Switch to DVD backup media from CD?

[Arno Wagner]

On 13 Jun 2005 23:31:15 -0700, "Yoshi" <[email protected]>
wrote:

IMO, the issue is not so much whether they'll last 50 years (I don't
know of any digital medium that this can reliably be claimed for,
short of punch cards - platinum ones are best),

MOD. I have a 3.5" one in use for 8 years now for backups and
long-term storage. Still have to loose my first bit (or drive). Media
vendors say 30-50 years and one engineer at Phillips told me they
think > 80 years but that the accelerated ageing models get shaky in
that time-frame and so they play it safe (compare that to CD-Rs) and
only claim 50 years.

but whether they can
reasonably be expected to last 2-5 years or more.

I agree on this. Floppies are definitely problematic after 5 years.

Again, folks are free to do whatever they like with their data. I've
made my decisions, but I tend to be somewhat cautious.

As some people tend to forget, this is a discussion forum, not a
decision making one, so you are certainly correct on this.

Arno

 

[Ron Reaugh]

MOD. I have a 3.5" one in use for 8 years now for backups and
long-term storage.

Finding a MO drive seems a much greater problem in 15-20 years than finding
a CD drive in 15-20 years. CDRs still seem the best inactive shelf storage
media for now.

 

[Neil Maxwell]

Process excursions in high-QA systems are almost always interesting
combinations of highly unlikely events occurring at the same time,
often highlighting a previously unknown process cliff. I've been
through plenty of these, and little surprises me at this point.

Regardless, without further data, we're both just making educated
guesses, based on what we know, so we'll just have to agree to
disagree.

 

[Rod Speed]

Process excursions in high-QA systems are almost always interesting
combinations of highly unlikely events occurring at the same time,
often highlighting a previously unknown process cliff. I've been
through plenty of these, and little surprises me at this point.
Waffle.

Regardless, without further data, we're both just making educated guesses,

Nope, not on that question of whether the very distinctive
patterns seen, identical diameter circles, often with part of
the circumference missing, and with at least one instance of a
whole series of nested circles, can be stress fractures, we arent.

based on what we know,

Thats the only thing that ever makes any sense.

so we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Nope, you are just plain wrong on that stress fractures question
and whether DVDs are crystaline structures at all. They arent.

 

[Pan]

Unless you were temporarily out of the room for a piss etc.

Quite possible, but I tend to think unlikely. The discs are stored in the
cases when I'm not watching them, so it seems interruption is the only
possible cause for being away. I would of thought that time period is
quite small in comparison to watching time.

Yep, basically because I dont do photos or home video.

Would it matter if you did? I see no reason why you couldn't store those
on HD as well. Digital TV recording is the obviously exception of course.

Regards,

Pan

 

[Rod Speed]

Rod Speed wrote

Would it matter if you did?

Likely if I did do quite a few videos particularly.

I see no reason why you couldn't store those on HD as well.

Sure, but it needs to make sense to do
that in the sense of frequency of use etc.

I guess I might once I get around to digitising the substantial collection
of family photo stuff I do have, but I've never been into doing much
video wise, tho I do regret not having done that in some ways.

Cant see I'm likely to start now tho.

Digital TV recording is the obviously exception of course.

Sure.

 

[Pan]

Likely if I did do quite a few videos particularly.


Sure, but it needs to make sense to do
that in the sense of frequency of use etc.

I guess DVD's are a bit large to store a few photos or videos at a time.
Then again, you could keep them temporarily on the HD until you have
enough data to burn to a DVD. That's what I currently do with my CD
backups.

I guess I might once I get around to digitising the substantial collection
of family photo stuff I do have, but I've never been into doing much
video wise, tho I do regret not having done that in some ways.

I understand that. Video sometimes captures what photos cannot.

Regards,

Pan

 

[Rod Speed]

Rod Speed wrote

I guess DVD's are a bit large to store a few photos or videos at a time.

Sure, with photos. With videos it depends on the technology you
use, some are 2-3G per hour, you dont get that many per DVD.

Then again, you could keep them temporarily on
the HD until you have enough data to burn to a DVD.

Yeah, I'd certainly do that with photos, but not keep all
the photos I've ever taken on HD, thats what I meant.

That's what I currently do with my CD backups.
Sure.

I understand that. Video sometimes captures what photos cannot.

Yeah, my feeling too.

 

[David Lesher]

Besides DVD damage, esp. over time, my big fear is drive interchangeability.

Will the DVD I burn on a given drive be readable on other hardware
once the first drive has gone to Burner Heaven?

 

[Rod Speed]

Besides DVD damage, esp. over time, my big fear is drive interchangeability.

Will the DVD I burn on a given drive be readable on other
hardware once the first drive has gone to Burner Heaven?

Not hard to check that just after its been burnt.

 

[J. Clarke]

Besides DVD damage, esp. over time, my big fear is drive
interchangeability.

Will the DVD I burn on a given drive be readable on other hardware
once the first drive has gone to Burner Heaven?

The likelihood that it will be readable on another drive is in the same
ballpark as the likelihood that a diskette written in one drive will be
readable in another--usually it works, every once in a while you get a
misaligned drive that produces disks only readable in that drive or reads
only disks produced in that drive.

 

[Pan]

Not hard to check that just after its been burnt.

Not at all, in fact I personally run a disk scan in another drive directly
after burning. I have had CD's that seemed to write perfectly and could
be read from the same drive, but were totally un-readable in another
drive. In fact, this has even happened to me on a temporary basis with two
known drives.

Regards,

Pan