Posted by Captain Midnight on 08/25/07 18:16

"Les" <LESnospam@%%mon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:28nvc3tacb732p7d3tsftrjnpj7qvl0v35@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:41:28 -0400, "Captain Midnight"
> <Notany@twip.invalid> wrote:
> >digitalfaq.com
> >
> >The chapter thing sounds like a good reason to use a PC.
>
> I spent years messing around with PCs and video, real hard work. It
> was a blessing when the standalone DVD recorder came, for simplicity
> alone and I really don't want to go back.

It is more work, especially figuring out what you need to do but once
learned you've harnessed powrful tool. Simplicity is good but so is
flexibility. If your capturing directly to MPG2 your losing quality compared
to captuing uncompressed then rendering after editing.

I do like the idea of the timer working while powered off. Hopfully
computer BIOS has/will be capable of this. Plan to build a new PC in the
near future.

>
> >Half DVD(352X480) is more than enough resolution for VCR tapes. Put 4 HRS
on
> >a SL DVD. That's as much as I could stand to watch at one time :). The
> >premium to put them on DL isn't that great anymore but even less is known
> >about them for archival use. nomorecoasters.com brings up a page on
> >digitalfaq.com that discuses disc quality. I have Memorex SL DVDs, ~
2years
> >old, that don't read in my new drive. Need to resurrect the old drive to
see
> >if they're totally gone. Other brands I've used are fine, so far, but
have
> >switched to Verbatim. Whatever is used keep backups.
>
> I never realized that, must check my old DVDs. It makes sense I guess,
> but having said that I'd have thought Memorex would be good!
>

Sadlly they are in the do not use catagory. A lot of brands don't make the
discs so you get the quality of whoever they bought from. Even when the
brand makes the disc quality can vary by the factory it came from. Read the
nomorecoasters.com page.

> >Hard drive storage is
> >cheap enough now to use for backup, or use and the discs for backup. I
have
> >a network media player that plays the files from a HDD just like they
were a
> >disc(menus) but no handling. Kind of lessens the need for DL too.
> >YMMV
>
> Just out of curiosity what would the current procedure be for putting
> VHS onto HDD to use, and to archive?
>
> Then again with DVDs you only lose 5gb or one film, with HDD you
> could risk losing the lot so is it that good?

The point is to have it on more than one media so if one goes bad another
copy can be made from that other media. Your much less likely to lose both
media at the same time. HDDs last years in use. If you have them on a USB
drive that is only used occasionally it should last a really long time.
Magnetism does fade though. Prices keep falling so transferring to bigger
drives every so often would form a chain. I kept CD-R copies(some of this
from floppies) of things I copied on to DVD to make multiple copies and
condense the data. Now they're on HDD too. If I could store MPG2 on DV tapes
I'd make copies that way too. I digitized audio from nearly 20 year old
cassette tapes. Today's tape should be even better.

With non copy protected DVDs you can just put all the files from the DVD in
a folder on the HDD. If it's copy protected something like DVD Decrypter is
needed to do it. I normally keep video in MPG2 files on data discs. Making
player compatible DVD to give to others. I don't own a DVD player. I put the
discs on HDD at the computer and play them with a network media player at
the TV. Haven't been doing it long enough to say for sure their aren't
glitches doing it this way but SFSG.

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