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From single-carrier sound archive to BWF online archive - A new optimized workstation concept
Abstract
For safeguarding and restoring single-carrier sound archives to the platform-independent "eternal" broadcast wave format (BWF) files stores in online robotic archives an automated quality-supervising scalable audio workstation was developed. The advantage of this concept is that the digitized sound signal is stored in the BWF file together with any additional information of interest, such as quality protocol cue sheet, or coding history. The DAW was designed as an "intelligent" partner to assist the sound operator during the transfer from the analog domain to the digital domain, and it relieves the operator from time- and money-consuming monotonous tasks.
... Similar observations are done in IASA [5], a ten sheet must-read paper for this topic. The benefits of using a networked radio station with digital mass storage versus using a conventional radio sound archive are broadly described in [4,6]. ...
... The information provided by these stages has been used as input to a statistical model that allows to estimate the error probabilities of the digitisation process. The appearance of errors in a sound archive digitization has already been analysed in [6], where errors are classified as errors caused by recording and rerecording equipment, errors caused by medium (for example, tape or record), and error caused by operator. A system for real-time audio analysis of the digital data stream is incorporated to the digitization process, that generates reports and statistical measurements. ...
... A system for real-time audio analysis of the digital data stream is incorporated to the digitization process, that generates reports and statistical measurements. The sound archive digitization project described in [6] does not include a model of the detection of errors that would permit to estimate the probability of erroneous digitization. This paper tackles this problem. ...
The 20th century Spanish sound history can now be consulted online. This is a pioneer project in the broadcasting industry around the world. The Radio Nacional de España (RNE) sound archive has been massively digitized and several applications to access this information online have been developed. This archive is considered the most important audio archive in Spanish language in the world. Special innovation has been used in developing a statistical model to estimate the probability of error in the digitisation process, for a given confidence probability. Several kinds of errors have been considered, like human errors, mechanical errors, software errors or support errors. The results of the statistical model allows to say that the probability of error is lower than 0.3% for a confidence probability of 99.999%.
An automated digital audio archive can be realized based on digital and information technology components. Numerous advantages can be achieved from this approach, including retrieval and browsing functions for geographically-located users, on-line availability of the content materials to in-house users, archive area reduction, minimal manual handling of the media, and automated maintenance functions. The software application for system integration has to be tailored to the specific needs of the broadcasters and must be custom-made. The development and adoption of standard file formats with audio materials and associated information will help assemble the components from different vendors and integrate the archiving with editing and on-air operations.
This article provides a brief introduction to the new Broadcast Wave Format (BWF) file which has been developed by the EBU - in close collaboration with the audio industry - to facilitate the interchange of programme material between audio workstations.