Loved BD discs

Hi all,
Delving into optical storage and archives - appears to be a prime method of descending into panic mode!

Since I am rapidly gaining material that I wish to store on a permanent basis, the question arises regarding the superior mode of archiving the files.
Hard drives, optical discs, flash drives are options.
Each appears to have pros and cons - therefore arriving at a final decision is not cut and dry.

Presuming a requirement of being able to retrieve personal files during the next fifty years - what method would be recommended?
Then using present day materials, which types or brands would be expected to allow those files to be opened without any problem.

What are the recommended methods / environments for stable storage over a long period of time?

When attempting to gain information relating to Blu ray discs - advice appears to be diverse and often conflicting.

Have you archived material on a medium that has failed in a manner that you consider inappropriate, resulting in a change of archiving methods?

I do not expect to have files that will be accessed in a few hundred years - but do have concerns of being unable to view material after storage within a decade or two. In fact - failure to open material after a few months gives me the willies!

This later comment also opens up the need to ensure a methodology is in place that does not orphan material as software versions progress.

Do you store the same files in the different versions for each version of "Vegas" that appears?

Things always seem worse in the dark hours - so hopefully by morning, my nighttime frights will have diminished or some advice will have been penned pointing me to a more secure mode of keeping my files safe.

Many regards

Peter

This topic is something that scientists are actively investigating right now :!:

I have seen numerous random videos on YouTube and science TV shows, about this topic.

mdisc still seems like the best choice for now.
www.mdisc.com/corporate/

Sony released a new technology recently.
pro.sony.com.au/pro/products/archiving-storage-optical-disc-archive
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/983354-REG/sony_odc1500r_archive_cartridge_1500gb_write.html

5D glass storage is a possible answer if it can be commercialised in a practical way.
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=5d+storage

For now, the best option is to invest in a NAS Drive.
www.pccasegear.com/category/617/nas
www.youtube.com/user/LinusTechTips/search?query=nas+storgae

When you go looking for NAS drives, you need to buy the Hard Drives separately from actual NAS box.
This gives you a backup solution as well, where you can set the NAS to save TWO copies of all files, in case a drive dies.

Vegas Pro versions
I have no idea how everyone else handles this.
For each version of Vegas Pro and Movie Studio I bought, I set up separate folders for that version.
So all my old projects/tutorials are saved in my Vegas Pro 10 folder first, then as I move forward in time, there is a Vegas Pro 11, 12 and 13 folders.
When I open an old project saved with Vegas Pro 10, I am opening it with the current version of Vegas I own now.

Hi Peter,

Doctor Zen has some great ideas that he posted. Like him, when I change versions of Vegas (Pro or Studio), I keep those original "install" files, plus copies of the projects in their appropriate "Original"folder. Like the Good Doc, just use the current version of Vegas I am using to open the archived copies.

I currently have a Windows Home Server 2011 machine that is attached to my home Network. It is an older "Sandy Bridge" chipset, but still going strong. It is within a large, Rosewill Ultra Case, housing 12 total "Spinning" 4 TB drives, 10 in HDD bays, 4 in 5.25 to 3.5 inch converters, along with 8 more drives in an external SAS enclosure. All of these drives are attached to a dedicated RAID card. I also have a SSD for the boot, and one more 3 TB drive in the "External SATA" port the case has. Additionally, I have 2 3 TB Western Digital USB drives attached for "Documents". I use to rip a lot of movies (bad hearing prevents Music rips - including not having a "Musically" inclined touch). I also take a lot of pictures for family outings, including videos. so the means justified the cost. But, I also have a Blu-Ray burner in this machine, and typically, once a year, I will back up all of my pictures to a Blu-Ray disc, including any and all documents accrued over the year. I also have two desktop computers and a laptop that I back up to this server as well.

What is the best back up? Like the Doc said, a lot of debate over that one. It all comes down to what you feel comfortable with, as well as how important your data is to you, and what you feel the cost should be. But no matter what you decide, you have to be steadfast in keeping up with your own solution. I am not a big believer in "Online" services, as I have been burned three separate time by them while I was in the Service, and lost a lot of pictures I had taken and scanned. Plus, having worked in a Server Room for 12 plus years at a School District and seeing all the data "archived" at times, with a couple of near catastrophes, well, the cost seems to begin to look a lot smaller compared to what may have been lost.

My preference for Discs, Blu-Ray or DVD is Verbatim. Drive burner either LG, Lite-On, or Asus. Prefer Western Digital drives in my server, Reds for the RAID capabilities, Black for desktop use, and whatever WD puts in there USB backup drives. Again, these are my preferences, and not here to debate other manufacturers products.

Still, what is available today, may not be accessible in the future, but me being old-school, I still have a USB floppy drive handy! (Tin-Foil hat time: still have my DOS floppies I can use for when we have that Apocalypse! :silly: ) And my computers will always have a Blu-Ray burner in them.

Good Luck.

Mike "The Chief " O'Sullivan

Hi Derek and Mike,
You guys placed me fair and square into knowing the level of my storage standards!

The info. was an eye opener - Derek mentioned possibilities that I had no idea existed and Mike, the care taken to ensure material is not lost.

I shall continue to use BD discs and external HD. The reference to MDisc was interesting esp. since I have read some conflicting reports about Verbatim archive rated discs.
Mentioning Blu-ray discs - do you take special care on how they are stored before use and after burning?
Again, many comments relate to discs being unreadable after only a few months. Burn speed being indicated as being critical - but aside from that other factors appear to cause failure.

Apologies for late reply - the remnants of "Matthew" kicked the Canadian Maritimes in the mouth over the weekend - but compared to many other places/ people - thankfully unscathed.

Regards,

Peter

I have burnt a huge amount of discs and the ones I own all still work OK, last time I checked.
The only discs that are crap are when I tried to be a cheapskate and bought large quantities of DVD & Blu-ray from the $2 shop. They didn't last a few weeks.

My anal retentive rules for disc management.
1. Buy the best brand you can afford.
2. Obsessively make sure the disc surface is clean from fingerprints and dust - I use a camera lens puffer cleaner.
3. Store writable discs in a dark cool place.
4. Burn at slower speeds.
5. Store burnt discs in a dark cool place.

Excessive heat and light will degrade dyes very quickly.

I am planning to use M-discs in the next few months, to help archive my Mum's massive photo collection and family tree research. My mum has been doing genealogy for more than 30 years now and has a lot of important data that she wants to last a good few centuries or more. If M-disc is a good as they say, it is the best answer. The only thing about M-disc you need to check, is your Blu-ray burner - only certain models support M-disc.

Hi Peter,

Thanks to The Doctor for his great reply! To go along with what he mentioned, (about not being a cheapskate as well!), if you are using DVD's or Blu-Rays for storage, make sure you get the correct disk cases for them. Then store them vertically, like a book is. This helps to prevent undue pressure on the disc. Don't use the cases that are meant for CD's, as they do not provide the strength on the inner circumference of the disk.

Mike

Hi Derek and Mike,
That was advice which is relevant to my situation - thank you for taking the time to expand on your previous comments.

As per usual, it leads to another question:
Mike:
"...Don't use the cases that are meant for CD's, as they do not provide the strength on the inner circumference of the disk."
I presume from your comment that there are specific cases for Blu ray discs!
The difference(s) from typical CD holding cases being?

You also mention that the CD cases have a centre that is not strong enough to hold Blu ray discs. Are you referring to the ring of clips (that do have a habit of cracking off) compared to a case that hold discs in the manner as those holding software discs - eg. supplied by Microsoft et al.

regards,

Peter

Hi Peter,

Yeah, think of the "Store Bought" DVD's and Blu-Rays, and the cases they come in. Still "Hit and Miss" with the type of cases you buy, depending on what store/outlet you get them at. Naturally, this seems to be one of those items where "money well spent" is not a misnomer. I typically purchase my DVD cases at Staples locally, since they are about the same quality that I have purchased at NewEgg a couple of times. The Blu-Ray cases I have only purchased via NewEgg, and seem to be of decent quality. Of course, how you store them is also a concern, so not in direct sunlight, not too humid or arid, you get the point. The biggest concern I have is with the quality of the discs I purchase for projects, or long term archival storage, compared to "quick and dirty", or just for quick transport, or knowing the "audience" they will eventually go to (my family members are "REALLY" tough on any computer/digital products!). Like I mentioned previously, I have had the best luck with Verbatim discs (CD-R, DVD+/- R/RW, BD-R), where as mentioned in this post, others have not had good luck with them. I've used Ridata, Quantum, and store versions like Staples/Best Buy/Wal-Mart, etc., but the worst discs I used were Memorex. Always an exception to the rule, had great luck with the Memorex LightScribe discs, even the colored ones.

For cases meant for CD's, I am talking about the "slim line" ones or "jewel" cases you would buy. They are typically just larger than the disk itself. Those are the ones I meant. Sorry for any confusion there. Don't use these for DVD/Blu-Ray discs. And the little tabs, you could also have the same issue with any type of case, again it goes back to how it is stored, and how "value-oriented" it started out as...heh, heh.

Got any other questions concerning this, I have no problems responding.

Happy Archiving.

Mike "The Chief" O'Sullivan

Hi Mike,
Perfect - nicely clarified.
That's what I thought but I do like to have any possibility of mis-interpretation from this end being cleared. Electronic communication seems to amplify the "Swedish furniture store" instruction syndrome.

regards,
Peter