Date   : Fri, 01 Mar 2002 10:22:52 +0000
From   : Paul Wheatley <p.r.wheatley@...>
Subject: Re: BBC Domesday on the telly

news@... wrote:
> 
> >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...

Thats the key problem I believe. 

Anyway, all of this is somewhat missing the point. Hardware has a finite
lifetime, and we want to preserve digital materials for the long term.
"Technology Preservation" is simply not going to do the job.

> 
> > > 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.

Serial port was so slow that it would take literally days to pull the digital
information off the discs. The next avenue to explore is connecting to the
videodisc player via SCSI.

> 
> > 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.

I believe the BBC have some interest in the work, but they aren't the owners
of the BBC Domesday material...

Cheers

Paul
-- 
UK Project Manager
CAMiLEON
http://www.si.umich.edu/CAMILEON/
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/camileon
0113 233 5830