Archiving imagery on digital optical tape

1. A method for archival storage of digital image comprising one or more color component digital images, the method comprising:

separating each of the one or more color component digital images into a respective plurality of bit plane images;

writing each of the bit plane images separately onto digital optical tape;

generating fiducial markers; and

writing the fiducial markers onto the digital optical tape concurrently with writing the bit plane images.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is a color digital image and the one or more color component digital images consist of red, green, and blue color component digital images, the method further comprising:

converting the color digital image into the red, green, and blue color component digital images.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is a color film image and the one or more color component digital images consist of red, green, and blue color component digital images, the method further comprising:

converting the color film image into three black and white film images representing the red, green, and blue color components of the color film image;

digitizing the three black and white film images to provide the red, green, and blue color component digital images, respectively.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is a black and white film image and the one or more color component digital images consist of a single color component digital image, the method further comprising:

digitizing the black and white film image to provide the single color component digital image.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein writing each of the bit plane images separately onto digital optical tape further comprises:

writing the bit plane images onto the digital optical tape sequentially.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein writing each of the bit plane images separately onto digital optical tape further comprises:

writing two or more bit plane images side-by-side on the digital optical tape.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising writing metadata onto digital optical tape concurrent with writing the bit plane images and the fiducial markers.

8. An apparatus for archival storage of a digital image comprising one or more color component digital images, the apparatus comprising:

a memory to store the one or more color component digital images;

an optical media recorder

a controller configured to:

read each of the one or more color component digital images from the memory as respective pluralities of bit plane images;

generate fiducial markers;

control the optical media recorder to write each of the bit plane images separately onto digital optical tape; and

control the optical media recorder to write the fiducial markers onto the digital optical tape concurrent with writing the bit plane images.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the image is a color film image and the one or more color component digital images comprise red, green, and blue color component digital images, the apparatus further comprising:

a color separator to separate a color film image into three black and white film images representing the red, green, and blue color components of the color image; and

a digitizer to digitize the three black and white film images to provide red, green, and blue color component digital images, respectively.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the image is a black and white film image and the one or more color component digital images comprise a single color component digital images, the apparatus further comprising:

a digitizer to digitize the black and white film image to provide the single color component digital image.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to control the optical media recorder to write the bit plane images onto the digital optical tape sequentially.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to control the optical media recorder to write two or more bit plane images side-by-side on the digital optical tape.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to control the optical media recorder to write metadata onto the digital optical tape concurrent with writing the bit plane images and the fiducial markers.