How are you permanently storing you old unedited video files?

ro22tol

Member Joined: Sep 30, 2006 00:53 Messages: 63 Offline

Solved by

Dec 24, 2010 04:07

I started with PD 4, and have used 5,6 and now 8.

I am about to purchase a new HD camcorder. My current camera records to DV tapes and I have over 700 GB
of unedited AVI's on a hard drive from those tapes. I hate to delete any of them, but they take up alot of room. You never know when you will want to use that video clip from 5 years ago. The files are on my 2nd and 3rd internal hard drives on my desktop, not on my main OS drive. Do I just continue to fill up hard drives and replace them as they fill up? Then use the full HDs on an external setup if I every need to use any of the old AVI's? Or are you guys permanently storing your files in a format that doesn't take up so much room such as mpeg2? Is it bad for a drive to be full and just sitting in a box waiting to be used at some future point?

Once I go to HD, this will become more of an issue.

Any thoughts on what to do with all this data that you wand to keep for future use? Land of fieros, North Dakota USA

Robert2 S

Senior Contributor Location: Australia Joined: Apr 22, 2009 05:57 Messages: 1461 Offline

Dec 24, 2010 04:33

I use external hard drives. I just bought a 1,000 GB drive for $99 and saw the other day a 2,000 GB drive for $138 so for me it is cheap insurance.

Just one thing though have at least 2 copies of your most precious videos. My youtube channel====> http://www.youtube.com/user/relate2?feature=mhsn

Cap'n Kevin

Senior Contributor Location: Chebeague Island, Maine Joined: Dec 26, 2008 20:22 Messages: 2011 Offline

Dec 24, 2010 06:36

The external drives are great as Robert pointed out. I do as he suggested....I put the precious memories onto TWO hard Drives. I then burn all my Raw video clips onto Blu-Ray disc and then they are placed in a Safe Deposit box off-site in case of a fire. I would hate to lose them!! They are mostly the videos of our twins...I suppose I could have just used another External hard drive and put that in the box instead.

Storage is sooo cheap now. Easier than burning discs.....although Blu-Rays are going to be in the 100Gig and 128 Gig storage capacity. So a few discs and you are done.

Or are you guys permanently storing your files in a format that doesn't take up so much room such as mpeg2

I wouldn't convert the files...keep them the way they are for future use.

Is it bad for a drive to be full and just sitting in a box waiting to be used at some future point?

I don't know the answer to that question. My feeling is that it shouldn't be an issue. It's all 1 & 0's and should last for a long time.

Kevin

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ro22tol

Member Joined: Sep 30, 2006 00:53 Messages: 63 Offline

Dec 24, 2010 10:41

I never thought of burning the files to a blu-ray. Thanks for the advice. I may do that for the non family stuff. Land of fieros, North Dakota USA

James Dotson

Senior Contributor Location: Tennessee Joined: Aug 24, 2009 20:40 Messages: 3066 Offline

Dec 24, 2010 23:02

I generally have a copy on an external hard drive and another copy as MPEG 2 on disc. __________________________________
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