Managing and saving video files

[kman22]

What is the best format to capture/convert my video files to based on how I use them?

I take a lot of video (family video type stuff.)
I like to keep it on the computer to watch. I have software and am capable of creating a working DVD but I like to keep the stuff on the computer. I want to keep it in a good compression based format that is also good for coverting to DVD when I want to send to a family member. I like DiVX because of it's great compression and excellent quality but I don't like the fact that family and friends have to download third party software to view videos. They are not the most savy computer users. Currently I have a 500 Raid Array holding my videos. I keep them in raw DV because of great playback quality and ability to easily turn into DVD but they are just too big and I am already out of HD space. What should I convert them and future vidoes to? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[redwudz]

Probably the best format is MPEG-2, as in a DVD for distribution. If you want smaller size and fairly good compatibility with most computers, then MPEG-1 and WMV are probably near the top.

Personally, if the videos are to be played on a computer, I would go with Xvid or Divx. You can always include a player on the disc like VLC as it is a fairly universal player and will play most anything. Not a bad program to have on any computer . On the other hand, if the videos are for the average settop DVD player, then MPEG-2 is probably the way to go. If you want smaller file sizes and don't mind the quality reduction, maybe VCD, as it's fairly universal with DVD players.

You can't really go wrong by leaving the videos in DV format. If your software and camera permits it, you could put your edited DV back to the camera and save them in DV format on tape. DV is good for archiving. The tapes should last quite a while.