The new age of governmental video documentation is here, and it's big.

Some of you are out there documenting things we couldn't print in this space without compromising national security. Others are creating learning and information tools which allow uniformity in the teaching process. And there are some of you using video and audio acquisition to document dealings with the public.

We now can see helicopter rescues from the viewpoint of the winch boom, traffic stops from a camera pointed through a windshield, and crime scenes shot by educated evidence documentation specialists. These are all normal parts of everyday life in the Government Video world, not the special events they used to be. We used to say: "Wow! What great video - amazing what can be done!!!" Now it's more like: "Why is that camera looking a little soft? The color is a bit off. Why did they shoot that?" Simply put, we're so used to video that we're getting picky.

So now that it is known what is wanted from video acquisition equipment and what quality is desired, the issue becomes the archiving of the material.

Most of the world uses videotape. Now videotape is good, very good, when you're archiving for a while. But after years it can be bad - in fact, it can get very bad.

In basic terms, videotape is made up of a plastic strip adhesive, then a material which can be electronically persuaded to retain a signal. In elaborate terms, tape manufactures have done a great job of refining the materials to produce great formulations which have high levels of coercivity and longer lifespans than tape made in previous years. But standard tape becomes a very questionable long-term storage medium. It might last for as little as five years or as many as 15 years.

So picture that piece of evidence after many trial delays, retrievals, restoring, multiple playbacks, careless handling, etc. Your key piece of video might be damaged or become a victim of what is labeled "sticky-shed syndrome," where adhesive oozes onto the contact surface of the tape after some fairly predictable period of time. This happens as tape ages, and causes frequent head clogs, and loss of ability for any playback.

Aside from blowing a great presentation in front of a presentation-sensitive jury, you also might lose the results of some hard earned documentation.

The answer? What the answer always is - spend more money. You owe it to yourself and your department to buy the highest-quality, longest-lasting videotape you can get. Only the highest quality MP tapes are durable enough to last long lengths of time and withstand multiple playbacks, pauses,and other forces whcih can ruin your documentation. Discount tapes may turn out to be something that eventually will be "discounted."

Going BaFe

There is also a type of videotape manufactured with a material called Barium Ferrite. Abbreviated BaFe, this material's molecules interlock better than any oxide or metal particles when placed on tape, which eases abrasivity. The material is also resistant to moisture degradation (Metal particles are just that, metal, and they oxidize). BaFe actually performs better at higher frequencies applied to it, which places today's state-of-the-art digital formats right in its sweet-spot. It works well with good old analog, too.

Perhaps BaFe's best advantage is that it is durable enough to last 30 years or more. The price is higher, but not that much higher than standard broadcast-quality tape. A small price to save priceless archives, one might say.

That "one" might be Jan Garvin, TV Producer Director at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Grarvin has been in government video for 25 years, and has seen everything from multi-million dollar productions to crime scene footage.

"Production techniques in law enforcement are not just a way of doing things for behind the scene efficiency," he states, "as with todays juries it's a matter of how they might view the quality of a presentation."

An amateur production might be viewed as a second-class effort. People who doubt the credibility of a law enforcement agency might have even more doubts if a videotape is of questionable quality. When people have cable-quality reception in their homes and first generation reproduction on their VCR's, it's tough to convince them that a drop-out filled, multi-generational dub, recorded from a small format camera in diffucult condittions, is a good effort from a quality department.

Garvin continues: "We sometimes get tapes for use in our productions which have been created with low-grade processes. Some are old tapes with recorded-in errors, and have other issues which don't create as viewable a tape as could have been with better materials and techniques. If not recorded on the best tape possible, or stored properly, a case can be jeopardized, especially if the tape cannot play at all".

Re-Dub, Dub, Dub

Many agencies re-dub tapes to keep their condition fresh, nut that process is open to its own set of problems, as a generation down diminishes quality in inexpensive formats.

Disk space is one solution to storage, but it's way too expensive for many. How many hours does your department have in archived tapes? Even if it could be placed on a disk for storage, disks might not me as viable as many would like for important material, and could be accidentally deleted or corrupted in a variety of ways.

Then there is the long term storage and dependability need. How long does that have to be? Consider this: On December 1, 1997 a Scripts Howard News Service story was published about a sailor who was cleared on a manslaughter charge, 52 years after the initial crime based on witness testimony. Not quite as long ago, but certainly notable is the famous Zapruder film from the Kennedy assassination. Has that cooled down yet from the last run through the projector of the theorist? That film was created in 1963.

Stop and think, right now, before you shoot another minute of evidence or important documentay video. Is that high-quality videotape or a discount store brand you bought because the budget is low? A professional-quality tape may have increased short term costs, but years from now when you put the tape into a VCR and are able to enter it into evidence or use it for a production that short-term increase will seem like a long-term investment.

Most everyone has used oxide and MP tape and can appreciate the recording quality of both. If you're familiar with the magnetic strip on the back of your credit cards you're familiar with BaFe and how well it works for you. Card security experts have good reason to use it, and so do you.

Every documentation specialist should know about the long term storage capability of their material, whether your budget is set for oxide, MP or BaFe. For more information regarding BaFe tape, contact Arkival Technology in Nashua, New Hampshire, at (603) 881-3322, For information regarding oxide or MP tape technology, contact your local Sony, Fuji, Maxell, or Quantegy representatives. written by Mark Bell