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  1. Member
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    I have gobs of MP3 files of very old 30-minute long radio shows (copyright free, of course) that I want to organize. I thought about putting the files temporarily onto the hard drive of my computer and alphabetize them and then move them to DVDs or CDs to play as I want to. I want to use the fewest discs I can. What is the largest capacity disc sold that I can use for this project? I can't figure out how to convert the gigs of disc size into MP3 file size. I mean, how many 30-minute long shows in MP3 will fit on a disc of X gigs? ALSO, just out of curiosity, can you store MP3 files on San Discs and play them or are those only for video files???
    Thanks.
    Sara
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    Imagine that I gave you a standard piece of 8x11 paper and I said to you "How many times can you write the capital letter A on one side of this piece of paper?" Could you even attempt to give an answer to that? Let's say you decide that you can write 1000 capital letter As on it and then some guy takes the same paper and because he can write half as big as you, he can put 2000 in the same space. See, this is the problem with your question. There's no way we can tell you how many MP3s will fit on ANY disc because it depends on how long they are and what bitrate you record them at and whether they are mono, stereo or joint stereo.

    To use the fewest discs, you need to use DVDs. DVD+/-R capacity is roughly 4.5 GB. DVD+/- DL capacity is roughly 8.5 GB, but note that only Verbatim makes reliable DL media. You are throwing your money away to buy anything else. Probably it's best to stick to single layer discs and I would recommend Verbatim for this. It's a long story, but just trust me when I say you'll have fewer problems with single layer discs. We know nothing about what bit rate your files were recorded at, whether they are mono, stereo or joint stereo, so I will just guess that maybe you can store 90 of them on a single DVD+/-R disc.

    You can store MP3 discs on San discs if you want. San discs are not magically restricted to photos, but whether you have something that can play San discs is a very good question.
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  3. If you use MP3 at 128 kbps the files are about 1 MB/min. A 1000 GB hard drive can hold about a million minutes of that. That's about 16,666 hours. Or 33,333 30 minute radio shows. A 4.3 GB DVD will hold about 140 30 minute mp3 files (again, assuming 128 kbps). A dual layer DVD can hold twice as much but the discs cost much more than twice as much so it's not economical to use them.

    I'm not sure what you mean by "san discs" but if you're talking about flash memory USB thumb drives you can put whatever you want on them. What you have other than a computer that can play the files is the question. Many DVD players have USB ports that can play MP3 files off USB thumb drives or hard drives.
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    I am not using a computer and my new DVR will take San Discs for photos right out of the camera OR that have been computer manipulated. I don't know if it will play sound only files as it isn't commondly done this way I guess. I can't use USB thumb or flash drives in my DVR. My goal is to copy the sound files I want and have the fewest number of discs possible without sacrificing sound quality when I'm done. I'm tired of large piles of discs. I've gone from one sales website to the next and each touts the big size discs it has, but I still don't know if there what is the largest DVD sold these days. Thanks for all your suggestions though. I'll keep it in mind as I start this project. Sara
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  5. Originally Posted by sarainelkins
    I've gone from one sales website to the next and each touts the big size discs it has, but I still don't know if there what is the largest DVD sold these days.
    There are only two size DVDs: 4:7 GB and 8.5 GB.

    If you want to invest in a Blu-ray burner you can use Blu-ray discs. They hold about 25 GB.

    Oh, there are those little mini DVDs. They hold 1.4 GB.
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  6. Member
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    I think some 50GB Blu-Ray discs exist now, but are they really cost effective considering you need to buy the burner and the discs?
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  7. And Blu-ray burers start at around US$250. The 25 GB discs cost about US$10. I haven't seen the 50 GB discs anywhere so I didn't mention them. A quick google search shows they start around US$35. At those prices it's cheaper, faster, and more convenient to use an external hard drive. Something like this:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136175

    Just plug it in then drag-and-drop all your files onto it.
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  8. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    I store my OTR on a 500GB hard drive, along with music, photos, etc.
    Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
    FAQs: Best Blank DiscsBest TBCsBest VCRs for captureRestore VHS
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  9. Member
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    I got the answer I needed: the largest capacity is 8.5gb. Thank you very much to all of you who told me lots of information and suggestions.
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  10. Member Krispy Kritter's Avatar
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    You also need to check which type of discs your burner supports. Since you aren't using a PC, it's possible your hardware doesn't support DL (8.5GB) DVD's.
    Google is your Friend
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  11. Member [_chef_]'s Avatar
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    Originally Posted by sarainelkins
    I got the answer I needed: the largest capacity is 8.5gb. Thank you very much to all of you who told me lots of information and suggestions.
    Nope, that only counts for DVD±R DL and isnt even the whole truth!

    There is DVD10 blank media and also DVD-RAM 9.4gb.
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    Actually the largest capacity hard disk you can buy right now is 1TB. Here is where you can find information on that disk for a very reasonable price: http://www.frys.com/product/5524820.
    Recommends: viewpixmedia.com
    Blessings, Dunamis
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  13. Member [_chef_]'s Avatar
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    dunamis,

    that thread is not about drives, but DISCS!
    *** Now that you have read me, do some other things. ***
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  14. Member
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    You are technically correct. The answer in that case would be Blu-ray discs with 50GB capacity, not DL discs with 8.5GB capacity. Another contributor mentioned using a 500GB hard disc. a 1TB hard disc is very cost effective for storing a lot of video and images. Thank you for your input.
    Recommends: viewpixmedia.com
    Blessings, Dunamis
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  15. Member hech54's Avatar
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    I remember when I had my first beer.
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  16. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by hech54 View Post
    I remember when I had my first beer.
    Seeing how you bumped a years-old post...

    ... I think you may be having one now.
    Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
    FAQs: Best Blank DiscsBest TBCsBest VCRs for captureRestore VHS
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  17. Originally Posted by sarainelkins View Post
    I have gobs of MP3 files of very old 30-minute long radio shows (copyright free, of course)
    By the way, no audio recording made in the USA will be free of copyright until 2067.
    http://www.pdinfo.com/record.php
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  18. Member hech54's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
    Originally Posted by hech54 View Post
    I remember when I had my first beer.
    Seeing how you bumped a years-old post...

    ... I think you may be having one now.
    There was a post before mine. It either got deleted or the poster was "deleted"....
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