IPTV (Iowa Public Television)
& Media Asset Archiving Project

Context
PBCore Integration
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As with most Public Television stations, Iowa PTV has a large archive of video programs dating back many decades. Likewise, the archives are in a "discoverable" mode, meaning an inventory of existing tape formats and titles needs to be undertaken.

IPTV has begun the process of cataloging their archives and converting tapes to contemporary digital formats. A committee is tackling the issues of asset prioritization, metadata cataloging methods, digital conversions, and convergence between the archive efforts and the regular production and playout systems within the station.

Currently, the inventory effort extends to locating WordPerfect and WordStar documents, as well as paper documents and index cards in offices and storage. As an interim measure, information is collected into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. From this preliminary discovery process, next step plans will be laid.

Facing IPTV is the common problem of 3/4 inch U-matic tapes. Is it possible to keep existing tape machines operational long enough that these tapes can be digitized before they disintegrate? Quad tapes are proven to be very costly to transform using off-site third-party services. One-inch tapes and the machines on which to play them are somewhat less of a concern.

But beyond the technical issues of format conversions lie the challenges of converging the archive, production, and broadcast playout servers (Omnibus) such that metadata can be shared across the systems. The hope is that traffic and program scheduling systems, such as Myers Information System's ProTrack (newly installed at IPTV in February of 2007), can be used to cross communicate between various workflows and station operations.

Iowa PTV values the PBCore metadata dictionary from at least three perspectives...

1. PBCore offers a wealth of authorities, picklists and vocabulary terms already well-researched and available to incorporate into the cataloging and data sharing systems they envision for the organization.
2. The XML Schema Definition specified in the PBCore XSD offers opportunities to data share between information systems.
3. Myers ProTrack traffic and program scheduling solutions can help centralize metadata management, especially if it allows the import and export of PBCore compliant metadata records, using the style sheet of the PBCore XSD, for broadcast related activities and requirements.
4. Other data gathering systems will undoubtedly exist within IPTV. PBCore can play a pivotal role in the design and roll-out of consistent and streamlined data cataloging and entry systems for the variety of users across the organization.

The larger picture at IPTV, as with many other Public Television stations, is defined by the ability to converge information across many internal and external services. As a sample of the circle of services, IPTV understands the value of being able to translate and share metadata amongst the various information management systems found within a station, for which PBCore may play a data translation role...

• Scheduling
• Viewer service
• Viewer notifications
• Membership
• Newsletter
• Adult and K-12 Educational Connections
• Information transferred to the web presence
• Listing services
• Generating logs for both analog and digital feeds/broadcasts
• Use of ProLink, a 3rd party service from Myers ProTrack, that vets and revises metadata from PBS PODS program offers to enhance its accuracy and usability before passing that information to other station systems
• VOD services and opportunities

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