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  1. Beginning work moving a ton of digital photos and digital video files off of an external hard drive.

    Recommendations as to whether to archive them to standard DVD5 discs or go with BluRay discs and reasons for the preference?

    I just want to make sure I choose the archival media type that's most highly recommended to typically last the longest and maintain integrity of what's stored on it for the longest period of time.

    Thanks!
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  2. Member hech54's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by bmccollum View Post
    I just want to make sure I choose the archival media type
    There is no such thing. Companies who advertise such discs are complete liars.

    Best thing to do is keep multiple backups. CD, DVD and possibly even a dedicated hard drive
    that is NOT connected to the computer in any way(load up an internal HDD then remove it from the computer).
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  3. Member [_chef_]'s Avatar
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    There is DVD-R for Authoring and BD XL..............
    *** Now that you have read me, do some other things. ***
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  4. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    There's been a lot of threads concerning archival media, gold discs, etc at the digitalFAQ.com forums in the past few months. I suggest giving those a browse and a read. I know I've written up info in several of them. Not really interested in repeating myself, so just go look there. LOTS of info on the subject, in depth.

    See http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/forumdisplay.php/blank-media-19.html

    In short, Verbatim DVD-R/DVD+R, and TY DVD-R/DVD+R, and a good hard disk.
    Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
    FAQs: Best Blank DiscsBest TBCsBest VCRs for captureRestore VHS
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    Since consumer burnable BD discs are pretty new, we have no reliable data on how long they will last. I agree with lordsmurf's post and for anything I want to keep I burn only to Verbatim or Taiyo Yuden media. Note that Verbatim has recently started selling a "DataLife" series of discs in US and Canadian stores that are made by lower quality manufacturers. I do not recommend these. Their "DataLifePlus" discs are not the same thing and these are still excellent, but you won't find those in stores. Finally, you should probably avoid BD-R LTH type discs as these have compatibility issues right now and may be inferior in many ways to more expensive BD-R discs.

    In general, multiple copies and possibly PAR recovery files for anything you can't live without would seem to be the best bet.
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  6. Member [_chef_]'s Avatar
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    Yup, multiple backups on different technologies (optical media, HDDs...) and recovery files are a good solution.
    *** Now that you have read me, do some other things. ***
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  7. The Verbatim DataLife (AZO) series has been around for a long time. I've used them for years with no problems. I've never had problems with them. It's the new "Life" series that's questionable.

    https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/319565-Verbatim-Life-Series-DataLifePlus
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  8. Banned
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    Thanks for that correction jagabo.
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  9. Member
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    If you think you have problems, what about all the film libraries, TV stations, etc? The equipment that is needed to play back all the old formats is starting to disappear. I recently had to toss out 30 cubic yards of old material as well as a couple hundred 16mm films when I moved from my old house to my newer (much smaller) one. A friend of mine wrote an article which shows what can happen and is happening even as we speak....

    http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/768885--in-a-digital-world-why-is-our-visu...ory-being-lost

    Scarey!

    So, even if you archive to DVD or BD-R, there is no guarantee that your grand or great grand kids in the future will be able to play back any of these formats. I have had great difficulty getting my SVHS/VHS and Beta decks fixed to play back what is in my library. I cannot find some equipment like reel to reel video playback decks or even U-Matic decks anymore. Old digital formats are tough to find. 5.25" drives, 3.5" drives, Zip drives, etc. may be incompatible with modern computers rendering playback impossible. Yes, as the Man With No Name would say "It's getting tough"....
    Last edited by oldfart13; 20th Oct 2010 at 09:52.
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  10. Member
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    Originally Posted by oldfart13 View Post
    If you think you have problems, what about all the film libraries, TV stations, etc? The equipment that is needed to play back all the old formats is starting to disappear. I recently had to toss out 30 cubic yards of old material as well as a couple hundred 16mm films when I moved from my old house to my newer (much smaller) one. A friend of mine wrote an article which shows what can happen and is happening even as we speak....

    http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/768885--in-a-digital-world-why-is-our-visu...ory-being-lost

    Scarey!

    So, even if you archive to DVD or BD-R, there is no guarantee that your grand or great grand kids in the future will be able to play back any of these formats. I have had great difficulty getting my SVHS/VHS and Beta decks fixed to play back what is in my library. I cannot find some equipment like reel to reel video playback decks or even U-Matic decks anymore. Old digital formats are tough to find. 5.25" drives, 3.5" drives, Zip drives, etc. may be incompatible with modern computers rendering playback impossible. Yes, as the Man With No Name would say "It's getting tough"....

    There's plenty of time-overlap, though. It's not like 16mm film equipment or reel-to-reel audio tape players just vanished one day without warning. Every few years or so, the archives need to be dusted off and moved to new media. Sure, it's time-consuming, but so was capturing it all in the first place.

    That's also an opportunity to pare things down. "This is a perfect picture of Jimmy; I don't really need these other 3." "Why do I have five copies of "House at Cypress Canyon"?' "You know, that movie of me getting drunk and dancing on the table in my underwear was funny then, but I have kids now."

    C'est la vie. If you want your memories to be available for the future, you need to at least be sure to keep them in the present.



    Best,

    Calidore
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  11. Member PuzZLeR's Avatar
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    We don't have to be psychics. I could care less.

    Digital data is digital data. Storage is storage and it changes all the time. And migration of digital data is 1:1 lossless. Instead of worrying about what's the "most highly recommended to typically last the longest and maintain integrity of what's stored on it for the longest period of time" worry about backing up your data now, such as in multiple places.

    Over the years I've painlessly transferred my content from 5.25 to 3.5 then to CDs then to DvDs and now currently to external HDD and BD and in the future likely BDXL, etc. Each incremental step had ready-made hardware/software ready to perform the task and it will always be this way.

    Yes, it's good to look into better brands. Sure. But even the good brands won't give me peace of mind if it's not backed up elsewhere too. If you have your data on multiple media/devices then it's virtually safe.

    As far as having grandchildren one day, I care about the data, not the format it's on as long as it's suitable for the time. Besides, giving them a BD then may be as embarrassing as someone giving you an 8-track today.
    I hate VHS. I always did.
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