DVD for archiving DV?

[Archer]

Hi There, I'm a Newbie here and would really appreciate some advice.

I have a ADVC300 that I used to capture DV from my analog Sony Hi8 Camcorder.

My primary goal was to capture all my video (25, 2 hour tapes) to DVD so that I have a second copy that is also digital so that when I get to editing later on I can simply use the digital copy.

Capturing works just fine but my main reason for going with the 300 was the quality, however now I have a 12 GB file (for one hour of video) and really don't want to split that up over several 4.7 GB DVDs.

I reasond (yes perhaps naively in hindsight) that if they can get a 2 hour Hollywood movie on to a DVD then that level of quality shoud be good enough for my editing purposes.

Is there a best format that I can use for archive that is more compact but would provide a higher level of quality?

[GrassValley_BH]

Why not just get a portable hard drive? 2.5-inch drives (more robust than 3.5-inch, though not as fast) come in 100+ GB varieties now.

DVD is a good distribution medium, but it's not good for editing.

[Archer]

Big HDD

Thank you Brandon,

I have a 350 GB external HDD and, as you point out, that will provide me with a good working area for my projects.

With 50 hours of material to backup / archive that would mean a dedicated 600 GB HDD, additionally I have had me share of disk crashes and would not feel comfortable using a HDD as a permanent backup medium. Some of my tapes are getting on 15 years old and my goal is to capture them digitally now in the highest possible quality. I don't know how much longer I can trust my tapes.

Are there any other options you have heard of?

Thanks again

[Aristotelis]

Consider a REV (or REV Pro) drive with a dozen of rev (or rev pro) media...the cost is high but it is a very good solution for archiving...

[GrassValley_BH]

As the accessibility of storage has skyrocketed in recent years, the subject of backup has become a real issue.

• REV PRO, based on laptop drive technology, is an excellent means of archival.
  + Drop-able. Head mechanism is contained within drive unit, not cartridge, so the cartridge can survive shock and rough handling.
  + 30-year shelf life.
  + Easy-to-store form-factor (it's flat and almost square)
  - Cost per-gigabyte is high compared to hard drives.
• Optical media such as Blu-ray
  + Extremely small form-factor (discs)
  + Drop-able (unless it cracks/scratches)
  - Slow to write
  - Actual shelf life of optical media is questionable due to degradation from light exposure and oxidation due to improper sealing
  - General recommendation is to re-record optical media every 10 years or less *
• Magneto-optical media
  + Relatively small form-factor (think CD in caddy)
  + Drop-able (unless it cracks/scratches)
  - Questionable shelf life and availability
  - Really slow to write
• Tape (data backup - DLT, etc)
  + Very cheap cost per-gigabyte
  + Stores well
  - Can break
  - Sequential access
• Tape (digital video - miniDV, HDV, DVCAM, etc)
  + Very cheap
  + Slow to transfer (real-time)
  - Can only store video, not project data, other files, etc.
• Solid-state (Flash-memory)
  + Long shelf life
  - High cost per-gigabyte
  - Small size makes it difficult to manage (at least until we start seeing flash drives the size of hard disks)
• Laptop hard drives (2.5-inch)
  + More tolerant to shock and temperature compared to desktop drives
  - Still will not survive dropping
  - Price per-gigabyte not as good
  - Difficult to store properly
• Desktop hard drives (3.5-inch)
  + Very low cost per-gigabyte
  - Shelf life is low, drives not designed to be left unpowered for extended periods - mechanical parts will freeze up
  - Requires extreme care to avoid head crash or worse due to shock
  - Extremely difficult to store properly

* I can personally attest to the degradation of optical media. I have both recorded and unrecorded CD-Rs that sat in an unused room, in a cabinet (so not exposed to light), and the reflective layer had oxidized (turns black then disappears leaving "holes" where you can look through the disc). This was in sealed boxes after only 8 or 9 years. Granted, the room wasn't thermal/humidity controlled, but still.

So what does that bring us to? Not much, unfortunately, short of a NAS or fileserver (live storage), or using Google's datacenter. :)

[Archer]

Thanks Aristotelis.

Thanks Brandon,

Great overview. And just what I needed.

Many Thanks again.