Report of the meeting of the SC-03-07 Working Group on Audio Metadata of the SC-03 Subcommittee on the Preservation and Restoration of Audio Recording held in Munich, Germany, 2009-05-09.
The meeting was convened by chair C. Chambers.
The agenda and the report of the previous meeting, 2008-10-03, were accepted as written.
Open projects
AES-R9-2008: AES standards project report - Considerations for standardising AES metadata sets
Scope: This document discusses primary issues and outlines some elementary considerations concerned with the standardisation of multiple metadata sets for audio and their relationship with externally-standardised sets.
Current status: No action requested or required
Project intent: Review; Initiated: 2007; Target for completion: 2012
Current goal: Status report; Target date for goal: continuing
Development projects
AES-X071: Liaison with SMPTE Registration Authority
Scope: to formalize a working relationship with the SMPTE Registration Authority Current status: Task group to develop process for building AES metadata into Class 13 elements.
Project intent: Liaison; Initiated: 1997; Target for completion: Continuing
Current goal: Status report; Target date for goal: Continuing
An outstanding action item within this project is for Chambers, M. Yonge, and P. Treleaven to meet and put together a proposal on the management of class-13 registrations within the AES. There are SMPTE meetings being held in June and it was proposed that a meeting be arranged as soon a practically possible following those June meetings.
AES-X098A: Descriptive metadata for audio objects - Core audio schema
Scope: To collect information on all metadata issues pertaining to digital audio objects and all aspects of the digital documentation of digital audio objects. This scope includes field structures to describe and provide access to the audio content contained in digital files. It includes transfer, preservation and restoration information.
Current status: Buildcommon core audio metadata document based on T3293-2008 v1.1 for June.
Project intent: Information Document; Initiated: 1999-12; Target for completion: 2008
Current goal: PWD; Target date for goal: 2009-06
As described at our last meeting there are two fields that require resolution in order to make the EBU core metadata document and AES-X098A harmonise totally.
Firstly the "publisher" field needs to be reconciled. There are three publisher fields in the AES-X098A draft and a single publisher entry pointing at a table structure in the EBU document. The meeting then looked at the EBU proposal and felt that this method was more extensible and would cope with all applications that the AES would require. Therefore it was proposed to adopt the EBU structure for "publisher".
The second issue was in the resolution of time code. The AES required a resolution to audio sample accuracy as developed in AES31-3 using TCF. In the notes of the previous meeting D. Ackerman proposed that this time-code element should be replaced with a Time Code Format (TCF) schema that would provide for the requirements of both the EBU and the AES. This issue awaits David's proposed schema.
The meeting then discussed the methods of publication. It was preferred that both the EBU and the AES each publish the document within their systems, with cross-acknowledgement to the other body. This would allow latitude for each organisation's maintenance procedures while acknowledging the rapport between them.
Due to earlier confusion of document versioning, there had been some problems on understanding which would be the correct starting point for the published document. The meeting was very happy to start with version 1.1 of the EBU core document and this was tabled as the latest draft available. The group took this document and worked through it, making notes where necessary for areas of agreement and possible further amendment for AES publication. It was noted that this EBU document was still a draft and could be further reviewed at the EBU P/META meeting in June.
It was strongly recommended that this group pick up the draft EBU core document and study the content along with the inserted notes so that any further contributions can be made before the first week of June to be considered at the upcoming meeting of EBU P/META.
Following that, a jointly-agreed text can be taken forward for publication jointly as agreed between the EBU and the AES.
This file is on our FTP site as x134-ebu-t3293-1-1.doc along with the core metadata schema and the simple schema files ("ebuCoreMetadataSet.xsd" and "simpledc20021212-UK.xsd") for reference.
Please provide your comments and feedback to the reflector by the first week in June!
There was a general discussion on management and maintenance cycles with relation to the hosting of schemas on different organisations web sites. It was suggested that this issue was also a matter for further discussion between the EBU and the AES.
It was also suggested that this new combined document should have an additional section defining terms and abbreviations for clarity as it was agreed that this would not change the core of the document in any way. Yonge inserted some suggestions.
AES-X114: Metadata review
Scope: to study and report on the methods and techniques for attaching and implementing metadata through all aspects of interfacing real-time and file-transfer audio, including, where related to audio, other metadata related to other media. The scope includes metadata for professional recording, sound reinforcement, production, broadcasting, and transmission as well as the exchange of metadata and associated audio among different organizations. It also includes the development of techniques, such as UML, to aid the description of the relationships and flow of metadata requirements in an open and recognised way.
Current status: Expecting input docs from Adobe re extensible metadata exchange
Project intent: Review; Initiated: 2001-01; Target for completion: 2008
Current goal: Status report; Target date for goal: continuing
The two areas of work that was felt merited mention as providing potentially new audio metadata was the loudness work within AES41 and the Dolby audio metadata WAVE chunk. The document describing the Dolby chunk can be found on the FTP site while the AES41 information can be found elsewhere on the AES site.
AES-X134: Core metadata for audio exchange
Scope: To study and produce a standardised set of XML tags, along with their definitions, that describes the core set of metadata to accompany professional audio when being transferred by file or streamed formats.
Current status: Proposed to harmonize AES-X098A draft with EBU P/MAG T3293 document
Project intent: Report; Initiated: 2002-09-23; Target for completion: 2008
Current goal: PTD; Target date for goal: 2008-10
This project is being harmonised with AES-X098A so the common output document will be common with this project.
Please see AES-X098A, above, and provide your comments and feedback to the reflector by the first week in June!
Liaisons:
There were no other liaison issues.
New projects
No new projects were received or proposed.
New business
There was no new business.
The next meeting will be scheduled in conjunction with the AES 127th Convention in New York, NY., US., 2009-10.
