| Doordarshan (DD) is embarking upon new initiatives to not only conserve the treasury of content that it owns, but also creating paths to reach out to a larger audience. It is in the process of installing an online archival service for easy storage and retrieval from its huge collection. |
| "Comprehensive digital asset management requirements are being worked out for creating a professional infrastructure for digital archiving. The estimated time to digitise the data backlog of 45 years would be around four years and will involve an investment of Rs 22.5 crore," said Kamalini Dutt, director, archives, DD. |
| Once the job is done, the easily accessible treasures will have multiple uses like repurposing, broadcasting, webcasting, research and production of VCDs/DVDs. The technical job consists of providing a "low-browse platform for creating metadata, including the repurposing option", Dutt added. |
| In an effort to upgrade its data, DD Archives has initiated inhouse projects to refurbish its legacy tapes, which include the Ampex quad, BCN, U-matic (both high and low bands) and betaoxide tapes. DD has upgraded 3,000 hours of data till date, which involves electronic cleaning and refurbishing of audio-video tapes. |
| DD took the first step of taking its rich cultural content to audiences by launching VCDs/DVDs showcasing archived material in January 2003. |
| "One has easy access to the audio tapes of the artistes, but watching them perform is a treat by itself. DD has the privilege of possessing such rare collections and we feel that we should share this with everyone," said Seetha Rathnakar, assistant station director, DD, Chennai. |
| Till date, DD has grossed Rs 2 crore from the sales of archival VCDs/DVDs. DD Archives has six centres and the central archives in Delhi is the custodian of all the precious tapes from all over the country, especially programmes produced in Hindi and English. |
| The five regional archives are formed by south, western, eastern, north-eastern and northern archives. Of this, the southern archives in Hyderabad is engaged in producing VCDs/ACDs of rare recordings in regional languages, besides the central archives. Two special theme archives, in the forms of news and sports archives, also form part of DD Archives. |
| "Till recently, we maintained a low profile in sales, but now, we have stepped up our marketing initiatives. We have plans to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indiapost for selling VCDs/ DVDs at their outlets. We will finalise the agreement in a couple of months. We might agree on either a revenue-sharing model or a commission basis," Dutt stated. |
| On a technology upgradation spree, DD is also in talks with Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) for creating a video-on-demand system for the public. |
| "We are still in initial stages of talks and the MoU might be signed in another six months. MTNL has commenced trials and this service will be provided through broadband connections on the television sets of customers," explained Dutt. |
| Celebrating the centenary of recorded music in India (1902-2002), DD introduced its first set of seven VCDs/ACDs in January 2003, with another set of 11 in June, the same year. |
| The third set was released in 2004, which featured the Bharat Ratna awardees "" M S Subbalakshmi and Ustad Bismillah Khan. The set released in 2005 included the best performances staged on DD in the last quarter of the 20th century. |
| "Encouraged by the response, we have also decided to publish books compiling rare interviews and discussions, featuring the architects of modern India. Currently, we are working on two books, which will include interviews with personalities like Mahadevi Verma, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Bhagwati Charan Verma and Kamaleshwar," explained Dutt. That's a valuable contribution. |
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