The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: happyattacks on December 27, 2006, 09:27:51 AM
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Finnally got a nice Sony DVD Recorder for the Holidays --- Starting dubbing some of the ol stuff from VHS over to DVD. I know some of you guys have transferred your collection over to DVD... I've done a couple of runs, and just am not happy with the quality on the Finished DVD's - Alot of that pixelating stuf. Even stuff taped on EP on VHS looks better on the tape. Is the only way to get decent quality on the DVD at SP? This only gives you two hours, and rather than having hundreds of VHS's, I will now have 100's of DVD's?!?
I'd be curious as to the thoughts of others and what method/speed/media you'd reccommend before I go any farther.
Thanks as always!
Matt :)
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Base it on importance. Record the ABC Password episode in SP, for example, while a tape with some run of the mill Family Feud episodes can be placed on two 2.5 hour DVD's.
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I've got about 500 episodes of my collection transferred so far - and I've done them all in SP. I have a Panasonic machine with a built-in hard drive, and I've been pleased with the results so far.
Even thought my 250 VHS tapes will turn into 750 DVDs when I'm all done, I've noticed no loss in video quality doing it in the SP mode. Besides, blank DVDs are cheap anyway (I use Maxells).
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[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'141532\' date=\'Dec 27 2006, 07:33 AM\']
I've got about 500 episodes of my collection transferred so far - and I've done them all in SP. I have a Panasonic machine with a built-in hard drive, and I've been pleased with the results so far. [/quote]
Anybody have experience with brands and models of DVD recorders that are particularly good or evil?
Randy
tvrandywest.com
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>>Anybody have experience with brands and models of DVD recorders that are particularly good or evil?
Avoid Philips/Magnavox. (As much as I love their other devices, the DVD recorders are awkward, and I've gotten lots of coasters.) Meanwhile, I've had nothing but good things to say about Panasonic. No problems at all yet.
And as far as video speed, don't try to use anything less than 2 Hour mode. The video quality gets worse. And if you're concerned about physical space, 3 DVDs in 2 hour mode still takes up less space than a 6 hour videotape. And you have quick access to the stuff when it's over.
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Along these same lines, I have several tapes of Face the Music episodes I intend to move over to DVD and I've discovered that one of my tapes (an 8 hour one no less) has broken at the leader end. I'd like to salvage this tape someone, even if it means missing the first little bit of the first episode on it. Has anyone here had any luck repairing VHS tapes? I'm fortunate in that it only broke at the leader right near the spindle end (yes, I did disassemble it).
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What? You're telling me that the company that invented the videocassette doesn't know how to build a decent example of the format that is burying VHS? Shocking. ;)
And while I've never futzed with one myself, I must concur with those recommending Panasonic machines....by all reports the Panny's are excellent. They're really turning out some fantastic electronics over there; buddy of mine was gifted with a mini-DVD camcorder for Christmas that I was really impressed with.
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Just to provide another data point... I've had a Magnavox DVD recorder for a few weeks now and have had no problems with it. It occurred to me about a month ago, when my sister-in-law asked me for a show she'd missed, that I was the only one in the family who still had a VHS machine -- so I went to Sam's Club and picked up the most basic DVD recorder they had for just under $90.
When I say basic, I mean basic -- for example, it won't record to dual-layer discs and it doesn't have a hard drive -- but I wasn't looking for a boatload of features, just something to record shows off the DVR for family members. So far I haven't had a single coaster and the video quality is great.
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To answer Randy's question, I have a Panasonic DVR which has a hard drive in it. It's been excellent, once you learn the things it doesn't like you to do. :-) It's older, in that the only rewriteable discs it will record to are DVD-RAM discs. I've been pleased with it.
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[quote name=\'xanfan\' post=\'141572\' date=\'Dec 27 2006, 06:04 PM\']
>>Anybody have experience with brands and models of DVD recorders that are particularly good or evil?
Meanwhile, I've had nothing but good things to say about Panasonic. No problems at all yet.[/quote]
I wonder who sold you on that Panasonic DVD recorder. ;-)
I've had a Panasonic DVD recorder since Labor Day, probably the same model as Kris'. It's been nothing short of phenomenal in every aspect.
I would avoid LiteOn recorders like the plague. The list of issues is long, with the major ones being that the recorder flat out died after 8 months, LiteOn would do nothing to rectify the issue despite the recorder being under warranty, and the recorder's clock was fast at a rate of about 60 seconds per day.
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Pffft, the only DVD recorder brands worth a damn are Magnetbox, Panaphonics, and Sorny. :P
/Yeah, a Simpsons reference.
//3F11, "Scenes From the Class Struggle in Springfield"
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I got a Magnavox as a gift a few weeks ago. So far it's worked perfectly fine, with no coasters. Easily my best experience with a DVD recorder.
Two years ago, I received one of the Wal-Mart store brand DVD recorders as a gift. The Wal-Mart store brand at the time was a re-badged LiteOn. The thing completely just shut down within a month and a half. Exchanged it for another one, and it too died after about 1.5 months. And about a third of the discs were coasters.
As long as the Magnavox works, I'll probably be happy to just keep using it. If/when *it* goes, I'll probably just purchase my own (Given my own experiences, and what's been said, I'm already eyeing a Panasonic)
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I've owned a Sylvania burner and a Sansui burner. I was happy with both, but if push comes to shove, I prefer the Sylvania. And in both instances, I've found that I can usually cram up to four hours on a single disc without compromising picture quality. YMMV.
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[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'141532\' date=\'Dec 27 2006, 10:33 AM\']
Even thought my 250 VHS tapes will turn into 750 DVDs when I'm all done, I've noticed no loss in video quality doing it in the SP mode. Besides, blank DVDs are cheap anyway (I use Maxells).
[/quote]
I hope your statement, "DVDs are cheap anyway," doesn't get misunderstood and corrupted into "cheap DVDs."
As a relative newcomer to the digital age, I'm frankly concerned about reports that burn-them-yourself CDs and DVDs may not last long as analog tape. Something to do with the dyes in the discs, and how long they will hold up so the discs will remain readable years from now.
The general rule seems to be, stick with a major brand (like Maxell). But I'm going to look into DVD-Rs that are being promoted for their supposed longevity, such as the Mitsui Gold Archive Grade DVDs.
And yes, I've heard of P.T. Barnum.
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As someone who used to manage an electronics store, I can not extoll the virtues of Panasonic enough. They were so good we used them in our security system and recorded things on the floor model.
Philips are really iffy, and Magnavox is made by Funai, who've never made a quality product. Ever.
While we never carried Sony recorders, I do know Sony tends to have a lot of problems with optical drives. We constantly got CD and DVD ploayers of theirs back.
As for media, I've never gone wrong with Imation.
Hope this helps.
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I bought an iLo, which I believe is the house brand of Wal-Mart. I had to download software to avoid false Copywrite Protect markers, but otherwise the problem I've had is a couple unfinalized disks that went bad, one while it was in the burner and one that hadn't been added to in several months. I found that the four-hour speed was adequate; that is, viewing it on a different DVD player, you couldn't tell that you weren't watching it live. At the six-hour speed, though, I lost some resolution.
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I hope your statement, "DVDs are cheap anyway," doesn't get misunderstood and corrupted into "cheap DVDs."
Hopefully not! What I meant was you can get packages of 50 or more for around $20 - but I'd definately only go with name brands that have a good repuation - like Maxells, for example.
As a relative newcomer to the digital age, I'm frankly concerned about reports that burn-them-yourself CDs and DVDs may not last long as analog tape. Something to do with the dyes in the discs, and how long they will hold up so the discs will remain readable years from now.
I've heard that too. I think if you take good care of them, keep them out of light and out of moisture, etc, they should last long enough to see it through to the next format :)
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[quote name=\'nWo_Whammy\' post=\'141599\' date=\'Dec 27 2006, 10:26 PM\']
As for media, I've never gone wrong with Imation.
[/quote]
Imation is the best-kept secret in cheap media. I used to buy spools of Imation CD's when I had a Dreamcast, (two spools of 50 for less than $20, and at the time Outpost.com was guaranteeing free next-day delivery if you ordered before 11 AM on the previous day, or something like that) and I would have maybe one coaster on me across two of them.
They, like the legendary Pat O'Brien, are just great.
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Reading the thread on problems people are having with the MG DVD got me thinking about those who are burring their old VHS to DVD. I've had a Panasonic DVD recorder for almost 3 years now and it works great. Thing is a couple discs, ones I admit I didn't store properly, are now damaged beyond repair.
While my goal has never been transfer my collection from one media to another I guess I warn everyone not to give away or trade away your old VHS if you indeed burn everything to DVD. I've got VHS tapes that are 22+ years old that play as good as new but DVD's seem to get screwed up fairly easily.
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I'm glad I saw this thread. I was about to post a message about the same thing. I have probably around 300 tapes. I need to convert them to DVDs. Moving all those tapes earlier this year was a pain. Plus I may be moving to a smaller place where I won't have room to store all those videotape cases and boxes.
It seems like the verdict is that Panasonic VCR->DVD machine (I assume you all are talking about the machines with VCR and DVD in one unit) is the way to go. Avoid Philips, Magavox, and off-brands. As for the DVDs themselves, it seems Maxell is a good name brand.
A couple of concerns:
- Do you lose a generation when you dub from VCR to DVD? (The answer is probably yes.)
- Someone mentioned that DVDs may not last as long as VCR tapes. Is this true?
Dubbing to two hours (which someone said is essential) is going to be a pain. I have lots of T120 and T160 tapes that are in SLP. It is going to require baby-sitting. But I guess that comes with the territory. To convert that many tapes to DVD may take up to a year! :)
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A couple of concerns:
- Do you lose a generation when you dub from VCR to DVD? (The answer is probably yes.)
From what I've seen, no. At least it doesn't look like it to me. If you do, it's not nearly as noticable as dubbing a tape.
Dubbing to two hours (which someone said is essential) is going to be a pain. I have lots of T120 and T160 tapes that are in SLP. It is going to require baby-sitting. But I guess that comes with the territory. To convert that many tapes to DVD may take up to a year! :)
I think it might take longer than that. I've been at it for five months, and I'm less than a quarter of the way through...but it's fun!
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We'll, I've had a Pioneer DVD Recorder for 3.5 years now (being one of teh first models, it has no HD and only records -R or -RW discs) - and it hasn't missed a beat so far. The only issue I have when dubbing across highly dubbed VHS tapes is that the video signal wil occasionally cut out (leaving the screen black from time to time in the video). I don't know whether this is unique to my recorder - or consistent across all recorders. I only use high quality DVD media - in my case TDK disks (I don't know whether they are available in th US) - I have had practically no problems with corruption or deterioration of discs. I store my disc in the original spools, in a dark, cool location.
Dubbling does take some time - I have transferred roughly half of my original VHS collection across so far (roughly 1000 shows in 3 years). Everything is recorded at SP. But it's worth it - the storage space savings are considerable - and dubbing DVDs to DVDs for trading purposes is much easier and quicker. And you can trade more easily with overseas people who use different TV formats (probably not a big issue for most of you).
Key is:
- Record at SP
- Use good quality media
- Store the media well
Chris Powney.
Melbourne, Australia.
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[quote name=\'MikeK\' post=\'141592\' date=\'Dec 27 2006, 09:30 PM\']
I would avoid LiteOn recorders like the plague. The list of issues is long, with the major ones being that the recorder flat out died after 8 months, LiteOn would do nothing to rectify the issue despite the recorder being under warranty, and the recorder's clock was fast at a rate of about 60 seconds per day.
[/quote]
** I've been using a LiteOn (LVW-5005) for about a year, and while I got my whole collection converted from VHS to DVD in about 3 months (ran the thing 5-6 hours a day), it has its quirks, like the one episode of "1 vs. 100" that it swears is protected content and refused to let me dub from VHS. Also, sometimes I have to put in 5 or 6 different DVD-Rs before it will accept one as readable for recording. Most of the rejected ones became DVDs used for writing from the PC, but even some of those weren't readable. They're Sony DVD-Rs, and while I got a good deal on them at Best Buy, I won't buy them again after I run out because of the high rate of 'coasterism'.
** Another odd thing about the LiteOn: it puts out a TON of interference... it affects the TV sets with lines not unlike those you used to see when the vacuum cleaner was running, and ruins my FM tuner's weaker signals when it's plugged in. Does anyone else see this with their recorders? It's a nuisance-recording directly from an over the air signal or on cable results in a serious degradation of signal. Once I run this LiteOn into the ground, the next recorder will definitely be another brand.
** And to echo the sentiments of other posters: if you haven't started dubbing your VHS collection yet, do *EVERYTHING* as 2 hour SP. Yes, it will cost more for the media esp. with a big collection, but it's the only way to preserve the quality.
** I encourage those of you who are discussing recorders you use to include the model number so those of us interested in buying one can shop based on the GSF Seal of Approval!
Matt
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[quote name=\'Justin Dyer\' post=\'141771\' date=\'Dec 30 2006, 11:45 PM\']
- Someone mentioned that DVDs may not last as long as VCR tapes. Is this true?
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My bad. My point was, we're not certain at this point how long burn-them-yourself DVDs and CDs will last, because the technology is still relatively new. But given reports and rumors of DVDs and CDs that are already unreadable after only a couple of years, attention must be paid. The standard precautions are, use only high-quality DVDs and store them responsibly. Ideally, you'd hold onto the original materials, but for people looking to save space, that may not be practical.
A couple of online articles to check out:
http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsf...VDlongevity.php (http://\"http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/CDDVDlongevity.php\")
http://hometheater.about.com/cs/dvdlaserdisc/a/aadvdrota.htm (http://\"http://hometheater.about.com/cs/dvdlaserdisc/a/aadvdrota.htm\")
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[quote name=\'happyattacks\' post=\'141529\' date=\'Dec 27 2006, 10:27 AM\']
I'd be curious as to the thoughts of others and what method/speed/media you'd reccommend before I go any farther.
[/quote]
Two notes:
1. Blank Media Quality Guide and FAQ (http://\"http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/index.htm\") is a good guide to which media works and which doesn't. The short story is this: Brand names don't mean as much as the manufacturer of the media itself. Once upon a time, TDK used a really good manufacturer to make its media; unfortunately, the last batch I bought was from a different (and less reputable) manufacturer. The down side to this is that you really can't know for sure who the manufacturer is until you buy a disc.
2. Best Buy has blank Verbatim DVD-Rs on sale this week -- a 25-pack for $6.99. I've just bought a spindle and checked the manufacturer code -- looks like a good one, though YMMV.
Curt
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[quote name=\'curtking\' post=\'141919\' date=\'Jan 2 2007, 03:18 PM\']1. Blank Media Quality Guide and FAQ (http://\"http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/index.htm\") is a good guide to which media works and which doesn't. [/quote]
That excellent website also has a page (http://\"http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/longevity.htm\") that should calm some fears among those who keep worrying that the format is unreliable. Actually, if you've got it in your head to be scared, this article probably isn't going to do anything to change that, but the average user should read it anyway.
A few more thoughts from someone who makes thousands of discs a year for hundreds of very picky customers:
I see several people insisting you use the 2-hour speed. My experience has been that you're really OK up to the 3-hour speed for most stuff, especially stuff that's originating from crummy old 6-hour VHS tapes in the first place.
Don't use sticky labels to label your DVDs. It has a significant impact on the reliablity of the DVD in certain machines. I only really convinced myself of this fairly recently, so a lot of the really important stuff in my collection is being migrated over to new discs, plus I found myself making a few more replacement copies than usual over the summer when I had a double-whammy of sticky labels and a less-than-perfect batch of discs.
Today, I only use Taiyo Yuden white inkjet printable blank DVDs, and I print high-quality labels directly onto them with an inexpensive (but kinda hard to find) Epson printer. I also store my discs individually in full-size cases, which takes up more room (and is more expensive, of course), but they look great on the shelf and they're a lot easier to find than if they were all stacked up in jewel cases.
Basically, just be careful, which is the same advice you got when you were saving your VHS tapes.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'141921\' date=\'Jan 2 2007, 01:02 PM\']
Today, I only use Taiyo Yuden white inkjet printable blank DVDs, and I print high-quality labels directly onto them with an inexpensive (but kinda hard to find) Epson printer.
[/quote]
FWIW, I've been looking at printers today (my freakin' Epson has the first clog it's ever had in two years of owning it, and if the cleaning stuff I ordered doesn't do the trick, I'm in the market, grrrrr), and I've noticed that more and more printers have the capability to print onto printable blanks. Enough so that if I _do_ get a new one, that's on the must-have feature list.
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I've finally decided to bite the bullet and buy a VCR/DVD combo to convert my tape collection. I have decided on a machine (Panasonic DMR-ES45VS.) Now the question I have is about disks. I have been warned by several not to put labels on the DVDs. (Good thing because that is what I was going to do!) I could have a system where I put numbers on disks and then had the titles in another location. The problem with that is that the document in the other location could get lost or corrupted. I heard something about disks where you can print text on them using a printer. Has anyone had any experience with this? What printer is best? I'd prefer to avoid spending an arm and a leg. The Epson R220/R260 models seem to be popular based on google searches, but the reviews I read say that the ink doesn't last long and is very expensive. I found something called the TEAC P-11 DVD Printer that does nothing but print DVDs/CDs, but that looks kind of cheap. (See link at bottom of post.) Would it be kosher to buy the printer printable disks and write on them with a ballpoint pen? What affordable printer is best for printing on the printable DVDs? Thanks for all the help you all have provided in this topic.
Justin
http://www.discmakers.com/duplicators/prod...vd_printers.asp (http://\"http://www.discmakers.com/duplicators/products/dvd_printers.asp\")
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[quote name=\'Justin Dyer\' post=\'142430\' date=\'Jan 7 2007, 10:09 PM\']
Would it be kosher to buy the printer printable disks and write on them with a ballpoint pen?
[/quote]
As far as labeling DVDs (at least single-sided DVDs). I strongly recommend using a fine point, felt-tipped permanent marker. Using a ballpoint pen will damage the DVD.
As far as the labels go -- avoid using adhesive labels like the plague. I've labeled CD's and DVDs and no matter how hard you try, in most cases you will get an air bubble or 2 below the label.
Depending on how much clearance you have in your computer or DVD player, that little air bubble, or that miniscule extra height created by that label could range from "no problems in playback" to "starts skipping and or freezing up midway into the disc" to "won't play at all".
I have some labeled CDs that will play vertically in my 51-disc CD carousel changer and horizontally in my Dodge Caravan with no problem. In my slot-loading computer, the CD will play the first few tracks, starts skipping then freezes up altogether. In my other car, the CD will play but it cannot eject the CD.
Unless you plan to list more than the show title on the disc (airdate, length, celebrity players, etc...), I'd just number it, put the names of the shows (if you are recording in SP mode, you'll have 3 or 4 shows tops to list), and print a complete listing on paper and affix it to the jewel box of DVD case.
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If you've got a lot of time to kill, you could always get a capture device and do the encoding in software - usually, one can get better results at the same bitrate when you can encode in software. Personally, when I'm encoding to DVD, I use TMPGEnc with a set of profiles called "KDVD". It slightly breaks the DVD spec, but compatibility is still good (from personal experience, it plays fine on an older Sony standalone, a Playstation 2, and a cheap COBY player). With the KDVD profile, I've been able to fit five eps of PYL, without commercials, and in excellent quality, on a single DVD-R. With this method, you can also edit out the commercials at a frame-exact level, allowing you to fit a bit more video on the disc. Myself, I use an NTSC-DV transcoder to capture my video, and then I run it through Avisynth (http://\"http://www.avisynth.org\") to handle clipping out commercials and denoising.
Another option is to get a dual-layer capable recorder, although the blanks cost a fair amount more than single-layer media. However, DL nearly doubles your raw capacity.
As far as labels, another option is to get a DVD burner capable of writing LightScribe labels. Even if you want to use a standalone recorder to do your actual dubbing, you can use the discs like normal and then write the label on your computer. Once again, the media costs a fair amount more than equivalent non-LightScribe media, but not as much more as DL media.
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[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'142450\' date=\'Jan 7 2007, 09:56 PM\']
As far as the labels go -- avoid using adhesive labels like the plague. I've labeled CD's and DVDs and no matter how hard you try, in most cases you will get an air bubble or 2 below the label.
[/quote]
I have never ever ever had this happen. (I also own a CD stomper, which is kinda the intended way to apply labels to a CD.)
(And Our Benevolent Moderator Matt recommends against labels wholesale, but I have never had a problem with them. So, two sides of the coin.)
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[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'142450\' date=\'Jan 7 2007, 09:56 PM\']
As far as the labels go -- avoid using adhesive labels like the plague. I've labeled CD's and DVDs and no matter how hard you try, in most cases you will get an air bubble or 2 below the label.
[/quote]
Just my two cents from a long week of DVD maintenance...
Labels are apparently causing a problem for me, but not for the reason TimK suggested. Most of the forums that I've consulted make this point: no matter how good you are, you'll very rarely get the DVD label perfectly centered. Even a tiny variance in the centering of the label causes the DVD to spin erratically. This can cause problems when the player tries to read the DVD.
I've proven this point to myself in the following way: Back in the summer, I made a set of DVDs that archived some home movies that were on VHS. Before I put sticky labels on any of the original DVDs, I made duplicates for my family members using Nero. I had no problems making six sets of duplicates.
Afterward, I put a sticky label on each, then stored them in DVD cases. Last week I needed to make a duplicate set for my mom; when I tried to copy any of the four DVDs in the set, each failed. I used Nero InfoTool to scan the disc (much like ScanDisk in Windows) and found bad/damaged sectors on each disk. The odd thing was that when I scanned any of the DVDs multiple times, it found bad/damaged sectors in a different part of the disc.
So I set out to remove the labels on a few of the disks. As soon as I did, the scan ran perfectly time and time again. Nero will now make copies of these disks without a problem.
Why don't labels cause this problem with CDs? Apparently, the density of DVDs makes them incredibly susceptible to the erratic spinning problem. The data is so tightly packed on a DVD that just a slight movement in the DVD at read-time can be fatal.
Take this for what it's worth, but I can testify to my own situation. Now to the task of removing labels from 300 DVDs...
(which isn't as hard as it sounds, using an oil-and-citrus-based adhesive remover. Messy, but not hard.)
Curt
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With the KDVD profile, I've been able to fit five eps of ... without commercials, and in excellent quality, on a single DVD-R.
I can usually get 126 minutes on each disc, so that's five episodes with commercials edited out of at least three of them, or four if all have original commercials I want to keep. For any show I have a lot of, I can usually get a week's worth on each disc at SP.
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[quote name=\'Justin Dyer\' post=\'142430\' date=\'Jan 7 2007, 09:09 PM\']
Would it be kosher to buy the printer printable disks and write on them with a ballpoint pen?[/quote]
If you're just going to write on them, the point of purchasing the more expensive printable disks is more or less lost, but in either case, don't use a ballpoint pen, use a Sharpie or similar marker.
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I am going to revive this thread to bring up a separate but related discussion...I wanted to share my thought process with my DVD storage issues in case anyone might find it helpful. I would love to hear what you guys are doing as well.
Now that a lot of us are transitioning over to DVD from VHS as a primary medium, how is everyone dealing with storing them? There are so many more options to store DVDs when compared to VHS tapes - I always just kept my tapes on shelves, and that was that. I love DVDs because they're small, but am struggling to find a quality way to store the DVDs without them taking up as much space as VHS cases.
Since I am using 3 or 4 disks per VHS tape, (once converted, on average), I simply don't have the space to put each DVD in a single standard DVD case. My DVD collection would then be taking up more space than my VHS collection did. Buying the DVD cakeboxes also means finding a good way to label each cakebox, which is an expensive and/or time-consuming proposition. Yes, I want my DVD movies (proper) in pretty cases with nice art, because that’s part of what I paid for when I bought it, but is that as important with plain old game show DVDs?
So I came up with a want list. I need a solution that is space-efficient, where I don’t have to make (literally) thousands of cakebox labels, is a proper storage solution for DVDs, and where I can find the DVD I want fairly quickly via a simple database, which I have already created. (Through Google spreadsheets, nonetheless, and it seems to be working well…my spreadsheet self-publishes live whenever I post an update, which is very neat.)
One of the “deal” sites I frequent posted a special earlier this week from meritline.com for a DJ case that's designed to travel and holds 720 CDs. (To see what I'm talking about, go to that site and search for item 180-066-001.) It comes with 360 sleeves that hold 2 CDs each, are self-cleaning and numbered. The sleeves were the deal-breaker for me: the case only holds 100-some CDs in jewel cases, but with these sleeves that are less bulky, the capacity goes up 7 times.
I think this might have been the solution I have been looking for – I know that if I need another case or more sleeves that are exactly the same as this first set I got, that I can go back to the same store and get the exact same thing. (If I am going to spend the money on organization, I need everything to look good and uniform – I don’t want mismatching sleeves or cases.) A plus of this entire situation is that when I pick up and move house, I’ll only have one or two of these DJ cases to move instead of boxes and boxes of tapes, and the DJ case is a viable long-term storage solution: the disks aren’t exposed to the elements.
So that’s my lengthy thought process. What has everyone else done or is in the process of doing?
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CD storage is a little different than DVD. One scratch won't really hurt a CD, but could render the DVD useless. I had some plastic sleeves for my CDs that got a little humid and started sticking to the disk. It didn't really harm the CD, but DVD is a different animal. I'd put them in jewel cases at the very least. Don't throw away the tapes.
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On the same topic, i record GSN daily onto DVD. When a disk gets full, i put it into a jewel case, and put it in my desk drawer. Is that good enough, or is their something else i should be doing to protect the disks?
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'145483\' date=\'Feb 7 2007, 02:21 PM\']
CD storage is a little different than DVD. One scratch won't really hurt a CD, but could render the DVD useless. I had some plastic sleeves for my CDs that got a little humid and started sticking to the disk. It didn't really harm the CD, but DVD is a different animal. I'd put them in jewel cases at the very least. Don't throw away the tapes.
[/quote]
I put all mine in paper CD/DVD sleeves/envelopes... a co-worker found envelopes on sale online for 2 cents apiece so I bought 300.
Otherwise I've labelled 'em with Sharpies, entered the contents into an Excel spreadsheet, and stored the DVDs in a box covered with Milton Bradley money I glued on, with help from my 3-year-old. Nothing fancy at all. All the old VHS tapes are relegated to under-the-bed boxes in our basement/guest bedroom.
Matt
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I put all mine in paper CD/DVD sleeves/envelopes...
I do too. I'm a little cautious about using the jewel boxes. I've found that on some of them, when you try to get it out of the little holder in the center, you almost have to bend it to get it off. I figured that wasn't very good for them, so I figured the sleeves/envelopes are better since they just slide in and out pretty easily.
And I'm definately not throwing away the tapes. I just need to figure out a place to store them so they won't get damaged/moldy, etc. I'm already out of room in my extra bedroom where I keep all this stuff!
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[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'145591\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 05:53 AM\']
And I'm definately not throwing away the tapes.
[/quote]
This is where I'm confused. Isn't the entire POINT to be able to get rid of the tapes and get some storage space back?
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This is where I'm confused. Isn't the entire POINT to be able to get rid of the tapes and get some storage space back?
I think I should have added one word to my previous post - YET. Since DVD storage is still rather new, I'd hate to give up all my tapes and then find some of my discs eventually fail - then I'd have no way of getting that stuff back again.
Let's say that I'll eventually get rid of the tapes - but not immediately.
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[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'145604\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 08:41 AM\']
I think I should have added one word to my previous post - YET. Since DVD storage is still rather new,
[/quote]
From Wikipedia (http://\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-R\"):
The DVD-R format was developed by Pioneer in the autumn of 1997.
And we've had dual-layer drives for almost three years now. How much more of a shakedown period do you need?
I'd hate to give up all my tapes and then find some of my discs eventually fail - then I'd have no way of getting that stuff back again.
I'm gonna suggest that the tapes are gonna fail a LOT sooner than the DVD's will.
-
It would be nice to be able to get rid of the tapes, but I've heard too many stories about DVDs getting scratched, stepped on, coating coming off, being playable on only one machine, etc. Frugality dictates buying the cheapest blanks, but will they last?
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I don't even participate in DVD storage, but one of my concerns of ever doing it was that of discs failing. I've had CDs where a few of the tracks pop and skip later go on to freezing up the CD player in my car. It's likely my fault, sure, but I want to have as much confidence in myself and my own abilities in making discs before I go ahead and toss my tapes. With tapes, I'll know one way or the other if they work or not, because it'll likely be some sort of physical problem. But with a disc, it can look all pretty on the shelf and not play at all. I guess it's like scanning album after album of family photographs into your computer but never getting rid of the books despite that, for fear of a power surge or something.
-Jason
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'145606\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 11:49 AM\']
I'm gonna suggest that the tapes are gonna fail a LOT sooner than the DVD's will.
[/quote]
I agree with Chris here. This is where I stand with my thoughts on VHS and DVD.
1. DVDs will last a lot longer than VHS tapes. This point is simply a fact, with the caveat that one is using higher-quality DVD media. (I would rather pay 30-40 cents for good Taiyo Yuden media than the free-after-rebate no-name junk at many stores, especially for archival purposes. And remember, that's what we're all doing here: we are creating archives. Would you trust your tapes to any store brand from the Dollar Tree? Same argument.)
2. My failure rate of losing DVDs I've had is just about equal to (the quantity of my tapes have been eaten by my VCR) plus (the quantity of tapes I've had that are 10+ years old, have been played many times, and look awful at this point).
3. Space is at a premium in my house - I value a nice living space over shelves and shelves of tapes - and I don't really have room for all the tapes in the first place.
I may start a giveaway program for some of my tapes, just to get them out of the house. If I ever lose an episode or more off a DVD, the loss is certainly less than a 6 or 8 hour tape, and most of the time, I believe I could contact the original trader and get another copy with a trade.
Also, someone had written something about jewel cases vs sleeves earlier...again, with space as one of my concerns, sleeves seem to be the only option. I see no practical reason in using larger cases that take up 4-5x the volume of the DVD itself when I can store the media in sleeves - and nice sleeves, at that.
-
I don't even know where they sell Taiyo Yuden in my area. We have Walgreens but even their cheap stuff is expensive. There's no need to buy Dollar Tree tapes because the good brands run about a dollar each anyway.
I think you had your mind made up before you asked about storage, but you could save even more space just by leaving them on the spindle.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'145613\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 12:21 PM\']
I don't even know where they sell Taiyo Yuden in my area. We have Walgreens but even their cheap stuff is expensive. There's no need to buy Dollar Tree tapes because the good brands run about a dollar each anyway.
I think you had your mind made up before you asked about storage, but you could save even more space just by leaving them on the spindle.
[/quote]
I didn't have my mind made up, no...this was meant as an ongoing discussion. I'm just stating the reason why some of the ideas posed won't work for me...that doesn't mean those ideas aren't great for someone else.
There are several companies online that sell TY media. Sometimes what you buy in the store - TDK, Fuji media, etc. is made by TY.
For me, leaving them on the spindle is a dangerous solution - every time I want to access a disc, I would have to lift off 47 others, and then set them down somewhere, and so on.For temporary storage, I do use spindles, but for me, that's not a long term thing.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'145607\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 08:58 AM\']
but I've heard too many stories about DVDs getting scratched, stepped on, coating coming off, being playable on only one machine, etc.
[/quote]
But all of that (save for the "playable on only one machine" issue, and I think we're at the point with the format now that that is a nonissue anymore) is a potential issue with a videotape, too. Plus, you can add in all of the mechanical problems that can befall a videotape. Scratched and stepped on? Handle them properly, and don't leave them on the floor. How hard is that?
Frugality dictates buying the cheapest blanks, but will they last?
Okay, well, if you're buying crap media, then that's your funeral. Mitch is right on the money. I keep my eye on the Best Buy ads....right now they have a cakebox of Fuji's for $12.99, and I know when you catch big sales you can get 'em around $10. You don't need something that advertises itself as "archival quality" or some such at a big premium, but if you buy a brand name (the current box I'm on is Verbaitms, I believe, and I've used Imation (I LOVE Imation - best bargain in the industry, and they're quality) and TDK with no problems at all. Quality has gotten way better, too...the days of saying "well, if you have a 10% coaster rate, you're doing pretty well" are long over. I can't tell you the last time I had a CD or DVD coaster on me. If I chuck one, it's because I didn't like what I did, or I finish the burn and then discover an error I missed in a menu or in the directory structure or a filename or whatever, or something.
But, yeah, if you're buying that no-name spool of 100 they always have in the bins up in front at CompUSA, then you're taking your life in your hands.
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[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'145608\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 09:02 AM\']
It's likely my fault, sure, but I want to have as much confidence in myself and my own abilities in making discs before I go ahead and toss my tapes.
[/quote]
Throw it in your PS2 or Xbox. If it plays, you're doing it right. It's just not rocket science, especially with all of these recorders out there that do the heavy lifting for you these days.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'145619\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 01:53 PM\']
Plus, you can add in all of the mechanical problems that can befall a videotape. Scratched and stepped on? Handle them properly, and don't leave them on the floor. How hard is that?
[/quote]
At least with video and audio tape, if the tape breaks and you are somewhat good with tools, you can still splice it back together with scotch tape and carefully rethread the cassette back up and yet still be able to watch it.
With a CD or DVD, once it crosses into coaster-land, you lose it all.
Bottom line is if you plan to burn your own CD's or DVD's with media that is hard to come by (i.e. old TV shows or rare rare albums) or cannot be replaced cheaply (i.e. cannot get a copy at Best Buy or a Library), then either try to keep an old school copy of it, or dub 2 copies and store the duplicates away -- just in case.
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[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'145627\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 10:57 AM\']
At least with video and audio tape, if the tape breaks and you are somewhat good with tools, you can still splice it back together with scotch tape and carefully rethread the cassette back up and yet still be able to watch it.
[/quote]
Scotch tape? I feel for your video heads.
Bottom line is if you plan to burn your own CD's or DVD's with media that is hard to come by (i.e. old TV shows or rare rare albums) or cannot be replaced cheaply (i.e. cannot get a copy at Best Buy or a Library), then either try to keep an old school copy of it, or dub 2 copies and store the duplicates away -- just in case.
Or: take care of it, if it's really so valuable to you that you feel you need an archive copy "just in case." In case of what? Global war? Famine? Come ON.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'145635\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 03:22 PM\']
[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'145627\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 10:57 AM\']
At least with video and audio tape, if the tape breaks and you are somewhat good with tools, you can still splice it back together with scotch tape and carefully rethread the cassette back up and yet still be able to watch it.
[/quote]
Scotch tape? I feel for your video heads.
Bottom line is if you plan to burn your own CD's or DVD's with media that is hard to come by (i.e. old TV shows or rare rare albums) or cannot be replaced cheaply (i.e. cannot get a copy at Best Buy or a Library), then either try to keep an old school copy of it, or dub 2 copies and store the duplicates away -- just in case.
Or: take care of it, if it's really so valuable to you that you feel you need an archive copy "just in case." In case of what? Global war? Famine? Come ON.
[/quote]
TimK2003 does make a valid point: A partially damaged analog tape is at least somewhat salvageable. I'm not so sure about a partially damaged DVD or CD. ("Coaster." I like that. Going to have to remember that, which at my age is no small feat.)
As for taking real good care of a single valued copy - I think that's what used to be called "putting all your eggs in one basket." (As Mark Twain said, "Put all your eggs in one basket - AND WATCH THAT BASKET.")
It brings to mind the first two Super Bowls. As I'm sure most of us already know, neither NBC or CBS could be bothered to save their tapes of the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game. But I was surprised to hear that NBC did save its tape of Super Bowl II. Word has it that a few years later, somebody went to NBC's climate-controlled vault and pulled out the tape, whereupon all of the oxide flaked off the base. The tape was useless.
I'm sure things have improved since then, but if you're going to go the two-copy preservation route, may I make this suggestion: Burn one copy on one brand of DVD, burn the other on a different brand, or at least a different batch, just in case of a defective run of DVDs. And yes, store the duplicate in a cool, dry, dark place.
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[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' post=\'145639\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 12:34 PM\']
As for taking real good care of a single valued copy - I think that's what used to be called "putting all your eggs in one basket." (As Mark Twain said, "Put all your eggs in one basket - AND WATCH THAT BASKET.")
[/quote]
Point. But don't fry one disk and then store the tape away, fry two discs and put the OTHER DISC away. (Essentially, what you suggested, although I still feel that if you buy brand-name media, you don't have to worry about burning to different brands intentionally.)
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[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' post=\'145639\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 03:34 PM\']
It brings to mind the first two Super Bowls. As I'm sure most of us already know, neither NBC or CBS could be bothered to save their tapes of the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game. But I was surprised to hear that NBC did save its tape of Super Bowl II. Word has it that a few years later, somebody went to NBC's climate-controlled vault and pulled out the tape, whereupon all of the oxide flaked off the base. The tape was useless.
[/quote]
Super Bowl III was also a missing tape for a long time. ASCAP happened to have a copy and gave it to the NFL.
--Mike
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I use both jewel cases and DVD sleeves, though I find the 100 pack of Memorex DVD sleeves to be more economically efficient. I keep my DVDs in 2 shallow boxes next to my desk for easy access.
For any DVDs with rare stuff, I clone two extra copies, sleeve 'em, and store them on a mini bookshelf in my closet. For now, the transferred tapes are boxed and locked away in our balcony's little storage room.
--Jamie
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I make at least two copies of anything I'm truly interested in saving. Also, my feeling is that my game show videos are every bit as important as the movies and TV shows I purchased on DVD, so I take great pride in using full-size cases and making reasonably attractive cover art for my game show DVD's (as some of you know).
Granted, the serious part of my collection numbers a few dozen rather than a few thousand, but I think I'd feel the same way regardless. Also, the phrase "Frugality dictates buying the cheapest blanks" just makes me cringe. Really, really good Taiyo Yuden discs don't cost more than forty cents apiece and can be ordered online from any number of dealers. Trust me, they're worth it.
-
Being a graphic designer (and a Photoshop nerd), I create sleeves for my DVDs and store them in "Slim" DVD cases (about 1/2 the size of a normal DVD case, same as what some professional DVD box sets use). As for the discs, I use Sony DVD-Rs. Nowadays, the discs are from Taiyo Yuden or Sony's in-house developer, both very reliable media sources.*
*Source: Blank Media Quality Guide and FAQ (http://\"http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm\")
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I didn't mean to make Matt cringe, but it is human nature to look for a bargain. If you're gonna buy TY, why put them in paper sleeves? Go for the best in quality and storage.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'145690\' date=\'Feb 8 2007, 09:31 PM\']
I didn't mean to make Matt cringe, but it is human nature to look for a bargain. If you're gonna buy TY, why put them in paper sleeves? Go for the best in quality and storage.
[/quote]
Because it's logical to do it that way to conserve space, and the space you get back is worth the almost infinitesimal risk to the media. (And by "infinitesimal" I mean "nonexistent.")
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Is it just theft prevention that determined that the standard DVD case is bigger than it has to be? Why they didn't they just go for the cardboard sleeve with paper sleeve like the old vinyl albums had? I also think that if you have kids or pets or a curious brother-in-law (or are thinking about having them) you might consider a little extra protection of your stuff.
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AFA my meager collection goes, I'm being quite ruthless in what I keep and transfer to DVD. (I got an LG LRA-750 for Christmas. No coasters out of 30ish DVDs). The first batch of DVD+Rs I picked up were Sonys (75 for $25 at WalMart ($35 now) and I'm storing 99% of the finished product in the full-size DVD cases.
However, a number of the cases I'm using hold 2 DVDs. If you can find something like that (WalMart here sells em $6 for 10), you can save on space.
For you guys with massive collections, this is obviously impractical. But for anyone like me who has a very small collection of things you want to keep, it works out good. The other upside is that I can "hide" any GS DVDs amongst my normal movies.
And, to answer Jimmy, the DVD case is the size it is is that it's the same dimensions as a VHS tape. For people replacing their movies, they don't have to rebuild or invest in new shelving solutions. Plus, it's "space saving" since 2 DVD cases are the thickness of one tape.
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Wanted to bump this up - both to see if anyone's experiences have changed or been added to in the last year, but also to recount what my freshly-out-of-warranty Panasonic DMR-EZ17S is doing to me.
If there are no errors in the disc (IE: It's not a coaster), operation is smooth and it's a good machine. But I've had two coasters in the last week off a spindle, and both times I've gotten trapped in the machine's absolutely abysmal diagnostic routine - the machine powers down, then goes through a little loop (what exactly it does, I don't know - there's no on-screen messages and only a series of squares flashing on the LCD)...then resets and does the same diagnostic loop all over again. It stays trapped in this u61 error cycle for hours. Force-ejects and every other possible output do nothing.
Eventually, after about 2 hours, the disc is released, and the machine works fine again, though the disc is wrecked. If a simple coaster can cause this much trouble, I'd hate to see how the machine reacts to a *real* problem. Panasonic always made solid and reliable products, so to have a two hour outage in one of their DVD recorders due seemingly to a bad disc is mind-boggling. And based on what Google turns up, I appear to be getting off lucky in terms of the u61 errors.
I really expected Panasonic products to work better than this.
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[quote name=\'Seth Thrasher\' post=\'191652\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 03:07 AM\']
I really expected Panasonic products to work better than this.
[/quote]
Last year's Panasonic "EZ" series are notorious for being a PITA. Consider yourself lucky that yours still works...many put out a "U99" error out of the blue and just die altogether.
-
I recently bought a DVD recorder and it only provides satisfactory results (to me) when I use the 1 hour mode. Also been having situations where the discs stop playing or freeze up after a short time (to be fair, I tried to save money by using store brand discs; pretty sure they weren't Tanyo-Yuden).
Good thing I didn't throw out the tapes after dubbing. Had a two-second power outage while dubbing
and the machine took ten minutes to restore, etc...
Very disappointed that this "superior" archiving format isn't as reliable or user friendly as tapes yet.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'191663\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 06:59 AM\']
Very disappointed that this "superior" archiving format isn't as reliable or user friendly as tapes yet.
[/quote]
To me, optical media is never as superior as magnetic media. So, I just started dumping to External Hard Disc. It's a tad bit more expensive (about $4 a GB), but at least it seems like it will fail less than DVD does.
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[quote name=\'Hastin\' post=\'191668\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 08:24 AM\']
To me, optical media is never as superior as magnetic media.[/quote]
*boggle*
Hey, Hastin, come on over, we should watch some shows together. Bring your drive, although I have no idea what component we're going to use to watch them using that. Hey, you don't mind if I sit it down next to this old telephone, do you? I'm expecting a call anytime now...
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[quote name=\'Seth Thrasher\' post=\'191652\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 12:07 AM\']
Wanted to bump this up - both to see if anyone's experiences have changed or been added to in the last year, but also to recount what my freshly-out-of-warranty Panasonic DMR-EZ17S is doing to me.
If there are no errors in the disc (IE: It's not a coaster), operation is smooth and it's a good machine. But I've had two coasters in the last week off a spindle, and both times I've gotten trapped in the machine's absolutely abysmal diagnostic routine - the machine powers down, then goes through a little loop (what exactly it does, I don't know - there's no on-screen messages and only a series of squares flashing on the LCD)...then resets and does the same diagnostic loop all over again. It stays trapped in this u61 error cycle for hours. Force-ejects and every other possible output do nothing.
[/quote]
Oh crap. Is this what I have to look forward to with my DMR-EZ17? My DMR-ES10 gives me more problems than the EZ17. I haven't had many coasters, thanks to the EZ17 finalizing the discs that the ES10 refused to.
Speaking of discs, I've had a good level of success with FujiFilm discs. Other than online, I'm having a bizotch of a time finding these discs in stores. Anyone know if any brick and mortar stores still sell them?
Josh
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I just transfer to my hard drive, edit into MPEG2 files, and with my new TIVO, I can now access any episode, any time I want.
I have the video tape back up, in case my hard drive ever crashes.
No need for DVD media at all (unless I want to watch a show somewhere else, other than my living room).
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[quote name=\'bellbm\' post=\'191678\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 10:05 AM\']
(unless I want to watch a show somewhere else, other than my living room).[/quote]
Exactly, sir.
(Gawd. I forgot that you have to keep things in MP2 to use TivoBack. Xvid/H.264 streaming to the Xbox FTW.)
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[quote name=\'joshg\' post=\'191677\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 10:04 AM\']
Speaking of discs, I've had a good level of success with FujiFilm discs. Other than online, I'm having a bizotch of a time finding these discs in stores. Anyone know if any brick and mortar stores still sell them?[/quote]
I'm a little surprised Bestest Buy or Socket Circus doesn't carry Fujifilm.
I think if you really like the brand, I'd just buy 'em online. Most likely you're going to get them far cheaper that way than you would pay in a B&M, anyhow.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'191688\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 10:47 AM\']
[quote name=\'joshg\' post=\'191677\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 10:04 AM\']
Speaking of discs, I've had a good level of success with FujiFilm discs. Other than online, I'm having a bizotch of a time finding these discs in stores. Anyone know if any brick and mortar stores still sell them?[/quote]
I'm a little surprised Bestest Buy or Socket Circus doesn't carry Fujifilm.
I think if you really like the brand, I'd just buy 'em online. Most likely you're going to get them far cheaper that way than you would pay in a B&M, anyhow.
[/quote]
Bestest Bye used to carry Fuji. Socket Circus never had them. My last few spindles were from online purchases anyway.
Josh
/dubbing NYSI as I type
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[quote name=\'joshg\' post=\'191677\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 01:04 PM\']
Is this what I have to look forward to with my DMR-EZ17?
[/quote]
Probably. And based on the number of folks complaining about u61 errors (and no three people's errors seem to have the same source) the problems start about 2 months after your warranty expires.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'191670\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 08:49 AM\']
Bring your drive, although I have no idea what component we're going to use to watch them using that.
[/quote]
I do. A small shuttle Vista Media Center box, it's what all my TV gets stored on (and then extended to many rooms using a couple of Xbox 360s). I just fill externals with programs I want, then when they are full, catalog them, and put them away.
As for old phones, I've got a rotary in my room that really works (even has the teen-friendly (as advertised in 1971) long handset cable). It blends nice in my retro-future themed room. ;)
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I dub to my PC, then to DVD. Saves money over buying a DVD recorder.
Disc wise...I use Sony DVD-Rs. Very rarely do I get coasters, and they hold up well. AVOID Memorex discs at all costs...they barely hold 1/2 discful before croaking.
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Great thread!
I'm about to purchase a DVD/VHS recorder...anyone hear anything good/bad about Toshiba units?
-
Disc wise...I use Sony DVD-Rs. Very rarely do I get coasters, and they hold up well. AVOID Memorex discs at all costs...they barely hold 1/2 discful before croaking.
I'll echo those sentiments on Memorex discs...just snagged a batch @ Best Buy a coupla wks ago, and more often than not, any unfinalized discs won't even load up if they've been ejected from my unit.
Chuck Donegan (The Ripped-Off "Chuckie Baby")
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[quote name=\'Hastin\' post=\'191722\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 01:10 PM\']
I do. A small shuttle Vista Media Center box, it's what all my TV gets stored on (and then extended to many rooms using a couple of Xbox 360s). I just fill externals with programs I want, then when they are full, catalog them, and put them away.[/quote]
And you're going to bring that over to a friend's house when you want to show them stuff off of it?
As for old phones, I've got a rotary in my room that really works (even has the teen-friendly (as advertised in 1971) long handset cable). It blends nice in my retro-future themed room. ;)
Do you keep it next to the Shuttle?
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[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' post=\'191732\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 03:52 PM\']
Disc wise...I use Sony DVD-Rs. Very rarely do I get coasters, and they hold up well. AVOID Memorex discs at all costs...they barely hold 1/2 discful before croaking.
I'll echo those sentiments on Memorex discs...just snagged a batch @ Best Buy a coupla wks ago, and more often than not, any unfinalized discs won't even load up if they've been ejected from my unit.
Chuck Donegan (The Ripped-Off "Chuckie Baby")
[/quote]
I tossed my iLo in January because the failed discs were bad for my blood pressure. In the instructions for the Philips, they recommend Maxell or Verbatim (or a couple others I don't recall), but not Memorex.
As an aside, while I'm certainly glad to lose only one disc in six months, I kind of miss being able to have six titles on one screen instead of three.
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[quote name=\'bellbm\' post=\'191678\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 01:05 PM\']
I just transfer to my hard drive, edit into MPEG2 files, and with my new TIVO, I can now access any episode, any time I want.
I have the video tape back up, in case my hard drive ever crashes.
No need for DVD media at all (unless I want to watch a show somewhere else, other than my living room).
[/quote]
See now, this is, I think, the smartest way to play this. I have not dumped my 150 tapes on to DVD, and, currently, I have no plans to. What I intend on doing, is slowly dumping the shows on to my hard drive...since they're getting bigger and cheaper, that way, i can dump on to dvd whenever i need to, whatever i need to.
Side question : I'm using Pinnacle's media center, and have it hooked up to my VHS for injesting. Any suggestions on other programs for better results? currently , I get decent results , but the Pinnacle craps out often.
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'191775\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 07:05 PM\']
See now, this is, I think, the smartest way to play this.[/quote]
Until the drive fails and you lose everything.
If a DVD goes bad, you lose....that DVD. If the drive goes bad, unless you have a second one stashed away someplace that you sync up to regularly, you're screwed.
I have not dumped my 150 tapes on to DVD, and, currently, I have no plans to. What I intend on doing, is slowly dumping the shows on to my hard drive...since they're getting bigger and cheaper, that way, i can dump on to dvd whenever i need to, whatever i need to.
Two hour tapes, or six? One would hope you have enough respect for your video collection to not waste it on SLP, but the trading scene might not share that opinion.
So let's split the difference and call it four. Last night I ripped a couple of Duran Duran videos (you in the back, shut up), and for 640x480 (probably good enough for old television archiving) it was 50 meg for about four and a half minutes of video at MP4. So 11 meg a minute. Multiply that by 36,000 minutes and you have 396 GB. So, yeah, couple of $100 500GB drives, some way to sync one to the other regularly, and you're set. But you'd better have that second drive. I speak from experience.
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[quote name=\'Seth Thrasher\' post=\'191700\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 11:25 AM\']
[quote name=\'joshg\' post=\'191677\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 01:04 PM\']
Is this what I have to look forward to with my DMR-EZ17?
[/quote]
Probably. And based on the number of folks complaining about u61 errors (and no three people's errors seem to have the same source) the problems start about 2 months after your warranty expires.
[/quote]
...and wouldn't you know it, the ES-10 drawer refuses to stay shut, with or without a disc in the tray. It opens fine, it closes fine, makes a strange noise and the drawer comes back out. Grr.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'191808\' date=\'Jul 23 2008, 03:27 AM\']
[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'191775\' date=\'Jul 22 2008, 07:05 PM\']
See now, this is, I think, the smartest way to play this.[/quote]
Until the drive fails and you lose everything.
[/quote]
One should consider RAID 1 or RAID 5 so this wouldn't be an issue. Of course, if two drives fail, that's another story.
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' post=\'191821\' date=\'Jul 23 2008, 08:23 AM\']One should consider RAID 1 or RAID 5 so this wouldn't be an issue. Of course, if two drives fail, that's another story.[/quote]
Pick up a ReadyNAS Duo (http://\"http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=readynas+duo&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&cid=7245589222306785640&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&resnum=1&ct=result\") and be done with it. :)
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Folks who know me (and probably judging from the silly tech questions I've asked here before), won't be surprised by this :
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'191808\' date=\'Jul 23 2008, 03:27 AM\']
Until the drive fails and you lose everything.
If a DVD goes bad, you lose....that DVD. If the drive goes bad, unless you have a second one stashed away someplace that you sync up to regularly, you're screwed.
But you'd better have that second drive. I speak from experience.
[/quote]
THIS CAN HAPPEN?
Holy smokes, I hadn't even realized that. You can't resusitate an external hard drive to get data off of it?
So, what's the option here...constantly keep back ups of back ups of back ups? It's not the video I'm concerned with here, it's photos and word files that have WAY more meaning to me than game show videos.
Thanks in advance.
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'191897\' date=\'Jul 23 2008, 06:53 PM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'191808\' date=\'Jul 23 2008, 03:27 AM\']
Until the drive fails and you lose everything.
[/quote]
THIS CAN HAPPEN?
[/quote]
Yessir. My friend wants to rip his entire DVD collection and will likely need 2Tb of storage. 1Tb for this current and future movies and 2Tb for back-up. When you're talking that much data, you need to visit the Department of Redundancy Department. (He also needs to build a HTPC and code his interface but that's fairly simple)
Vista has a "ghosting" program built in for automatic backups and Norton's Ghost is probably the best in the market place.
By the by, no problems with my "cheap" ($130) LG writer or my "cheap" Memorex DVDs.
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'191897\' date=\'Jul 23 2008, 04:53 PM\']
THIS CAN HAPPEN?[/quote]
Yes. It's an electronic device. A mechanical, electronic device. Those do eventually fail. Hopefully later rather than sooner, but two months ago I had a 400GB drive that I'd had for a year and a half go belly-up on me. Fortunately with a little magic I was able to get most of the data off of it (and almost all of the really REALLY important stuff), but I damn well have a backup strategy in place now.
(Understand that in almost twenty years of PC computing that's only the second drive I've had die on me, but still.)
Holy smokes, I hadn't even realized that. You can't resusitate an external hard drive to get data off of it?
At great expense (we're talking four digits, usually), yes, a disk recovery facility will take the drive into a cleanroom, open it, take the platters out, install them into a working mechanism, close the thing up, and recover whatever data hasn't been destroyed when the mechanics died.
Or you can put together a good onsite or offsite backup strategy for a couple hundred bucks.
So, what's the option here...constantly keep back ups of back ups of back ups? It's not the video I'm concerned with here, it's photos and word files that have WAY more meaning to me than game show videos.
I don't think multiple backups are necessary. I believe Our Benevolent Moderator Matt said that any time he burns a DVD that he really really doesn't want to lose, he burns two and puts the second one away. Good idea.
If you're going to keep your life on a hard drive, it's a good idea to back up whatever data you deem to be Worth Keeping to a second drive...you could have both drives installed and just mirror the whole thing as you go (that's the RAID 1 thing mentioned above) or you can copy off what you need to at intervals (that's what I do...I basically have most of my user account folder dupe off to my second drive every night at 6:20). Or you can subscribe to a service where you can upload all of those files to a professional server (itself backed up out-the-ass) offsite, so that even if your house burns down (Glub forbid) you still have your data. For any other situation, it's extremely unlikely (though not impossible, see Surge, Power) that both drives are going to kick at the exact same time.
Photos and Word files, fortunately, compress beautifully, which means ultimately it would be a comparitively small amount of data to transfer, so I would bet one of the latter two solutions would work well for you.
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While reading through my latest Tiger Direct catalog, I ran across this drive. (http://\"http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3796184&CatId=1622\") I don't think it's really worth $349.99 regular price, unless you do a lot of movement around, but it does look like a geeky alternative.
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I can't tell you the last time I saw a product at TigerDirect that was worth what they were charging for it.
To wit, that exact same device is available at NewEgg for $280 plus $10 to ship. And they don't try any of that smoke-blowing "$50 Instant Savings!" crap, either.
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For those of us who are kinda cheap/frugal/careful with our money...
Other than the $130 LG model that JayD mentioned, is there any way we could put out for a writer/backup drive without paying out the ass for it?
(I ask because I have a few tapes worth of things...all SLP, unfortunately, as I didn't like buying tapes that often)
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My recent experiences: my Panasonic DMR EH-55 (with a built in hard drive) was working fine from purchasing it in August 2006 until May of this year. Burned over 500 discs with no bad ones. All of a sudden it wouldn't burn or recognize any discs. I took it to a local Panasonic dealer to have it looked at. Since the repair was less than one-third of the original cost, I decided to go that route and have it repaired.
I got it back two weeks later and it worked a bit better but it wasn't working as it should have. In fact, one of the trades I sent out at that time one of the discs was no good. I took it back to the repair shop since it was within 90 days and they fixed it again - but this time it was gone almost a month.
I now have it back, I replaced that faulty disc for the trade, and it seems to be working fine.
I was kind of surprised that in less than two years I had these sort of problems - I expected them eventually but not that soon. I did use it heavily and I guess that's probably why it happened.
I seem to be back in business of the endless dubbing of my tapes (still only two-thirds of the way through) but am wondering how long it will be before I'll be on my second machine.
I thought Panasonics were more sturdy than that!