Moving Images FAQ

Answers to some frequently asked questions are provided below to help you better understand our processes and procedures related to moving images.

Will you sell me the files I see streaming on your website?
What is ogg?
What formats are available for sale?
What do I get when I order a digital file of a moving image from the Archives?
What do I get when I order a DVD Movie of a moving image from the Archives?
What do I get when I order a Digital Betacam tape of a moving image from the Archives?
How much will it cost for a movie on Digital Betacam tape? It’s not on your price list.
Can you e-mail me the movie?
I only want a few seconds of the movie for my project. What will that cost?
Can you re-size/recode the movie for me?
How big is each file?
Why does this movie start with a fuzzy grey screen?
Why is there no sound on this movie?
Can you sell me a VHS tape of a movie?
What are the technical specifications of the MPEG2 files you have created?

Will you sell me the files I see streaming on your website?

The movies we stream as part of our searchable database of holdings are either public domain, or City of Vancouver copyright, or the copyright holder has given us permission to make a low-resolution version available. You may download them free of charge and use them. Those files are available as both Windows Media Video (WMV) format or Ogg Theora (with Vorbis audio, where applicable) and are greatly compressed and of low quality.

[top]

What is ogg?

Ogg is an open-source type of file container. Within the ogg container, we have used Theora open-source encoding for video and Vorbis open-source encoding for audio. The ogg files contain the same information as the wmv files, but in an open format that can be used by any operating system. For more information on ogg, see Play OGG at the Free Software Foundation.

[top]

What formats are available for sale?

You can order copies of most moving images from the Archives' holdings in three different formats: digital file, DVD Movie or Digital Betacam tape.

[top]

What do I get when I order a digital file of a moving image from the Archives?

We will provide you with a single-sided, single-layer DVD-R or CD-R with MPEG2 files for the movies ordered. Each movie will be represented by one file. This format is suitable for playing on a computer but not on a DVD player. It may be edited in programs that accept MPEG2 files—see the note on codecs at the end of this FAQ. These files have a data rate of 6-8 Mbps, which means they are similar in quality to a commercial DVD. We also include a basic description of the movie.

[top]

What do I get when I order a DVD Movie of a moving image from the Archives?

We will provide you with a separate DVD-R for each movie ordered. This can be played on a DVD player that accepts DVD-R discs. We also include a basic description of the movie.

[top]

What do I get when I order a Digital Betacam tape of a moving image from the Archives?

We will provide you with a Digital Betacam tape containing the movies ordered. Digital Betacam is a professional format. If the movie is available in this format, it will appear in the “Other Format(s)” field in the online database. We also include a basic description of the movie.

[top]

How much will it cost for a movie on Digital Betacam tape? It’s not on your price list.

That cost is not fixed. We have your copy created by an outside vendor and then charge you to recover the cost. There is a charge for the tape used and a charge for the time taken to dub the movie to a new tape. When you place your order, we can get an estimate of the total cost.

[top]

Can you e-mail me the movie?

Not currently, due to technical limitations at the Archives. We hope to have a system in place to allow for direct electronic distribution of moving images and other digital records in the near future.

[top]

I only want a few seconds of the movie for my project. What will that cost?

We always sell you the entire movie.

[top]

Can you re-size/recode the movie for me?

No. We only provide moving images as described above. Any alterations to the movie such as cropping, re-sizing, tonal or colour adjustments, migration to a different file format, or other editing that may be required are your responsibility.

[top]

How big is each file?

The bit rate of the MPEG files will vary but most are about 46 MB per minute.

[top]

Why does this movie start with a fuzzy grey screen?

When we have films digitized for access, the entire film is digitized without trimming. You are seeing the leader.

[top]

Why is there no sound on this movie?

Some of the movies were originally created without sound. In our online database under “Physical Description”, it will say either ‘sound’ or 'silent’.

[top]

Can you sell me a VHS tape of a movie?

No. We only sell the formats described above.

[top]

What are the technical specifications of the MPEG2 files you have created?

Most of these movies have been digitized to the Archives’ specifications and have consistent properties. Some of the movies have been acquired as digital files and the encoding may not be the same.

Our digitization standard is: NTSC
                                      Frame Rate: 29.97
                                      Pixel Depth: 32
                                      Image Size: 720 x 480
                                      Audio: 48000 Hz
                                      Bit rate: 6-8 Mbps
                                      Aspect ratio: Same as original

[top]