Quality control and traceability in the digitization of audiovisual collections
In an audiovisual collection, every item is a unique document. Digitizing it properly means being able to show what was done with each one: where it has been, who handled it, what it contains and what condition it was in. At Videoconversion we guarantee this with our own lab in Barcelona and no subcontracting, unique identification of every item from arrival, a full check of each one with its own report, and a documented, auditable process. This is how we have worked for TV3-CCMA (12,500 tapes), UNED (16,000 reels) and La Liga (more than 12,000 tapes).
1. Why traceability matters as much as the image
Quality digitization is not just a good picture. For an archive, a library, a university or a broadcaster, the result has to fit into its documentation system and answer specific questions: which item each file is, whether it is complete, what problems the original carrier had and who was involved in the process.
Without that information, the digitized collection loses value as a record. That is why we treat traceability as part of the work, not as an extra.
2. Custody: the material never leaves our premises
The whole process takes place in our lab, with our own staff, and we do not subcontract any stage. The material only leaves to go back to the institution. We have worked with full confidentiality since 2004.
- •A single custodian: the institution always knows who holds its material.
- •Confidentiality: content never passes through third parties, which is essential for collections with sensitive or rights-protected material.
3. Unique identification of every item
Every item receives a unique identifier when it enters the lab, linked to its batch and order, which stays with the item and its container throughout the process. That identifier unambiguously links the physical carrier, its digital file and its report.
If the institution already has its own shelf mark or inventory number, we keep it and include it in the file naming and the metadata.
4. Full check of every item
Every item is checked from start to finish: image, sound and sync. It is not sampling. Capture is done on broadcast equipment with a time base corrector (TBC), and the original capture copy is kept intact; delivery adjustments are always made on a copy.
- •Integrity: we check that the content has been captured in full and that audio and video stay in sync from beginning to end.
- •Carrier issues: stretches with no signal, original damage and any other particularity that should be recorded are logged.
- •Prepared delivery: delivery copies are prepared without empty stretches or technical signals unrelated to the content, with balanced sound, and without losing anything that was recorded.
5. Per-item reports and an auditable process
Every item has its own quality control report: content length, representative frames, status (“correct”, “with notes” or “with original damage”) and notes. Internally, every step is logged with date and person responsible, so the process is documented and auditable.
Reports are delivered together with the files and can be adapted to the institution’s inventory format.
6. Metadata and content description
Besides the technical data of each file, we can deliver a description of each item’s content (shot log, transcript, people, places and topics) in documentation standards such as PBCore and METS, using our analysis tool Annalysis Media. The digitized collection is then searchable and ready to catalogue from day one.
7. How we start a project
- 1.Meeting and inventory: which formats, how many items, in what condition and with which priorities.
- 2.Pilot: a small batch with its reports, to validate quality, naming and metadata together.
- 3.Batch digitization: on an agreed schedule, with each batch tracked.
- 4.Delivery and verification: files, reports and metadata, and return of the originals checked item by item.
Frequently asked questions
Do you subcontract any part of the process?
No. Everything is done in our lab in Barcelona with our own staff, from reception to the return of the originals.
Do you check every item or only a sample?
Every item, from start to finish. Each one has its own quality control report.
Can we use our own shelf mark or inventory number?
Yes. We include it in the file naming and the metadata, alongside our internal identifier.
Do you deliver descriptive metadata?
Yes, optionally: shot log, transcript and content description in standards such as PBCore and METS.
Can we run a test before commissioning the whole collection?
Yes, we recommend starting with a pilot batch to validate quality, naming and metadata together.
Let’s talk about your collection
We will propose a pilot batch with its reports so you can check quality and traceability before deciding.