Analog conversion - Backup as DVD or mini dv

[thorsted]

I am converting my old 8mm video cassettes to digital while my camcorder still works. I have a datavideo converter and can convert directly to my hard drive and then convert to DVD, but then I would have to delete the original to free up disk space for the next tape. I also have a DV Camcorder which can do AV-DV conversion to tape. This way I can have the Mini DV as backup if I want to edit later. Which is better? Any other options? Buy more hard drives, or more mini dv tapes?

I wanted to see what everyone else is doing to preserve old memories.

Thanks,
-thorsted

[ZAPPER]

Everybody is looking for the best way to save their video and I don't think that there is a best yet!
There are problems or trade offs with any way that you choose.
DVDs or VCDs are kind of what this place is about. While they do have their merits they may have some drawbacks. I am going out on a limb here and will ruffel some feathers. DVDs and VCDs in my opinion are just too damb fragile physically. I am not a total ape but even regular use can damage the disk. I think that enclosing them like a DVD RAM casset is a step in the right direction but it isn't catching on with main stream use. The long term life of a disk has not yet been proven. A lab may simulate 50 years of use or storage but it takes 50 years to prove 50 years.
Tapes, while more durable physically in my opinion, have their issues too. They suffer in the long term storage area and I don't think that they actually record the data as accurate as a disk, even digital tapes.
Hard drives seem to a good way go but are still a little on the costly side and still prone to suffering from age. I forsee an archival harddrive, it seems to make sense.
Transferring to any other media with a change in format or file type is a loss of the original. (DV-AVI to MPEG or such) Even though this can be done without any notice to the eye, it is still a loss.
Until we can laser etch our video inside of a diamond the best we can do is keep up grading our videos on a regular basis. Make multiple copies on multiple types of media and every year or two do it again to keep up with the changes in technology

[pixeljammedia]

More mini-dv tapes. With FCP you can do batch captures at pre-determined points from the source tapes and recreate the project any time you want. I'll refer you to the article on archiving found on Ken Stone's FCP site called Archiving Your FCP project. It is a good place to start and is the least destructive way of doing it.

[terryj]

Pixel's got it.
With my Canopus ADVC-100,
you can import the old footage in,
as DV Streams through
to FCP or iMovie,
then play them back to mini dv tape
using the same box, and
thus archive the project.

I have done this for edited
projects, were I would want to save
the footage after edit.

I would still consider getting an extra HD
though, so you can work on more than
one project at a time, as well as have
enough room so that you can create your
project edits and still have access to the original
footage. If the one HD you have glitched
or had a disk error, you'd be stuck badly.