>
> The Domesday system requires not just the Videodisc player but a specially
> modified Master as well. Given that not many were manufactured and hence not
> many are still around today (and even less that are still working)
You could modify a 'normal' master,since tracking for the genlock circuitry
is on all the motherboards.The VFS ROM is somewhere on the "BBC Lives!" as
I recall.
The interface to the laser disc could prove more tricky...
> > There are a good few still about and working,I'd imagine it wouldn't be
> > too hard to suck the image off the laser disc and hack something together
> > in an emulator,
>
> Not necessarily as easy as you think, but I'm hoping we'll have it done by
> the summer.
>From what I remember Acorn implemented a full filing system in VFS,so some
BASIC to recursively transmit the files over Econet or the serial port would
seem the most obvious solution.
Also,OSWords &60 to &64 are worth a look.
> The problems aren't just technical tho - the first obstacle is
> legal. We certainly won't be able to give access to anyone. It'll be up to
> someone else (maybe the BBC or the British Library perhaps) to pay the
> relevant people and then provide access...
Ah,yes,I'd forgotton about the BBC getting upset.Still,that doesn't stop
you doing the work - just from making it public!
Sprow.