Proposal of a system architecture for digital film archives using JPEG 2000 and MXF

Moving image film archives can store their original films in their original image and sound quality for hundreds of years without decay, provided the temperature and humidity is controlled. However, film is inconvenient as a universal access medium and expected to be replaced even in the cinema, whereas digital versions are widely and increasingly accepted. This article introduces the concept of a digital film archive system that uses JPEG 2000 together with the Material exchange Format (MXF). A highly scalable two-tier architecture provides a platform for long-term preservation of digital movie data in the highest possible quality and for automated access and dissemination of the stored material. All these technologies are based on open standards and therefore provide a strong foundation for this concept in which future accessibility is one of the main concerns. The different and highly customizable parameters of the two encoding and storage tiers make it possible to s tore the digital film images together with audio and metadata in their full original quality and to simultaneously allow for easy and automated access. The stored content can be automatically converted to all currently used professional and consumer formats for dissemination, such as digital cinema playback systems (DCPS), other projectable cinema packages, Blu-ray disks, internet streaming, etc. The concept addresses non-commercial archives, as well as commercial organizations and studios.