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From: Justin on 5 Apr 2008 00:01 So I was looking at AVCHD cameras the other day. With my current MiniDV camcorders I can store the tape for over a decade without a problem. I have proven this with old 8mm tapes recorded in 1987, and stuck in a Digital8 camera and Firewired into a PC ad a DV file. There I was at 9 years old. Stunning. So for 21 years sitting in a damn cellar, an old analog tape survived. Apparently new digital tapes will fare better. So I'm guessing the next time I really checkout the stuff I'm recording to MiniDV will be the 2025 or thereabouts. AVCHD camcorders don't use tapes as we all know. Would copying the footage to a portable Firewire/ESATA/USB2 hard drive and storing that enclosure for a few decades be feasible? How well do hard drives last when they're not being used? Will the magnetic information deteriorate? What about magnetic fields? What if one took a portable enclosure, stuffed a 200GB drive in there, filled it with his AVCHD footage, stuck it in the factory box, with a few Silica gel packs, maybe wrapped it with one of those lead liners that look like trash bags and stored it (properly labeled of course)? Is that idea stupid? Forget about cost for now.
From: Rod Speed on 5 Apr 2008 00:08 Justin <Justin(a)NobecauseIhatespam.net> wrote: > So I was looking at AVCHD cameras the other day. With my current > MiniDV camcorders I can store the tape for over a decade without a > problem. I have proven this with old 8mm tapes recorded in 1987, and > stuck in a Digital8 camera and Firewired into a PC ad a DV file. > There I was at 9 years old. > Stunning. > So for 21 years sitting in a damn cellar, an old analog tape survived. > Apparently new digital tapes will fare better. So I'm guessing the > next time I really checkout the stuff I'm recording to MiniDV will be > the 2025 or thereabouts. > AVCHD camcorders don't use tapes as we all know. Would > copying the footage to a portable Firewire/ESATA/USB2 hard > drive and storing that enclosure for a few decades be feasible? Yep. And writing that stuff to both a hard drive and DVDs maximises your chances. > How well do hard drives last when they're not being used? They last fine. > Will the magnetic information deteriorate? Nope. > What about magnetic fields? Same thing. > What if one took a portable enclosure, stuffed a 200GB drive in there, > filled it with his AVCHD footage, stuck it in the factory box, with a > few Silica gel packs, maybe wrapped it with one of those lead liners > that look like trash bags and stored it (properly labeled of course)? Thats a bit of overkill with the wrapping. > Is that idea stupid? Nope, very viable. > Forget about cost for now.
From: Justin on 5 Apr 2008 00:30 Rod Speed wrote: > Justin <Justin(a)NobecauseIhatespam.net> wrote: > >> So I was looking at AVCHD cameras the other day. With my current >> MiniDV camcorders I can store the tape for over a decade without a >> problem. I have proven this with old 8mm tapes recorded in 1987, and >> stuck in a Digital8 camera and Firewired into a PC ad a DV file. >> There I was at 9 years old. >> Stunning. > >> So for 21 years sitting in a damn cellar, an old analog tape survived. >> Apparently new digital tapes will fare better. So I'm guessing the >> next time I really checkout the stuff I'm recording to MiniDV will be >> the 2025 or thereabouts. > >> AVCHD camcorders don't use tapes as we all know. Would >> copying the footage to a portable Firewire/ESATA/USB2 hard >> drive and storing that enclosure for a few decades be feasible? > > Yep. And writing that stuff to both a hard drive and DVDs maximises your chances. > >> How well do hard drives last when they're not being used? > > They last fine. > >> Will the magnetic information deteriorate? > > Nope. > >> What about magnetic fields? > > Same thing. > >> What if one took a portable enclosure, stuffed a 200GB drive in there, >> filled it with his AVCHD footage, stuck it in the factory box, with a >> few Silica gel packs, maybe wrapped it with one of those lead liners >> that look like trash bags and stored it (properly labeled of course)? > > Thats a bit of overkill with the wrapping. > >> Is that idea stupid? > > Nope, very viable. > >> Forget about cost for now. > > Damn, that was fast! Follow up questions... would using a laptop drive be a better idea since they are designed to take a certain amount of abuse? Just speaking about a worst case scenario... how strong a magnetic field
From: Rod Speed on 5 Apr 2008 02:15 Justin <Justin(a)NobecauseIhatespam.net> wrote: > Rod Speed wrote: >> Justin <Justin(a)NobecauseIhatespam.net> wrote: >> >>> So I was looking at AVCHD cameras the other day. With my current >>> MiniDV camcorders I can store the tape for over a decade without a >>> problem. I have proven this with old 8mm tapes recorded in 1987, >>> and stuck in a Digital8 camera and Firewired into a PC ad a DV file. >>> There I was at 9 years old. >>> Stunning. >> >>> So for 21 years sitting in a damn cellar, an old analog tape >>> survived. Apparently new digital tapes will fare better. So I'm >>> guessing the next time I really checkout the stuff I'm recording to >>> MiniDV will be the 2025 or thereabouts. >> >>> AVCHD camcorders don't use tapes as we all know. Would >>> copying the footage to a portable Firewire/ESATA/USB2 hard >>> drive and storing that enclosure for a few decades be feasible? >> >> Yep. And writing that stuff to both a hard drive and DVDs maximises >> your chances. >> >>> How well do hard drives last when they're not being used? >> >> They last fine. >> >>> Will the magnetic information deteriorate? >> >> Nope. >> >>> What about magnetic fields? >> >> Same thing. >> >>> What if one took a portable enclosure, stuffed a 200GB drive in >>> there, filled it with his AVCHD footage, stuck it in the factory >>> box, with a few Silica gel packs, maybe wrapped it with one of >>> those lead liners that look like trash bags and stored it (properly >>> labeled of course)? >> >> Thats a bit of overkill with the wrapping. >> >>> Is that idea stupid? >> >> Nope, very viable. >> >>> Forget about cost for now. >> >> > > Damn, that was fast! > Follow up questions... would using a laptop drive be a better idea > since they are designed to take a certain amount of abuse? If you're likely to be a bit rough with it. > Just speaking about a worst case scenario... how strong a magnetic field Not clear what you are asking there, maybe the post got sent before it was complete.
From: Arno Wagner on 5 Apr 2008 08:32
Previously Justin <Justin(a)nobecauseihatespam.net> wrote: > So I was looking at AVCHD cameras the other day. With my current MiniDV > camcorders I can store the tape for over a decade without a problem. I > have proven this with old 8mm tapes recorded in 1987, and stuck in a > Digital8 camera and Firewired into a PC ad a DV file. There I was at 9 > years old. > Stunning. > So for 21 years sitting in a damn cellar, an old analog tape survived. > Apparently new digital tapes will fare better. So I'm guessing the next > time I really checkout the stuff I'm recording to MiniDV will be the > 2025 or thereabouts. > AVCHD camcorders don't use tapes as we all know. Would copying the > footage to a portable Firewire/ESATA/USB2 hard drive and storing that > enclosure for a few decades be feasible? Depends. You might run itdo component limitations, like capacitor lifetime (5-10 years), lubrrication fluid increasing its viscosity (no idea) and the like. HDDs are not removable media designed for long-term storage. > How well do hard drives last when they're not being used? I think "unknown" is accurate information here. > Will the magnetic information deteriorate? That should not be an issue. > What about magnetic fields? Again not an issue. > What if one took a portable enclosure, stuffed a 200GB drive in there, > filled it with his AVCHD footage, stuck it in the factory box, with a > few Silica gel packs, maybe wrapped it with one of those lead liners > that look like trash bags and stored it (properly labeled of course)? See above. > Is that idea stupid? Not stupid, but with a lot of unknowns. > Forget about cost for now. Then I would strongly advise using archival tape or MOD. Both have known long-term aging characteristics. Arno |