The decisions you make about the formats you use, and potentially transfer between, should take into account the equipment you might need to do so. Many of the issues surrounding artist moving image preservation, in fact, result from the very play off between the format and the equipment.

While good storage can significantly lengthen the life of all moving image formats, you always need to think about how the work will be accessed and viewed in the future.

Old video formats, unfortunately, require the appropriate old video playing machines to read them. This gets problematic, as they need to be maintained, and possibly after the manufacturer has ceased producing parts. It is not enough then to just put them into storage - decisions and actions must be made. This is pursued further in the video and installation sections.

That videotape is held in a cartridge or cassette placates the need for much of the equipment required by film, such as cores and reels and even the need to splice. It also makes it easy not to think about its general daily care, as the cassette removes contact with the actual tape itself. This 'holistic' physicality has the knock on effect of placing more emphasis on the machine that the tape goes in.

The state of your equipment can have direct impact on your work. Damaged and dirty machines, Steinbecks, projectors, at best, won't play and, at worst, will damage or dirty the work itself. You need to familiarise yourself with how to care for your equipment.

This is especially true if you like the qualities of a very particular projector, monitor etc.