Digital Video Commander

FAIN: PR-276897-21

MIPoPS (Seattle, WA 98104-1822)
Rachel Price (Project Director: May 2020 to February 2023)
Libby Hopfauf (Project Director: February 2023 to present)

A Tier II project to develop opensource software and training documentation for the preservation of digital videotape collections, a prevalent format from the mid-1980s to the late 2000s for recording news broadcasts, home movies, oral histories, and artistic and ethnographic performances.

The Digital Video Commander project seeks to reframe the paradigm of preservation as it applies to digital moving images, rather than adopting the practices used for analog videotape. It will do so by developing open source software, facilitating user testing, and creating documentation, which will result in intuitive, comprehensive and automated data migration techniques.

Associated Products

Deck Control! (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Deck Control!
Author: Rice, Dave
Abstract: The Digital Video Commander project seeks to reframe the entire paradigm of preservation when applied to digital videotapes rather than adopt upon the practices used for analog videotape. Capturing the contents of a digital videotape does not need to be as restrained as attempting to record an ideal, singular presentation of a videotape, but there is a potential that such effort could mimic the more accurate data transfers of hard drives or sectored optical discs where the quality of the data transferred could be verified piece-by-piece and retried as needed to create a more accurate result. During the NEH R&D funded project, DV Rescue, MIPoPS has found that digitization software does not need to solely work as a diligent scribe that documents the contents recorded on legacy videotapes, but that such software can take control of the hardware, guide the user, automate actions, and orchestrate the entire reformatting event. Such an approach requires skilled development, but the results place this essential preservation practice within reach for more collecting institutions who would benefit from it while producing more accurate representations of digital videotape contents than is currently feasible with more traditional workflows. Additionally, whereas expert calibration of analog signals is essential for presenting data loss while digitizing analog videotapes, the opposite is somewhat true for digital videotapes, where signal manipulation of the digital videotape decoding adds generational loss rather than accuracy. We see that the characteristics of digital videotape provide an opportunity for automation, ease, and increased accuracy within the preservation of digital videotapes and the potential to promote project results in a way that reduces barriers for institutions seeking to establish in-house audiovisual preservation services. In this presentation we will highlight the research, trials and documentation undertaken and created to facilitate deck control.
Date: 2022-10-26
Primary URL: https://www.youtube.com/live/Ay4C1VSHX5w?feature=share&t=8880
Primary URL Description: Video recording the No Time to Wait 2022 conference. Digital Video Commander presentation begins at 02:28:00.
Secondary URL: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-RvTBYyWCRbENXoSMwPJQtaybW1HuEP1tPjWlfgw8wY/edit#gid=0
Secondary URL Description: No Time to Wait 2022 conference program
Conference Name: No Time to Wait 2022 Conference

Experimentation, Innovation, and Working Openly: Advancing Audio Preservation Techniques (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Experimentation, Innovation, and Working Openly: Advancing Audio Preservation Techniques
Author: Rice, Dave
Author: Roe, Bryce
Author: Félix, Pedro
Abstract: This panel examines what happens behind-the-scenes in the advancements in audio preservation techniques, highlighting a beloved audio format: DAT tape. As software and hardware obsolescence and material degradation challenge DAT preservation, the presenters will review historical approaches to preserve DAT tape recordings and examine approaches to innovate through research and experimentation, community involvement, and the development of open source tools in order to offset and address these challenges. Dave Rice's part of the panel used findings from the Digital Video Commander project to inform DAT preservation research.
Date: 2022-09-29
Primary URL: https://2022.iasa-web.org/programme
Primary URL Description: Link to session listing in the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) 2022 conference program
Secondary URL: https://iasa.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2023/collection_resources/82271?collection_resource_file_id=170464
Secondary URL Description: Link to the recorded session at the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) 2022 Conference.
Conference Name: International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) 2022 Conference

DVRescue! Lessons Learned and Outcomes from Battling DV Obsolescence (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: DVRescue! Lessons Learned and Outcomes from Battling DV Obsolescence
Author: Hopfauf, Libby
Author: Rice, Dave
Author: Weaver, Andrew
Abstract: DV videotape formats face an exceptional obsolescence risk. Falling in-between professional expertise in file-based digital preservation and analog videotape digitization, DV tapes are best preserved by migrating the data from the tape into a file rather than handling them as a video digitization event. This panel will review the past two years of work on the DVRescue project. Funded by the NEH, DVRescue worked to research DV preservation and create new tools and documentation to facilitate the efficient transfer of data from tape to file. The presenters will demonstrate current versions of the tool, research conclusions, methods for troubleshooting, as well as how they will utilize findings to inform future work.
Date: 2022-09-29
Primary URL: https://iasa.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2023/collection_resources/78095
Primary URL Description: Link to the prerecorded session at the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) 2022 Conference as part of the on-demand conference program.
Secondary URL: https://2022.iasa-web.org/programme
Secondary URL Description: Link to the on-demand session listing in the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) 2022 conference program.
Conference Name: International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) 2022 Conference (Mexico City, Mexico)

DVRescue: The Community Speaks (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: DVRescue: The Community Speaks
Author: Rice, Dave
Author: Hopfauf, Libby
Author: Angeletti, Michael
Author: Belak, Brian
Author: Haydon, Kelly
Author: Lake, Tim
Author: Miller, Austin
Author: Morel, Morgan
Author: Turkus, Benjamin
Abstract: Since 2019, MIPoPS and RiceCapades has worked on the NEH funded DVRescue project, developing the procedures, tools and documentation to assist audiovisual archivists with preserving their DV videotapes. Through this work, we have developed, tested and modified a variety of tools and documentation that encompass a set of best practices we recommend to the greater archival community for all aspects of DV videotape preservation, including capturing, troubleshooting, analyzing, and quality control. The DVRescue team will provide some updates on the project and demonstrate the latest builds. Members of the archival community participating in the DVRescue project will describe their experience and practical application of the tools.
Date: 2022-12-08
Primary URL: https://amiaconference.net/amia-2022-program/
Primary URL Description: Link to AMIA 2022 conference program
Secondary URL: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1UKsx7icCYupULG-cPa37hD-yu2fBxP1RNAHnpsj68vs/edit?usp=sharing
Secondary URL Description: Link to presentation slides
Conference Name: Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) 2022

Introduction to DVRescue (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Introduction to DVRescue
Author: Rice, Dave
Author: Hopfauf, Libby
Abstract: This webinar will be a training workshop to assist in audiovisual processing and quality control procedures for DV videotape formats at archival institutions. The workshop shall include a focus on capturing methods for DV, quality control of the result, and DV format particularities for packaging and access. Participants will gain hands-on experience learning how to use the DVRescue toolkit for capture, quality control analysis, resolving artifacts, packaging videos for long term preservation, as well as other general best practices for working with DV. In addition, presenters will go over a summary of the overall research and deliverables of the DVRescue project — which were initially developed by MIPoPS and RiceCapades with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Date: 2022-11-16
Primary URL: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-dvrescue-tickets-415750249187
Primary URL Description: Link to webinar event listing
Secondary URL: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/introductiontodvrescue
Secondary URL Description: Link to webinar recording
Conference Name: AV Open Source Tools Series presented by the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA)

dvguidance (DVRescue documentation) (Web Resource)
Title: dvguidance (DVRescue documentation)
Author: Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound (MIPoPS)
Author: RiceCapades
Abstract: Documentation website for using the DVRescue tools.
Year: 2019
Primary URL: https://mipops.github.io/dvrescue/
Primary URL Description: Link to the final documentation website is being developed
Secondary URL: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/14sKKGQ3pr5g43Po5PNwBOTKINGqHETF-
Secondary URL Description: Link to the most current development docs in MIPoPS' Google Drive

DVRescue (Computer Program)
Title: DVRescue
Author: MIPoPS
Author: RiceCapades
Author: MediaArea
Abstract: DVRescue supports improving DV files that have already been created by allowing such files to be assessed, so that the software may selectively retry portions of the tape and incorporate any improvements into the existing file. Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities; designed and led by Dave Rice and the Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound (MIPoPS); developed by MediaArea.
Year: 2019
Primary URL: https://mediaarea.net/DVRescue
Primary URL Description: Link to releases of software on MediaArea's platform
Access Model: open acess
Programming Language/Platform: C++ (37.5%); QML (24.7%); NSIS (16.1%); Shell (16.0%); Objective-C (1.8%); QMake (1.6%); Other (2.3%)
Source Available?: Yes

DVRescue CLI daily builds (Computer Program)
Title: DVRescue CLI daily builds
Author: MIPoPS
Author: MediaArea
Author: RiceCapade
Abstract: Daily builds of the command line interface version of the DVRescue toolkit.
Year: 2019
Primary URL: https://old.mediaarea.net/download/snapshots/binary/dvrescue/
Access Model: open access
Programming Language/Platform: C++ (37.5%); QML (24.7%); NSIS (16.1%); Shell (16.0%); Objective-C (1.8%); QMake (1.6%); Other (2.3%)
Source Available?: Yes

Digital Video Commander (Computer Program)
Title: Digital Video Commander
Author: MediaArea
Author: MIPoPS
Author: RiceCapades
Abstract: The Digital Video Commander project seeks to reframe the entire paradigm of preservation when applied to digital videotapes rather than adopt upon the practices used for analog videotape. Capturing the contents of a digital videotape does not need to be as restrained as attempting to record an ideal, singular presentation of a videotape, but there is a potential that such effort could mimic the more accurate data transfers of hard drives or sectored optical discs where the quality of the data transferred could be verified piece-by-piece and retried as needed to create a more accurate result.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://github.com/mipops/digividcommander
Primary URL Description: Link to GitHub repository
Access Model: open access
Programming Language/Platform: C++ (99.4%); QMake (0.6%)
Source Available?: Yes

DVRescue GUI daily builds (Computer Program)
Title: DVRescue GUI daily builds
Author: MIPoPS
Author: RiceCapades
Author: MediaArea
Abstract: Daily builds for the graphic user interface version of the DVRescue toolkit.
Year: 2019
Primary URL: https://old.mediaarea.net/download/snapshots/binary/dvrescue-gui/
Primary URL Description: Link to the daily builds on MediaArea's platform
Access Model: open access
Programming Language/Platform: C++ (37.5%); QML (24.7%); NSIS (16.1%); Shell (16.0%); Objective-C (1.8%); QMake (1.6%); Other (2.3%)
Source Available?: Yes

Digital Video Commander Documentation (Web Resource)
Title: Digital Video Commander Documentation
Author: MIPoPS
Author: RiceCapades
Abstract: A set of resources, training videos and instructions for using the Digital Video Commander toolkit.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://mipops.github.io/digividcommander/
Primary URL Description: Link to documentation website

Digital Video Commander Cable Building Instructions (Web Resource)
Title: Digital Video Commander Cable Building Instructions
Author: Weaver, Andrew
Author: Rice, Dave
Author: Hopfauf, Libby
Abstract: This documentation will explain how to build your own Digital Video Commander Cable which allows your digital videotape decks to be controlled by a computer.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://mipops.github.io/digividcommander/sections/cableAssembly.html
Primary URL Description: Link to the website version of the documentation
Secondary URL: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/151RRFSEyesVj_i-s6wo_d1PiOWToqVWp?usp=drive_link
Secondary URL Description: Link to the downloadable PDF version of the documentation.

Digitization Double Takes (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Digitization Double Takes
Author: Hopfauf, Libby
Author: Rice, Dave
Abstract: Historically, the video deck plays, the computer records, and a single recording is born. But what if … using a combination of techniques (such as deck control, multi-pass captures, live analysis, and frame merging) a series of complete and partial tape playbacks can produce a more accurate and authentic result than a single playback? This presentation will examine situations and opportunities where videotape digitization techniques can be improved by an interactivity between computer and video deck. The presenters will review multiple projects and use cases, such as DVRescue and Digital Video Commander, where the coordination of deck control, digitization, and consolidation can facilitate better transfer work.
Date: 2023-09-11
Primary URL: https://sched.co/1Nt9r
Primary URL Description: Link to the presentation listing in the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) / International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) 2023 conference program. About the conference: The International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) and International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance (ICTMD) was a joint event held from 11-15 September, 2023 at the Istanbul University in Istanbul, Türkiye. The 54th IASA Annual Conference and the 4th ICTMD Forum included spoken papers, posters, panel discussions, keynotes, exhibitors, the General Assembly, and Committee & Section meetings; professional tours, and a social program including an opening reception, a conference dinner, workshops and tutorials.
Secondary URL Description: Once the recording of the presentation is uploaded, the link to the recording will be added above. About IASA: The International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) was established in 1969 in Amsterdam to function as a medium for international co-operation between archives that preserve recorded sound and audiovisual documents. IASA members represent a diverse range of collection interests, including music, folklore, oral history, historical and broadcast recordings, and are leaders in the development of good practice and the dissemination of information on collection development and access, documentation and metadata, copyright and ethics, and conservation and preservation. IASA follows closely the progress of technology and the association’s members can call upon a pool of expertise for help and advice on digitization and with problems arising from the use of computer storage systems for heritage collections.
Conference Name: International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) 2023 Conference (Istanbul, Türkiye)

Digitization Double Takes (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Digitization Double Takes
Author: Hopfauf, Libby
Author: Rice, Dave
Abstract: Historically, the video deck plays and the computer records and a single recording is born. But what if … using a combination of techniques, such as deck control and multiple capture passes, the digitization is made from a series of complete and partial tape playbacks rather than just a single one? This presentation will examine situations where a multiple-pass approach to videotape digitization can provide a more accurate and complete result rather a singular one. The presenters will also review multiple projects, such as DVRescue and Digital Video Commander, which coordinate deck control and digitization with live assessment of the transfer to facilitate better transfer work.
Date: 2023-11-15
Primary URL: https://amiaconference.net/amia-2023-program/
Primary URL Description: Link to the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) 2023 conference program. As the world’s largest international association of professional media archivists, the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) is uniquely poised to bring together a broad range of experts. Members represent corporate and national archives, media companies, libraries, historical societies, labs, post production, universities, and more. Because of this diverse membership, AMIA provides an opportunity to interact with every facet of the field and a single forum to address the best ways to preserve and provide access to our media heritage in digital and analog formats.
Secondary URL Description: If the presentation is selected for recording, the link will be added above once AMIA has posted the video.
Conference Name: Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) 2023 Conference (Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA)

Workshop W1: Community Archiving Workshop Istanbul (part 3) (Conference/Institute/Seminar)
Title: Workshop W1: Community Archiving Workshop Istanbul (part 3)
Author: Hix, Kelli
Author: Jay, Jackie
Author: Ming, CK
Author: Hopfauf, Libby
Author: Rice, Dave
Abstract: Community Archiving is a process whereby local community volunteers and audiovisual professionals partner to help an organization gain intellectual and physical control over an endangered moving image collection. The Community Archiving Workshop Collective proposes to conduct a workshop with a local organization in need of inventory and organization of their audiovisual collections in Istanbul, Turkey. In this workshop IASA conference attendees will be paired with community members for hands-on training in which participants learn to identify different media formats and risk factors, establish controlled vocabulary for description of audiovisual collections, and document and prioritize the collection for preservation. The outcome is to train workshop participants on the handling and care of audiovisual collections, to engage local community members in processing and describing their community’s audiovisual assets, and to process a small collection (approximately 200 assets) of recordings in preparation for preservation. Please note: While Hopfauf and Rice were not originally scheduled to participate in this workshop, they were asked by CAW to attend the 3rd part to provide a demonstration of DVRescue and capture DV videotapes from the community archive collection using their expertise, software and equipment.
Date Range: 2023-11-14
Location: International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) 2023 Conference (Istanbul, Türkiye)
Primary URL: https://sched.co/1Om15
Primary URL Description: Link to the workshop listing (part 3 of 3) in the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) / International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) 2023 conference program. The International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) and International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance (ICTMD) was a joint event held from 11-15 September, 2023 at the Istanbul University in Istanbul, Türkiye. The 54th IASA Annual Conference and the 4th ICTMD Forum included spoken papers, posters, panel discussions, keynotes, exhibitors, the General Assembly, and Committee & Section meetings; professional tours, and a social program including an opening reception, a conference dinner, workshops and tutorials.
Secondary URL Description: Once the recording is posted, the link to Hopfauf and Rice's participation in this workshop will be added above. The International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) was established in 1969 in Amsterdam to function as a medium for international co-operation between archives that preserve recorded sound and audiovisual documents. IASA members represent a diverse range of collection interests, including music, folklore, oral history, historical and broadcast recordings, and are leaders in the development of good practice and the dissemination of information on collection development and access, documentation and metadata, copyright and ethics, and conservation and preservation. IASA follows closely the progress of technology and the association’s members can call upon a pool of expertise for help and advice on digitization and with problems arising from the use of computer storage systems for heritage collections.

Workshop W3: Processing DV and Other Video from Digital Tape (Conference/Institute/Seminar)
Title: Workshop W3: Processing DV and Other Video from Digital Tape
Author: Hopfauf, Libby
Author: Rice, Dave
Abstract: This workshop will build upon the research and development of the DVRescue and Digital Video Commander projects, administered by MIPoPS, and funded by the NEH. Participants will learn how to analyze and process content originating from digital videotapes, perform restoration work, package results, handle closed captioning and timecode metadata, and prepare such videos for various access and preservation tasks. This workshop session was fully booked with 15 participants.
Date Range: 2023-09-14
Location: International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) 2023 Conference (Istanbul, Türkiye)
Primary URL: https://sched.co/1NtDg
Primary URL Description: Link to the workshop listing (part 1 of 2) in the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) / International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) 2023 conference program. The listing for part 2 of 2 can be found here: https://sched.co/1NtDj
Secondary URL Description: Footage was recorded of all IASA sessions and workshops, once the videos are posted, a link to related content will be added.

Digital Video Commander Cable Version 1 (Equipment)
Name: Digital Video Commander Cable Version 1
Description: An initial task for the Digital Video Commander Project involved building customized cables. So far, we have successfully established best practices and instructions for two versions of the cable. These cables enable remote control, as we have established with DVRescue for controlling DV decks using the 9-pin remote port on the back of any deck. Our prototype cable uses a USB to an RS 42 adapter, a 9-pin breakout board, and Raspberry Pi jumper cables to connect the two devices together with a custom mapping that works with the Sony 9-pin Protocol. These cables allow not only digital videotape decks to communicate remotely with the Sony 9-pin Command line tools, but enable basic operating functions to be executed for any connected decks such as play, fast forward rewind, stop and eject. The second thing that this interaction does is query the deck, asking it for information like the model name, the time code of the current frame and the settings of the deck.
Location: New York, NY, USA
Year: 2021

Digital Video Commander Cable Version 2 (Equipment)
Name: Digital Video Commander Cable Version 2
Description: An initial task for the Digital Video Commander Project involved building customized cables. So far, we have successfully established best practices and instructions for two versions of the cable. These cables enable remote control, as we have established with DVRescue for controlling DV decks using the 9-pin remote port on the back of any deck. Both of these cables are relatively inexpensive and straightforward to assemble. For both, we have developed documentation that includes a list of supplies, your wiring map and step by step assembly instructions. Instructions for building these cables can be found on the Digital Video Commander Documentation website, along with instructions for setting up connections between desks and computers for all operating systems and draft documentation. Version 2 of the cable (when compared with the prototype) is a more durable and sleek design similar to the other various AV cables we are used to.
Location: New York, NY, USA / Seattle, WA, USA
Year: 2022

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