I must comment on the wisdom of using videotapes to store pipe-line inspaction data (“Rooting for the Future” article, MSW, August 2009). Although most agencies are wisely making the transition from VHS to digital, many will be stuck with archives of VHS tapes, and plans to digitize at some point when funds are available. You can digitize the tapes in-house, but that's extremely time-consuming, even with dedicated hardware. The fact is, there are a lot of VHS tapes out there that will be sitting on a shelf for some time. The story quoted the National Film and Sound Archives as
