Iso Files, Project Backup

[scotty123abc]

I would like to create backup copies of the movies I've created and archive these backups onto a hard drive. I want maximum versatility in the future, i.e., maximize the chances that the file will be readable years from now, while retaining the files' quality. What is the best way to do this? Use .iso files? Store as MPEGs? Are .iso files an open-source format or are they proprietary to Roxio? Are MPEGs the same quality as DVDs? Will I lose quality if I rip MPEGs from my DVDs, and lose more quality still if/when I burn them back onto disc in the future? Thanks.

[james_hardin]

I would like to create backup copies of the movies I've created and archive these backups onto a hard drive. I want maximum versatility in the future, i.e., maximize the chances that the file will be readable years from now, while retaining the files' quality. What is the best way to do this? Use .iso files? Store as MPEGs? Are .iso files an open-source format or are they proprietary to Roxio? Are MPEGs the same quality as DVDs? Will I lose quality if I rip MPEGs from my DVDs, and lose more quality still if/when I burn them back onto disc in the future? Thanks.

 

Best results would be as AVI files, however if they were captured as mpeg, rendering them to AVI will gain nothing.

 

Of course AVI's are huge requiring 15 minute chunks that will fill a 4.7gb disc!

 

Right now mpegs are 720 X 480. I expect in years to come that will be increased making our State-of-Art files today look like the CGI graphic files of old…

 

One of the more practical solutions would be if they are from a tape camcorder, is to save the tapes.

[scotty123abc]

Best results would be as AVI files, however if they were captured as mpeg, rendering them to AVI will gain nothing.

 

Of course AVI's are huge requiring 15 minute chunks that will fill a 4.7gb disc!

 

Right now mpegs are 720 X 480. I expect in years to come that will be increased making our State-of-Art files today look like the CGI graphic files of old…

 

One of the more practical solutions would be if they are from a tape camcorder, is to save the tapes.

 

Thanks. They are VHS-to-DVD conversions. The AVI files are long gone, and I wouldn't have the space to save them anyway. Can we really expect miniDV tapes to be readily readable (by commonly available hardware) in, say, 5 years? I want to commit to migrating data easily from one medium (today) to the next (say, five years) without losing quality along the way. Putting it on a hard drive (with backup) seems the easiest way to do that. If I can rip the DVDs to MPEG (and do the reverse) without losing quality, that seems to me the way to go. Thanks again for your help.

[Guest mlpasley]

Thanks. They are VHS-to-DVD conversions. The AVI files are long gone, and I wouldn't have the space to save them anyway. Can we really expect miniDV tapes to be readily readable (by commonly available hardware) in, say, 5 years? I want to commit to migrating data easily from one medium (today) to the next (say, five years) without losing quality along the way. Putting it on a hard drive (with backup) seems the easiest way to do that. If I can rip the DVDs to MPEG (and do the reverse) without losing quality, that seems to me the way to go. Thanks again for your help.

 

The basic problem is that there are no 'standards' for the mpeg2 files that are on a DVD. So no one can guarantee you that the mpeg2 files or DVDs will be readable in five years. Ditto the miniDV tapes.

 

As long as you don't want to edit those videos, you should be able to store them as DVDs on your hard drive and you won't suffer any loss of quality by copying them to DVDs. It's when you decode and reencode that you lose quality. You could also save them as .iso files because you could burn them to a DVD, then copy the DVD back to your hard drive at any time.

 

I save my miniDV tapes and my movies as DV AVI on a second hard drive. AVI is raw footage so you don't have the problem of possible loss of quality if you want to edit the footage in the future.

 

Of course, hard drives fail too. So there's no 100% 'safe' way to store those DVDs.

 

You're going to have to keep on top of the technology at least once a year so that they don't change the equipment and you're left with DVDs that cannot be played on current equipment. (Already it's getting harder to find equipment to play VHS tapes.)

[REDWAGON]

I've got several if you need one ml !! However, I'm holding another almost brand new one in my collection just in case. Your suggestions are well taken though.

 

Frank..........

[Guest mlpasley]

I've got several if you need one ml !! However, I'm holding another almost brand new one in my collection just in case. Your suggestions are well taken though.

 

Frank..........

 

Thanks for the offer, but I've got a couple of VHS players around here that are no longer used.

 

I did run across someone the other day who said he had lots of VHS-C tapes and no way to play them. That sounded a bit strange because I think you can still buy the adapters, but I offered to loan him one of my old VHS-C camcorders to burn to a DVD Recorder.