Long term stability of info on DV tapes

[qlizard]

If I archive on DV tapes, how long will they last? What (if anything) will happen to the data over time?

[upshot]

I think it's better than most tape formats but not as stable as DVD... There are alot of production houses that use miniDV or betaSP as masters.

How long? good question... Probably longer than youll need the footage..

[Illa]

someone mentioned to me tapes last for around 10 years before degrading(audio.. i guess ic an go and check some of my older tapes) and cd's 25.. at least when govt logs info and archives they were throwing around those numbers but i have no source to back that up on

[daamon]

Hi qlizard,

I've seen this discussed before and the general consensus was around 10 - 15 years.

[choirislife923]

If I archive on DV tapes, how long will they last? What (if anything) will happen to the data over time?

it all depends on where you store it. if you stored it next to your home theater speaker, I would say...goodbye around 2 years or so. if you stored it in a keep case up on some shelf and never touch it, I would say maybe 13 years. however, personally, i would never store anything on magnetic media. threats of magnets erasing and tape rotting the memories stored on it is not good. i would go for an optical disc solution (DVD or SVCD, never VCD...way to horrible quality), since discs only get distoryed physically when scratched, fungus grows on it (only in tropic climates), or the physical media deteriorates (try about 50 years).

[BSR]

Archive on the DV tapes for now, and when the newer Higher density(blueray) optical storage discs come down in price and are mainstream in about 5-6 years, then you can easily transfer DV to those discs without breaking up your footage.