Best format to copy VHS and DVC's (mini) to make sure they'll last?

[shaytala]

I have done some copying to DVD-R of my family home movies. Discs finalized and I've made the original and a back up copy of each to give to my daughters.

I'm getting ready to scan 45 years of pictures into my computer and put them on DVD's as well.

My concern for both of these projects is that with all the technology changes that occur these DVD's won't be any good in a few years and all our history will be lost?

Any suggestions on how to do or what I should be using etc?

Thanks.

[edDV]

DVDR with multiple backup copies is the most obsolete proof strategy at the moment. DVD will be supported for many years into the future just as CD is now. But a DVDR single layer will only hold 20 minutes of DVC. I archive my DV as tapes and at least two hard drives (rotating to new drives every few years). Hard discs keep getting cheaper so all it takes is an archive maintenance discipline. I also create an MPeg2 480i DVD of DVC material for playback convenience and distribution to others.

[jman98]

My concern for both of these projects is that with all the technology changes that occur these DVD's won't be any good in a few years and all our history will be lost?

HIGHLY unlikely given that CD technology, which is roughly 30 years old, still exists. Why do you conclude that DVDs are a special case of digital media storage that is doomed to extension when a smaller and older technology (CD) has survived and shows no signs of going away?

Multiple copies are your best bet. If you're going to archive things to consumer burnable DVDs, I'd advise sticking with single layer and using ONLY Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim's DataLifePlus (you can only buy both of these online). You might also do some research into what are called PAR files and consider making PAR recovery files available on a separate disc. If you can recover most, but not all, of a disc in the future, the PAR files might be able to get the rest of it for you. You'd need to store the PAR files in a separate location (CD, DVD, hard disk, etc.) to avoid having a single point of failure by having everything on the same disc.

[bendixG15]

I archived the family photos onto CDs and not DVDs. I figure that the CD format is more reliable than the DVD format because the written data is less dense.

Then again, I could be wrong but my gut feelings usually are pretty good. I also figure that I am the only one in my family that will do transfer maintenance in the years ahead.

I wouldn't worry about technology changes concerning CDs and DVDs. There are so many CDs/DVDs out in circulation that when the changes do occur, there will be enough publicity and time to change over. (e.g. VHS tapes are dead technology but you can still transfer them to DVDs)

Good luck with the scanning equipment.