Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

British Film Institute (BFI) Digitising Videotape with Bluefish444 IngeSTore to Preserve Precious UK Video Heritage

12/12/2018

Founded in 1933, the British Film Institute (BFI) is the leading body for film in the UK with the ambition to create a flourishing film environment in which innovation, opportunity and creativity can thrive, encompassing a range of cultural, creative and industrial roles for film production, distribution, exhibition and education in order to advance the position of film in the UK.

Among the oldest film archives, founded in 1935, the BFI National Archive has grown to become one of the largest and most important collections of film and television in the world. An international leader in film preservation, acting as guardians for Britain's unparalleled film and television heritage, the conservation team at the BFI National Archive, based in the BFI John Paul Getty Jr Conservation Centre are responsible for the collection, storage and digitisation of significant numbers of legacy film and videotape formats.

With substantial collections held on Digital Betacam, BFI required a solution to capture multiple streams of SDI video from their DigiBeta VTRs, in as efficient a way as possible, that could be easily managed by a small team.

BFI compared the options to meet their requirement for 12 channels of simultaneous SDI recording from their VTRs. Having discovered Bluefish444's Epoch | Supernova CG I/O card, paired with the complementary IngeSTore multi-channel capture software, they realised a solution that would give them the desired results at the right price point. Alex Zorba, Archive Technology Manager at the BFI National Archive, was involved with extensive testing of the Supernova CG cards and IngeSTore software to ensure it would suit their long-term goals.

Bluefish444's Supernova CG cards give us the quality and flexibility that we require for our digitisation process, and they integrate with our legacy videotape machines perfectly,

Alex Zorba, Archive Technology Manager, BFI National Archive

Bluefish444's IngeSTore software allows for four channels of simultaneous ingest, so to meet the 12 channel requirement, BFI installed two HP Z820 workstations each containing two Supernova CG cards. They worked with Bluefish444 to get each of the workstations running two concurrent instances of IngeSTore software enabling six channels of SD Ingest per workstation.

With visual and audio monitoring whilst capturing, and the ability to switch to 16:9 anamorphic mode when the content dictates this, BFI has found IngeSTore to be a great fit in the 12 months they have been using the software. The other plus they have found is how easy the software is to use for their needs, with little operator input required once it's recording.

The reliability that we have with the Bluefish444 cards within IngeSTore means that we know we'll get a consistent result from our recordings, which is paramount when getting these tapes into digital format for long-term preservation,

The solution from Bluefish444 has met all of our requirements, and the support we have received for any troubleshooting or custom functionality has been first class.

Alex Zorba, Archive Technology Manager, BFI National Archive

After a successful first 12 months of using the Bluefish444 solution for their digitisation needs, the BFI technology team is now developing a U-Matic mass digitisation facility, in which they will once again be utilising Bluefish444 hardware with IngeSTore software.

Distributed by Polar Graphics Ltd

For more information on the Bluefish444 product range contact Polar Graphics:

www.polar-graphics.com | +44 (0)20 8868 2479 | info@polar-graphics.com
LINK: https://www.kitplus.com/news/British_Film_Institute__BFI__Digitising_V...
See more stories from tvbay

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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 Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Zixi to Demonstrate Live Video Workflows and Satellite Replacement

Zixi will demonstrate IP-based live video workflow solutions at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2057). The industry is moving quickly toward IP-based distribution as br...

09/04/2026

Deloitte Research: Women's Elite Sports Revenues Expected to Reach at Least $3 Billion in 2026

Global women's elite sports revenues are expected to reach at least $3 billi...

09/04/2026

Monitor Engineer Gavin Tempany Mixes Kylie Minogue's Tension Tour on Solid State Logic L550 Plus

Monitor engineer Gavin Tempany mixed Kylie Minogue s Tension Tour on a Solid Sta...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America to Debut New 4K Camera and Remote Control Panel

KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5507), debu...

09/04/2026

NBC Sports Reviews Innovations and Milestones from Its 2025-26 NBA Regular Season

With the 2025-26 NBA regular season concluded and the playoffs beginning next we...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Telestream and Mimir Announce Integration for Ingest-to-Editorial Workflows

Telestream and Mimir have announced an integration connecting Telestream's V...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Bitmovin Expands Live Encoding and Observability Solutions for End-to-End Live Streaming Monitoring

Bitmovin has expanded its Live Encoding and Observability solutions to provide r...

09/04/2026

Nashville Predators and Scripps Sports Announce Multi-Year Broadcast Agreement

The Nashville Predators and Scripps Sports have announced a multi-year media rights agreement covering local preseason, regular season, and first-round playoff ...

09/04/2026

ASG Partners with Beam Dynamics for Asset Intelligence Platform

Advanced Systems Group, LLC has announced a partnership with Beam Dynamics to offer the Beam Asset and License Intelligence Platform to its clients. The platfor...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Lawo Introduces Edge One Converged Video and Audio Stagebox

Lawo has unveiled Edge One, a combined video and audio stagebox for broadcast and Pro AV workflows. The device will be on display at NAB Show (Booth C2108, Apri...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: SMPTE to Host ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) will host the SMPTE ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at the Las Vegas Conven...

09/04/2026

Atlanta Braves Upgrade Video Displays at Truist Park

The Atlanta Braves have completed upgrades to video displays in and around Truist Park ahead of the 2026 MLB season. The upgrades include the Delta Out-of-Town ...

09/04/2026

USC Installs Daktronics LED Displays Across Four Athletics Venues

The University of Southern California has contracted Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT) of Brookings, South Dakota, to manufacture and install 22 LED displays across fou...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Backlight to Showcase Iconik and Wildmoka Integration

Backlight, the media technology company behind Iconik and Wildmoka, will showcase its Creative Operations Platform at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2829, April 19-22). ...

09/04/2026

MotoAmerica Superbike to Air on VICE TV for 2026 Season

MotoAmerica and V10 Entertainment have announced a partnership to broadcast MotoAmerica Superbike racing on VICE TV for the 2026 season. Coverage begins live on...

09/04/2026

Proton Camera Innovations Appoints Tod Musgrave as US Sales and Marketing Director

Proton Camera Innovations has announced the appointment of Tod Musgrave as US Sa...

09/04/2026

Former UEFA, Orange Executive Nicolas Dal Launches OVERCAST Private-Cloud Production Service

Designed specifically for live sports broadcasting, new platform features IP-nat...

09/04/2026

NEWstalgia: How the Return of the NBA on NBC Was Driven by a Bold and Ownable' Graphics Package

Blending 1990s DNA, modern motion theory, and a distinctly colorful brand identi...

09/04/2026

SVG Sit-Down: Christy Media's Amy Vacher on What It Takes To Find the Best Person for the Job

Technical capability is essential, but long-term success often depends on how we...

09/04/2026

Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2026 by Cinpolis Unveils Official Program for Its Third Edition

15 feature films, including fiction and documentaries, along with six short film...

09/04/2026

Spotify Introduces New Video Controls for Listeners

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

New Spotify Video Controls Put Families and Parents in Charge

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

Get Festival-Ready With These 4 Spotify Features

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

Spotify Introduz Novos Controles de Vdeo para Ouvintes

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

Novos controles de vdeo do Spotify colocam pais e famlias no comando

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

Spaces from Smokestack Sounds

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

Reason Studios preview Reason 14

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

Shy Audio introduce EQT-1M

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

PBS' The Forsytes' Puts a Glamorous New Spin on the Beloved Family Drama as the series premieres in the US.

Based on John Galsworthy's novels known collectively as The Forsyte Saga a...

09/04/2026

The Forsytes' Renewed For Season 3 At PBS Masterpiece

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

BBC brings Danny Robins The Witch Farm to the screen Inspired by the hit podcast of the same name, filming begins soon

IThe BBC has commissioned new drama The Witch Farm, starring Gabrielle Creevy (T...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026 Major Announcement

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

ENCO to Showcase New aiTrack Capabilities at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/04/2026

LTN Unveils Network Enhancements in Advance of C-Band Changes

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/04/2026

FOR-A Buys Tamura Corp. Information Equipment Business

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/04/2026

Imagine Showcases Expanded Multiviewer Portfolio at 2026...

Purpose Built Monitoring From Live Production to Master Control to OTT, Across On Prem and Cloud Environments At the 2026 NAB Show (April 19-22, Las Vegas Con...

09/04/2026

Harmonic Extends Hybrid Streaming Leadership with AI and...

Purpose Built Monitoring From Live Production to Master Control to OTT, Across On Prem and Cloud Environments At the 2026 NAB Show (April 19-22, Las Vegas Con...

09/04/2026

LTN unveils network enhancements as broadcaster satellite...

New advances meet surge in demand for broadcast-grade IP migration as C-band spectrum auctions approach LTN announces major enhancements to its purpose-built g...

09/04/2026

Hitomi Broadcast Expands Sales Team with Nicola Milburn

Hitomi Broadcast has expanded its sales team with the addition of Nicola Milburn as Technical Sales Manager. In this role, Nicola will work with customers and p...

09/04/2026

Layercake and Ceeblue Announce Strategic Integration to D...

Revolutionary combined solution brings sub-second latency, resilient delivery, and workflow orchestration to global broadcasters and digital platforms Layercak...

09/04/2026

BIA Increases 2026 Local Ad Forecast to $184.5 Billion

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/04/2026

Yospace surpasses 10 billion ads stitched in a single mon...

Yospace exceeded 10 billion dynamically stitched ads in a single month, reaching 11.6 billion as ad-supported streaming surged. Driven by a packed global sports...

09/04/2026

Bitmovin Expands Live Encoding and Observability Solution...

Bitmovin has expanded its Live Encoding and Observability solutions to provide true end to end, real time insights across live streaming workflows, from encodin...

09/04/2026

Leyra Powers the Launch of Icelandic Broadcaster RUVs Str...

Leyra has announced the launch of Icelandic public broadcaster R V's streaming service on Samsung and LG Smart TVs. R V is the first public broadcaster to d...