EBU Members frequently have been seeking advice on the technology to use for setting up digital archives. This Group addressed those requests. It was closed after finishing its report.

Background

The continuous improvements of storage technology, the switch to digital HDTV production and the connection of archives to online outlets, had given rise to questions on audio & video formats, compression, media types, containers, metadata, integration, future proofness, costs, etc.

These questions covered a wide range of technologies and expertise. The EBU P/DATA Group focussed on a specific subset, namely: the integration of archives in (existing) production environments. Where ‘archives’ concentrated on long-term preservation of audio-visual content.

The P/DATA Group held a large survey under broadcasters and other organisations. The results of this work was published in the EBU Archive Report 2010 ( EBU Technical Report 006). The P/DATA Group was closed in 2011.