How to back-up DVD's?

[andrews_dad]

I put many, many, many hours of video of the kids (lots of it Diz World vacations) onto DVD from the digital vid cam in teh past couple of years. I am nervous having each on DVD. I've had copied DVD's fail in the past, and am worried about losing the footage of the kids that is not replacable. Any cheap and reliable options that you guys know of? I know I have tons of photos on places like shutterfly and other websites which puts my mind at ease in addition to having the CD and some on my home computer. But the video is too large to save on my home computer....

 

[poohfriend77]

We have an external hard drive for our computer, and DH backs up all our photos and video every couple of months. We don't take a ton of video, though, so I'm not sure if this is a good long-term option for everyone.

Another idea would be to make 2-3 copies of each DVD. What are the odds that all would go bad? It would be a good idea to keep one in a fire/lock box, one at a relative's house, etc., just in case the unthinkable ever happened to your home.

 

[Kies99]

You can get a 1tb External Hard Drive anywhere between $90-$130 on average (sometimes cheaper).

It all depends on what the compression rate and type of video it is, but 1tb should easily hold 300 hours of video. It should actually hold quite a bit more.

I definitely recommend this. I have a 500gb drive right now and have tons of stuff on it. I have over 10,000 songs in my music files; 9,300 pictures; 39 full length movies and 13 full season TV Shows. That adds up to less than 300gb.

 

[zumbergc]

just make sure you don't have your only copy on the external drive. Unfortunately those drives do die sometimes too. So try to keep a couple copies of things around.

 

[dawson5]

If you burn extra DVD backups, make sure you burn at the slowest possible speed and use a good quality disc/dvd. It used to be that buying Japanese made cd's and dvd's were some of the best out there. Slowly the companies that you could trust started outsourcing their production to India and Taiwan. They started using cheaper dyes and we ended up with more coasters and disc rot. I can no longer find Japanese discs with good dye in the b&m stores anymore. I order online.

The better discs combined with the slower burn should help with time. The slower burn speed means that it should burn "deeper" and should not have errors. Also, store in a cool, dry place.

It doesn't hurt to have multiple ways to back up, external and cd/dvd.

 

[andrews_dad]

You can get a 1tb External Hard Drive anywhere between $90-$130 on average (sometimes cheaper).

It all depends on what the compression rate and type of video it is, but 1tb should easily hold 300 hours of video. It should actually hold quite a bit more.

I definitely recommend this. I have a 500gb drive right now and have tons of stuff on it. I have over 10,000 songs in my music files; 9,300 pictures; 39 full length movies and 13 full season TV Shows. That adds up to less than 300gb.

This external hard drive idea sounds interesting. Where would you suggest I look for the best quality for the best price? Recommend a brand? I really know zippo about this whole computer world.

 

[PIERCEDRN]

Burned Dvds do have a shelf life! The dvd-r cd-r and dvd+r of today on brand name media will last 100-200 years in good conditions, but in harsh conditions, like the trunk of a hot car (or a garage in fla.) this could drop to 5 years.
The bigger problem is the DVD-RW and +rw media which only lasts 25 years. This is worrisome for me because my children will never find an "old photo" on a 50 year old disc like would if we found an old photo album today.
We will always need to archive the discs we create today to new medium to guarantee they last for our grandkids.
bob

 

[dfchelbay]

This external hard drive idea sounds interesting. Where would you suggest I look for the best quality for the best price? Recommend a brand? I really know zippo about this whole computer world.

I don't know where you live, but if there is one near you, try Micro Center

http://www.microcenter.com/

They have good prices and a great selection.