INA Expands Restoration Services

France’s central audio visual archive repository Institut National de L'audiovisuel (INA) has expanded its film and video restoration services with the installation of a second Phoenix, Digital Vision’s flagship restoration system. INA conserves the archive of France’s AV material including terrestrial, cable and satellite television as well as radio.
The new Phoenix system installed at INA handles both film and video restoration, providing a unique and powerful end-to-end workflow that allows material to be restored in SD and converted to HD using automated and semi-automated file-based features. The INA selected the second Phoenix so that it could speed up the restoration of archived material with a trusted system that is already in use in the facility. The film and video restoration department at INA has been early Beta testers of Phoenix and has contributed to the product's advancement.
Jean Varra, Technical Manager, INA explains: “The automated toolset that Phoenix provides significantly streamlines the restoration process, which is very simple. We run a first pass over the entire programme; the second pass enables us to set specific tools and features and restore the media shot-by-shot; and the third pass frame-by-frame, removing any final imperfections. Phoenix is a very high-quality system and the new version, 2012.1, which we are currently beta testing, not only gives us the new video tools but also provides quicker rendering of the DVO restoration tools.”
Torbjörn Dyrvold, Phoenix & DVO Product Manager at Digital Vision adds: “We’re delighted that INA has installed a second Phoenix system further highlighting its commitment to the development of the product. The recent addition of Phoenix’s new integrated video restoration toolset announced at this year’s NAB enables customers such as INA to expand their services and bring new life to valuable content stored on analogue tape formats such as 1”, U-Matic and Betacam SP. Phoenix is now the only high-end restoration and mastering solution that, for the first time ever, combines powerful film and video restoration in one system. It provides restoration facilities, broadcasters and archives with new revenue opportunities.”
(GK)