the time capsule project

Guildelines
for File and Data Storage


Storing data in electronic rather than physical format allows the storage of a virtually unlimited, amount of information. However as the time capsule is planned to span a period of fifty years care must be taken that the storage methods and data retrieval tools are suitable for long term storage.

Your submissions for storage and later retrieval are very welcome. Please use the guidelines, file formats and advice below to ensure that your contribution will amaze and delight those who access it in 2076. Any problems with the technology, then just ask.

Ready to Send?

CLICK HERE TO JUMP TO THE UPLOAD FORM

Upload

How are we storing your data?

Blu-Ray M Discs

Our main data storage will be based around Blu-Ray M Discs. These differ from regular Blu-Ray disc and have a lifespan of multiple decades, if not centuries. Other common storage devices such as DVDs, SSDs, flash drives etc have an unacceptably low storage life span, and hard drives are prone to mechanical failure. M discs have a capacity of 25GB, and we will have as many discs as necessary. Wedd will also include a disc player in the time capsule.

A second set of discs will be prepared as a backup for storage in another location.

File Formats

Wherever possible data should be stored in an uncompressed file format. The preferences for file format are noted in the table below, in descending order:

QualityPhotographs & ImagesVideo
IdealRAWMKV
↓TIFFMOV
↓JPEGAVI
OkHEICMP4

We accept that many contributors will be using phones etc and that choice of format will be limited typically to JPEG/JPG/HEIC (newer iPhones) for images and AVI and MP4 for video.

File Naming Convention

This material will be accessed by villagers in 50+ year’s time, and they may have little or no idea of the event/people/place etc that is recorded. To assist this wherever possible please name your files using the format below and include a “Read Me” Word (or similar programme) document with at least a brief description based on the format below.

Also a note of the names of people pictured in photographs.


Naming

A photo from my phone might be named IMG_1883.jpg – not very helpful! Our suggestion is that we use a consistent format to help others access the files easily and quickly. This can be done using the file rename facility in both Windows and Mac computers. Files should be renamed with the initials of the photographer, a location identifier either in full or as an acronym, the number of the image/video/word document in the sequence and the date in 3 letters for month and 2 numbers for the year. For example: –

IMG_1883.jpg = RPvyd01Nov25.jpg
IMG_1884.jpg = RPvyd02Nov25.jpg

The type of file is identified by the letters after the dot, eg .jpg, and should not be changed.

The individual images or other types of files should be stored in a suitably labelled folder eg RPVineyardNov25. Include within that folder a Word (or similar text format) document that briefly explains what your folder records and wherever possible please give brief details, particularly if the image includes people.

What Next?

Once you have collected your data send it via Wetransfer (https://wetransfer.com/), Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com) or similar online tool to timecapsule@historic-hambledon.co.uk. Or pass it to Roger Palmer or another member of the History Group on a flash drive, SSD etc or contact me and I will come to you and download it onto a portable drive.

How long have I got?

There will be a cut-off date in mid 2026, this will give us sufficient time to review and, if necessary, reformat the data and then to prepare the storage discs.

I think I need help!

If you are not sure how to prepare your files or are having problems, please contact us and one of our team will be happy to assist. Don’t get fussed about the technology and let this be a problem, we can sort this out for you. Please do contact us on any queries arising.


Finally – if you cant cope with all this technology but would like to submit something just let us know. We can do this for you and have allowed time in the schedule accordingly.

Let’s do our best to make this a fantastic experience for future villagers in 2076!

Read & Download the File Storage Documentation PDF for Further Information

File Storage PDF

Send Something Now

Fill in your details below and you can drag and drop up to 10 items into the box to submit to us!


    Accepted File Types

    For Images: We accept jpg, jpeg, png, heic, and tiff. These are the most common formats for photos and digital scans.


    For Documents: We accept pdf, docx, doc, txt, and rtf. For long-term preservation, we highly recommend saving your stories as a pdf or txt file.


    For Video & Audio: We accept mp4, mov, avi, and mkv for video, and mp3, wav, and m4a for audio recordings. These formats ensure your messages can be seen and heard on most modern devices.


    For Bulk Uploads: If you have many files to share at once, you can bundle them into a single zip folder.

    Scroll to Top