Archiving Original Media Files

This question crops up occasionally.
The usual suggestion with tapes is to keep them.
This is fine except for one potential problem ....... you need the camera to play them!
If you only have one camera, it is reasonable to suppose it will eventually break down and then you are left with loads of useless tapes unless you can borrow a similar camera.
This happened to me ten years ago. I had been using a Canon Video 8 camera.
If I had used a mini VHS camera there would have been no problem as most homes usually have at least one VHS VCR.
So to many, the cheapest and quickest solution appears to be to use DVD-Rs. They can also give access to the media much quicker than playing a tape.
One DV/HDV Tape will fit on 3 DVDs (unless you are capturing as AIC) and an 8GB SD card will fit onto 2 DVDs.
This article on the subject is quite interesting ..... obviously with HDV, it is easier to use FCP which doesn't convert the files to AIC.
http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/dvd_r_media_backuptaylor.html

We discussed the DVD issue a while ago on our local Oz forum regarding DVD backups.
What stood out was that DVDs can become unreadable in a relatively short time, under 2 years according to some.
What was strongly suggested is the use of more expensive DVD Archival media that uses a gold layer rather than blue dye. Longevity is what this is all about.
That being said, my oldest dye base DVDs are around 7 years old and still play just fine.
Also have VHS tape that's nearly 30 years old and still plays fine. ME stuff is about 20 years old.
A client brought tapes to me recently around 5 years old stored in a suitcase under their bed. Half were fine (brand A), the other half, infested with mould (brand B).
My thoughts are, learn how to properly care for whatever/however the archival material is stored on and purchase Archival quality media, particularly if the footage is irreplaceable.
Al

Similar Messages

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    I have another disk which only contains files, and FCP Xalways recognises it as a camera no matter what name I give it.
    Are there any folders in the root of the drive which could suggest they contain camera files (DCIM, Video, Movie etc)?
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  • How to have original media files outside libray

    I have recently upgraded to 10.1.3 and use the new libraries functionality. I have created different libraries for my projects (by year) and consolidate the project, so, now, I have an event with video files and project inside.
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    There is an easy way to “link” event files to original location outside of the library? Or I have to manually delete and fix one by one?
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    Follow Tom's advice, which tells you how to move the media outside the library - but don't try to move them over the original ones.
    At this point, you'll still have two copies of the clips - in the original folder and one on the folder you now selected.
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  • Possible to open original media file directly from subclip?

    One thing I don't like about subclips is that there are occasionally times when I wish I subclipped a different part of the media file. Is there any way (some kind of menu option or shortcut) to select/view a subclip, and from there view/open it's media file?

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  • Reconnect media... not with original media files...

    I have a feature film which was sound mixed and then re-cut again here and there.
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    You wrote - "I was advised to just pan the "Pan" of the "Dialogue R" all the way to the left and use that as my "Dialogue L" track. I've just done that but I still hears the sound coming from the right side of my headphones (my headphones might not be very reliable too though)."
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    Where you there when this was mixed? I have rarely seen dialogue spread out like that - it's normally centered. It's usually SFX that get spread around the spectrum.
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  • "Here is a media file that can be deleted. Can it?" –

    Or: managing media files across multiple projects.
    Here is what happens in our workflow:
    We do a lot of shows for one specific customer. Each program is a project. Usually a bunch of tapes is shot and then edited. So far, the project stands for itself.
    Now, it happens that weeks or months later some other editor wants to use footage from that that project in his own. So he opens up the old project and then copy-pastes some clips into his sequence.
    Again some time later, it's my job to free up some space on our RAID. So naturally starting from the oldest projects, I use the media manager to backup the final sequences and maybe some other clips that might still be useful. I save the consolidated project along with its media.
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    To make a long story short: is there a way of keeping track of all links that point to a given media file from a number of given FCP *.proj projects? Can Final Cut Server handle this problem?
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    Anyone out there with the same problem - or even a solution?
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    (from Munich, Germany - so please cut me some slack concerning my English)

    Thanks for the helpful hints so far, although they are just work arounds, in my opinion.
    In everyday life it will be hard to prevent editors from doing what they have been doing all the time. And duplicating media files is not a good replacement for a site-wide media management really.
    I would like to see someone write an application where you drop your *.proj files. The app then lists all media files that are referenced by more than one project and temporarily locks them in the file system. This would be the perfect purpose for FCSvr and a strong motivation for us to install it since all its other features wouldn't really leverage our editing process.
    As I remember, even in those old days of Avid Media Composer you were able to lock bins and sequences, and the media tool then saved you from deleting those clips that were still in use.
    At least it seems that there is not something that I might have overlooked in FCP and that would be the "perfect solution to our problem".
    So all we can do is to hope for Final Cut Studio 3 or the next version of FCSvr.

  • Media Files in Premiere Pro CS5.5

    I have several large 60GB media video files I will be importing into the project section of Premiere Pro CS5.5   These files are stored on an external hard drive (will be using FW800) where I plan on working with these files from the external HD.   The question I have is, once I import them into the project section of Premiere Pro CS5.5 and start editing with various pieces of video from the project files, will the original media files residing on the external HD be changed or edited in anyway or will they remain the same?   It is my understanding that these files will remain unchanged and that CS5.5 will just use the data from the original files and then once the PP Project is exported, the data will just be copied from the original media and the original media files remain unchanged?  I would appreciate it if someone could confirm this to be ture.   Thank you!

    When working from external HDD's, here's a tip: make sure to set the drive letter for that external (on a PC) HDD in the computer's OS, so that it will ALWAYS be the same, everytime that it is plugged in, or turned on, regardless of the order.
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  • How do I reconnect missing media files?

    I have imported an iMovie project but the links to the Media files are broken.  How do I recconect in FCPX

    If you have the original media files you can do the following ...  Select a clip that has a missing media file from your timeline.  Control Click and choose Reveal in Event Browser.  The event the clip is in and the clip icon should appear in the event browser.  If you had previously selected only a section of the clip a yellow border will show the part of the clip you had used.  Be careful not to run your cursor over that clip so as not to change the yellow border.  Go to the File/Import ... File menu selection and point to the location of the original clip. Import the clip.  The icon in the event browser and the associated clip on your timeline should fill in with the clip you just imported.  If you had applied effects to the clip on the timeline they should still be there, and you can verify that by clicking on the timeline clip and looking at the Video tab under the Inspector window.  This method works well for me in generic cases ... not sure if you have a different iMovie-related issue coming into play.  Best wishes.
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  • Creating/Using Proxy media files

    Hello everyone.  Apologies if this is painfully obvious - but just made the transition to FCPX and trying to wrap my head around some things-
    I've imported video to a number of Libraries. (I really have to fight hard not to call them Projects)
    As I didn't completely understanding all of the import settings, I made Optimized video along with the Original media.  Ok, no big deal.  The files take up a bit of space, and because of the nature of the project (lots of talking head interviews) not sure I really need Optimized video, but wasn't too concerned.  I'll know for next time that I don't want to check that box, unless I really need the Optimized video.
    My question is -
    If I wanted to make a copy of my media files to a portable HD, work with these files off site with the same Library that is on my Macbook Pro, make logging notes, selects, maybe even creating a Project or two, and then return  to my office where I would re-connect the original media files located on the office-bound hard drives, what do I need to do to ensure that this will work properly?  
    Secondarily, would it now make sense to create the Proxy files to use for this purpose?  Is this not what these files are normally used for?  Smaller, and more easily taken on the road and edited, and then the Library will re-connect everything to the original files once re-connected to the drives that contain the original media?
    I am sure there must be a best practices, or right way to do this…I just don't know it. 
    As always, thanks for  everyone's collective wisdom. (and for not shaming the dumb guy)

    Before you import files change the media location to place outside library. (Select library go to inspector press modify settings, change media location)
    Or, if files imported, consolidate files outside library. (Select library go to inspector, select outside location and press consolidate. All you media files move to selected folder.)
    After this, change media location to inside library and generate proxy files.
    Now you have original media outside library and proxy inside. Copy library to any location, edit in proxy.
    And send project/library/event by XML (select target file->export XML, and file->import->XML)
    also, you can delete generated files: select you library file->delete generated library files

  • IMovie: whats the fastest way to import and save all original media?

    Good afternoon. Ok I need help please. Is there a way to simply take all the imported original media and just save it all in one fell swoop? Rather than having to import and then process/export clip by clip.
    I thought I had a quicker way just grabbing all the original media from the imported camera (right clicking imovie library > show package contents > original media) untill I tried to play one of the original media files - no sound and it was mov file. I assume mp4 is better???
    I have 2800 hours of video I need to import off my camera. I don't need to modify them at all, aside from the occasional combining of clips into one movie. So I need the fastest way. Importing and then exporting clip by clip will take me forever. I would prefer to just import and then just drag all 50 clips or so into my movies folder. But as stated above that does not seem to work as expected unless I'm missing a step.
    Thank you!

    ps Can I take the original media files (mov format) and batch convert them using handbrake or MPEG streamclip? And if so would the resulting videos then have sound? And which is the best format (container codec whatever) to export them to? Thanks!

  • Media Mgmt - Render Files, Original Media

    Hello,
    Running FCP X 10.1.2
    I wanted to verify a few things with the community about media mgmt that the white paper really doesn't explain to well. My archiving procedure is as follows:
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  • No audio for some files in the Final Cut Event/Original Media folder

    Hi, recently, I noticed that some of the video files stored into the Final Cut Event/"Event"/Original Media folder had no audio. They do have audio when I read them into FCP X but not when I open them as ordinary files in the Finder. It worries me as it makes these files unusable in any other application, unless I "share" them from FCP X. It's no big deal but it's more work and on the principle, it's criminal: why FCP X would strip the audio off an original? Video and photo applications now work on the non-destructive principle!
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    Thank you very much for the info.
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  • Itunes seems to be unable to locate original file to play songs. Songs are in the itunes media file and playable direct from file. Preferences/advance file location is correct. Some files are playing and others aren't with no obvious pattern.

    Itunes is unable to locate original file when attempting to play music. Songs are in the itunes media file and playable direct from there. Preferences/Advanced file location pointer is correct. Some songs play but most don't. I did move files around a bit in an attempt to share music with another account on same computor, however this did not work so have returned file to original location. Please help, I am way outside my feild in this one. Ta.

    I have solved the problem. i think when I moved the media file back out of public to my account, I put it back into the wrong place and ended up with a media file inside a media file, inside another media file!! So I moved it again and fixed!! Now I just need to work out why i can't share with another account user of same computor.

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    I just realized this didn't actually go into the FCPX discussion board!  Sorry.  Obviously posted in the wrong place.
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