SBC consolidates and digitises its archives
Published: MEA
SAUDI ARABIA: A/V preservationist, Vectracom has been engaged by SBC (Saudi Broadcasting Corporation) to consolidate the metadata of 250,000 digital video clips, while digitising 70,000 Betacam cassettes. The project aims to make SBC’s content more accessible.
The metadata enhancement project took place in Riyadh, on SBC premises, and was managed in conjunction with FGC (First Gulf Company) the local systems integrator that served as the main contractor. Data was reportedly retrieved from nine existing databases and consolidated into a single, secured repository. Vectracom engineers then made sure that information from the various databases was non-contradictory, verifying and enhancing the metadata. The metadata was finally sent to SBC’s content management system, once the work done had been validated.
An adapted graphic interface was developed by Vectracom to maximise efficiency in the validation and improvement of data, while a system of servers, client stations and bespoke applications allowed for the aggregation of clean metadata.
Vectracom deployed cart machines featuring monitoring software for the project to digitise 70,000 Betacam cassettes. The technical team followed the process of preparation, digitisation, quality control and validation.