
During the peak of the classical age, Alexandria was the cultural lighthouse of the Western world. The Egyptian city led the science and art trends thanks to its cultural and scientific agora. This frenetic activity gravitated towards a building, a place where archivists glossed the papyrus shelves containing all the knowledge of the time. We are talking about the Library of Alexandria.
If this building were still standing nowadays (several fires destroyed it after decades of abandonment), digital audiovisual content files would be included. Since its invention, video has become an essential knowledge and cultural transfer format. Therefore, in 2005 UNESCO proclaimed the commemoration of World Day for Audiovisual Heritage on October 27th. With this celebration, the organization pointed to the relevance of Media Preservation of this cultural, social and historical material.
Nowadays, video is key for education, public institutions and our daily activities, as well as essential to document our history. We can visit any WWII battle or historical events from the 20th century thanks to the video files that were recorded and filed. Furthermore, anyone can film any historical event nowadays thanks to smartphones. It is fundamental to preserve and catalog this Media for future generations to have reliable testimonies of history.
But that is not all video has achieved during this past century. It climbed to the Olympus of Art thanks to Cinema and Series. We can all recall masterpieces that are part of our cultural legacy. The film libraries and video archives work to preserve this art and give their best to save them from the tragic fate of the papyrus from the Library of Alexandria.
To avoid this disaster, documentalists worldwide work day by day to improve their archives. Digitalization of old files, a better catalog, and innovating with new metadata tools using AI are some of the actual trends. Each year, the top profiles of Media Asset Management gather together in the FIAT/IFTA Annual Conference to discuss and share the current advances.
Capitalizing on the audiovisual heritage
RTVE and BBC are two good examples of how a broadcaster can benefit from its archive, as they are public companies with a long history. The efforts of their documentalists allow their archives to witness the advances of British and Spanish society and the main historical events from both countries. This is an ongoing work, as both corporations are constantly trying to improve their archive with the latest technologies. For example, RTVE has been recently working with VSN on the application of Artificial Intelligent for automated content segmentation.
RTVE and BBC programs and professionals benefit from this effort. Both networks include a lot of content from their archive on their news and magazines to revisit their history. Recently, the BBC has gone a step further with the BBC Archives project. During the digitalization process of the network's broadcasting history, some of these collections were uploaded to the BBC's website. Viewers from all over the world can now enjoy any piece of an archive with over 15 million items available.
It is essential to have a well-preserved archive with a state-of-the-art MAM system like VSNExplorer MAM to facilitate access to this collection. Such a software solution allows us to catalog, search, locate, publish, distribute, preview and archive any kind of audiovisual content.
Thanks to MAM systems and thousands of documentalists, we can say that our audiovisual heritage is safe from disaster, but not completely. Therefore, it is necessary to remark the importance of Media Preservation every October 27th. We do not have a Library of Alexandria to host all the world's knowledge, but we can confidently rely on audiovisual archives all over the planet.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
09/04/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 09, April, 2026 - Yospace, the trusted leader in Dynam...
09/04/2026
just:play pro 2026 and just:live pro 2026 Sneak Preview News for NAB 2026
More Details:At NAB 2026, ToolsOnAir will showcase just:play pro 2026 and just:live p...
09/04/2026
just:in mac pro 2026 - The Next Level of Professional Recording on macOS at NAB ...
09/04/2026
Spotify has always been about putting listeners in the driver's seat. Today, people don't just want more ways to spend their time; they want that time t...
09/04/2026
Our Chief Public Affairs Officer Dustee Jenkins shares how we're building a more positive experience for families on Spotify.
As Spotify's Chief Public...
09/04/2026
Festival season is upon us. From sun-soaked weekends out west to iconic stages in Chicago and New York, fans are getting ready to see their favorite artists liv...
09/04/2026
O Spotify sempre teve como foco colocar os ouvintes no controle. Hoje, as pessoas n o querem apenas mais formas de passar o tempo - elas querem que esse tempo s...
09/04/2026
Read the original note in English here.
Nossa Chief Public Affairs Officer, Dustee Jenkins, compartilha como estamos construindo uma experi ncia mais positiva ...
09/04/2026
New synth focuses on sci-fi scoring
Following their formation and debut releases in December 2025, Smokestack Sounds - the brainchild of composer and produc...
09/04/2026
Latest version set for May 2026 launch
Reason Studios have revealed that the latest version of their DAW software will be launching in May 2026. Currently a...
09/04/2026
New EQ aimed at mix-bus & mastering duties
Shy Audio's first two releases focused on the past, delivering recreations of the budget mixers that were com...
09/04/2026
Based on John Galsworthy's novels known collectively as The Forsyte Saga a...
09/04/2026
The Forsytes has been renewed for a third season before the period drama has even premiered on PBS Masterpiece.
The adaptation of John Galsworthy's novel, ...
09/04/2026
IThe BBC has commissioned new drama The Witch Farm, starring Gabrielle Creevy (T...
09/04/2026
The next big thing To help broadcasters fully embrace dynamic hybrid workflows, Calrec will make a major announcement that unlocks even more freedom for broadca...
09/04/2026
Thursday 9 April 2026
Kick It Out and Sky extend ongoing partnership
Sky Sports and Kick It Out have extended their partnership for another year, as both orga...
09/04/2026
Thursday 9 April 2026
Justice turns deadly at sea as Jason Statham stars in new...
09/04/2026
The ATSC 3.0 standard , released on July 17, 2025, defines a comprehensive set of requirements for terrestrial next-generation TV broadcasting. Let's dive ...
09/04/2026
Enhancements Including MCP Connectivity, Intelligent Video Asset Orchestration and Red Hat OpenShift Deployment Transform Hybrid Video Streaming SAN JOSE, Calif...
09/04/2026
Own a 3rd or 4th Gen Scarlett interface? Download Cubase LE for free We're adding a new DAW to your collection here's what's included, and how t...
09/04/2026
Multi-year agreement enables Nation Radio to scale audiences, strengthen digital delivery and unlock new commercial opportunities
09 April 2026 - London, UK - ...
09/04/2026
RT Sport has announced Brian Fenton will join its Sunday Game GAA punditry panel for the 2026 Championship, featuring across video, audio, online including the...
09/04/2026
Doireann N Ghlac in returns as presenter, with the first episode airing this Friday at 8.30pm on RT One and RT Player
The beloved walking series Tracks & T...
08/04/2026
On March 7, Bad Bunny made history with his first-ever performance in Asia, taki...
08/04/2026
El 7 de marzo, Bad Bunny hizo historia con su primera presentaci n en Asia, subi...
08/04/2026
New channel strip plug-in revealed
The latest plug-in to be added to the Fuse Audio Labs line-up emulates a selection of vintage hardware units, combining c...
08/04/2026
Guitar & bass multi-effects software overhauled
Blue Cat Audio's flagship guitar and bass multi-effects software has recently received a significant upd...
08/04/2026
PanNoir mixer integration, Dolby Atmos Renderer & more
Merging Technologies have just launched Pyramix 16, the latest major update to their renowned DAW sof...
08/04/2026
Applicable Products Part number Description
QUARTZ-22-LTE (EU) Dual Port Dual SIM LTE Router (EU)
QUARTZ-COMPACT-11-LTE (EU) Single Port Compact LTE ...
08/04/2026
All episodes available on Thursday 30 April on Sky Atlantic and NOWWednesday 8 A...
08/04/2026
ICG is gearing up for a busy day on 14th May in Manchester.
First up, we'll be joining the Northern Marketing Festival as one of the event's marketing ...
08/04/2026
The Teatro Col n in Buenos Aires is not a venue that tolerates compromise. Built in 1908 and routinely ranked among the worlds finest concert halls, it has an a...
08/04/2026
Young Forever: The Death of Ageing? airs Monday 13 April and 20 April on RT One and RT Player
Around the world, the race to beat ageing is on. From cutting ...
07/04/2026
Starting today, Prompted Playlist is expanding beyond music to now include podca...
07/04/2026
Launched alongside piano promotion
The latest instalment in VSL's Synchron Series line-up captures the sound of a faithful copy of a Fran ois tienne Bl...
07/04/2026
Flagship sampling pad gets an update
Roland's flagship sampling pad has just received a major update that kits it out with an array of new features and ...
07/04/2026
Popular compact wireless system upgraded
Sound Devices have recently introduced a new and improved version of their compact wireless transmitter bodypacks, ...
07/04/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 7, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced it wi...
07/04/2026
FOX to Integrate Kalshi Forecasts Across FOX News Media and FOX One Platforms NEW YORK, NY (April 7, 2026) - Kalshi, the world's largest prediction market...
07/04/2026
THE GAA CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE BACK WITH A BANG
LIVE AND FREE TO AIR ACROSS ALL RT PLATFORMS
The Sunday Game and The Sunday Game Live return on Sunday 12 April
L...
06/04/2026
Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That's t...
06/04/2026
As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond aud...
06/04/2026
Multiband dynamics plug-in enhanced
California-based developer FSK Audio have released a significant update for their innovative multiband dynamics processo...
06/04/2026
Share official & user-created full-rig presets
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX update makes it possible for users of the popular amp and effects modelling ...