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 New York, US., 2009-10-11
The meeting was convened by chair C. Chambers.
The agenda and the report of the previous meeting, 2009-05-09, 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: Review current SMPTE set and compare with AES requirement. Contact SMPTE with examples of variance.
Project intent: Liaison; Initiated: 1997; Target for completion: Continuing
Current goal: Status report; Target date for goal: Continuing
Following the establishment of the AES class 13 area in the SMPTE metadata dictionary, discussions were now centred on how the current audio entries in the dictionary could be improved to minimise the need to provide much in the way of AES class 13 additions that overlap existing basic entries. During the meeting it was agreed that a few examples of poorly structured audio entries should be sent to SMPTE to demonstrate this issue. It was hoped that the AES could produce an audio metadata set that could be then compared with current entries in the dictionary with a view to improving these generally although it was understood this is unlikely to happen before Christmas.
It was also confirmed that the AES will have to put a process in place to manage the pulling together and submission of class 13 proposals before being submitted to the SMPTE. Much discussion was had on this and it is possible that in internal web based form may have to be produced for working groups to use as a part of this process. It was suggested that this should start by producing labels with some rules on how these are generated. This should be progressed as soon as possible.
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: SEE PROJECT X134 below for details on the meeting discussions. Retire this project - it's task duplicates AES-X134
Project intent: Information Document; Initiated: 1999-12; Target for completion: 2008
Current goal: retirement; Target date for goal: 2009-12
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: EBU Tech docs published; Tech 3293, 3295, 3331, 3332, 3336. All these are metadata related and are freely available on the EBU web site.
Project intent: Review; Initiated: 2001-01; Target for completion: 2008
Current goal: Status report; Target date for goal: continuing
Adobe has posted a software developer's kit (SDK) for XMP to this group's document site; also available on Adobe’s web site. The reasoning for this is to provide persisted metadata for media from ingest and throughout the production workflow adding metadata throughout the processes. There is more improvement to come with this work and it is hoped that the work going on in the AES and EBU with inform this. This overlaps with iXML structure being worked on in SC-03-06.
The US federal agencies working group is trying to develop a core set of imbedded metadata (http://www.digitizationguidelines.gov ) and is currently developing a tool to read metadata from some current formats.
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: Final PWD soon. Consider Role List for Publisher field. Revised parameters for sample accurate times and periods.
Project intent: Report; Initiated: 2002-09-23; Target for completion: 2008
Current goal: PTD; Target date for goal: 2008-10
The EBU have produced a very similar document (Tech 3293) and this has been used to replace the AES-X98A document with a few small changes. AES-X98B (in SC-03-06) has proposed a new “time type” (data type) to describe sample accurate time and periods to be used in elements requiring this. It was agreed that AES-X134 PWD should also used this approach. This along with aligning the “Role list for publisher” field should complete the changes.
It was also proposed that a simple guide-line document should be produced to describe the differences between the EBU and AES approaches.
The EBU representative said that he would produce his suggested modifications and schema by the end of the year along with some examples.
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 128th Convention in London, UK., 2010-05.
