Week 4: Multimedia Representation and Storage

The benefit of being able to compress digital materials is that extra room can always be made for incoming storage. How much space can be made available often depends on the size of the compressed files put together and the amount of storage the hard-drive can handle. Nevertheless, by decreasing the size of the materials, more room is able to be made. However, the process is not exactly straightforward. People can always debate with themselves as to whether data should be compressed in a “lossy” or “lossless” manner. For the case of the former, although the data is compressed to a size smaller than to what the other does, it ends up disposing a bit more data. As for the latter, although it may take up a bit more room in comparison, it is more likely to keep the data intact. Which version is to be considered as suitable would have to depend on whether the individual is more concerned about the amount of storage available or the quality of the data. This sort of situation had to have placed the University of Pittsburgh’s Digital Research Library into a dilemma after the Institute of Museum and Library Services provided a two-year grant. The staff needs to think about not only preservation issues via digitization, but also financial. There is more to consider as to whether it is better to settle for a format that can save more space, yet ruin the quality, or vice versa. What also needs to be put into consideration is which one is cheaper. Fortunately, Paula L. Webb was able to explain that a compromise can be possible. If libraries can bring such technologies as what YouTube.com has to offer to their advantage, then they are able to create so much more room for making so much more material available and accessible without spending as much money or considering the necessity of sacrificing the quality of the data. By pursuing such an opportunity, infinite space can be made to store and organize sources of information at its best quality for free.

Although the compression of data certainly has its potential, just like any other technological breakthrough, it is important to never give in all at once. I can vouch for this based on a recent experience that is still posing as a problem on me. Since the very beginning of my studies at this master’s program, I cherished the information I was being given about this profession and I knew I was going to need it all for my career. Unfortunately, I also knew I was bound by timing constraints, which means I have been unable to savor and analyze the knowledge the way I had wanted. That is why I was taking the precaution of saving all the work, including my homework, reading materials, and video lectures. I later learned that there was too little space left on my hard-drive. Because the next semester, which is the one I am in right now, was coming up, I wanted to resort to some kind of a quick fix to organize and save space. I basically compressed the files, placed them in compressed files, and into another. I made some room, but it did not really make much of a difference. Now, whenever I try to access those files, I am simply barred out. The only way it is possible is if I empty my hard-drive of material I will not need. Since I am too busy with my school work, I simply do not have the time at the moment to look through my entire computer and carefully select what I should render as garbage. As a consequence, I am currently unable to look back at my work whenever I need reinvestigate certain issues of which I am reminded. If there is a valuable lesson to learn from this experience, it is to always have a clear understanding as of how a technology works before attempting anything. When it comes to compression, it is always important to preserve the original versions of the sources so in case anything goes wrong, a back-up will be available for an emergency. Otherwise, you will just have to end up dealing with data that is serving no purpose.