If you are planning to create a digital asset archive from legacy content on film and/or redundant video tape and cassette formats, here’s a tip: Don’t recruit fresh young operators to staff the transcription processes. You will only land yourself with a huge background training requirement. Also, it is unfair to train young people in skills and knowledge that have long receded into history and which they can never use again. Instead, give the work to semi-retired VT and TK Engineers who mastered their craft on these old machines, first time around. These guys have the skills, knowledge and expertise to get the best achievable quality from the systems. It’s not just about pushing buttons- they will also perform regular line-up and routine maintenance as a matter of course, even of pride. It’s a win-win, as long as you can put up with the old jokes!