Best method for converting 8 mm cassettes for long term storage

I have approximately one hundred 8 mm video cassette tapes that I would like to convert to another format for long term storage. I captured my first tape today from my camera Sony DCR VTR 520 which is a digital 8 mm camera. I was not planning to convert the files to DVDs at this time but just keep the avi file on the computer.   The video was just over 2 hours long but the file ends up being 27 GB.   I expecting it to be around 8 GB like a 2 hr DVD but I guess its not the same.
The 8 mm tape I converted was from an very old 8 mm camera which I no longer have (1990). The camera used to capture from is a VTR 520 which is actually a Sony digital 8 mm, which can play back standard 8 mm. I used CS3 on my old computer with standard project settings for DV NTSC 29.97 f/s.   I currently use PE10 so I could use either program.
What do other people use to convert and store videos on??
If I want to keep them as avi files will I have to live with these large file sizes?
I did a search on the forum and found titles that talk about this subject from a couple of years ago but when I click on them they don't come up.   How do you see these older threads?
Any help would be appreciated.

JMJarige,
The only potential problems with this workflow are:
DVR units (I have a Panasonic, but this is pretty much across the board) seldom produce a 100% DVD-compliant disc, and as most add a rudimentary Menu & navigation system to the disc, produce a first VOB (where the Menus & navigation are located), that is tough, if not impossible to directly Import.
In the production to DVD, there is MPEG2 compression applied. If one edits that material, and then they output to any compressed CODEC, the quality loss is easily seen
When I convert from VHS for a client, I create a DVR DVD disc, for their archives (in case the tapes die), but then Capture to DV-AVI to be edited to a DVD-Video. The client gets two sets of discs - one that is produced by the DRV, and then one that is the finished edit of their tapes. For me, it's a two step process, but gives them a backup, plus a finished product.
Good luck,
Hunt

Similar Messages

Using "Deleted Items" folder for long term storage.

I have a user that is using the "Deleted Items" folder in Outlook for long-term storage. He has unchecked the box in the options which would remove the items in the Deleted Items folder at shutdown
and is having problems with his Outlook freezing up several times a day. He was using a Microsoft Surface as his primary computer and has since changed to a Dell Latitude, but Outlook still freezes up. He has an Office 365 Pro Plus license.
I have been looking for articles to explain all the reasons for not using "Deleted Items" for storage, but in order to get him to change, This is not a .pst, it is the Outlook default “Deleted Items”.
. I really need some "ammunition" to let him know the consequences of keep that much mail in Deleted Items.
Could you tell me when Outlook starts, does it enumerate the Deleted Items folder as it does the Inbox?

I have to agree with Robert's point here. The question of whether or not the user should be doing this answers itself: of course he shouldn't. On a lighter note there's a Dilbert cartoon from 2003 which covers this very point:
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2003-11-13/
I'd suggest you ask him to create a sub-folder of his inbox and get him to move everything over, then he still has his history and can use deleted items the way it was intended.
The question I would ask is are you sure that this has any bearing on his Outlook freezing issue? I have encountered people who never empty their recycle bin and I have encountered issues with Outlook freezing, but I don't recall ever having the two together.
If you still have issues after he's moved everything then it's a general Outlook freezing issue, so you have to look at those sort of things. For a start, is it bang up to date with Microsoft Updates? If so how big is his mailbox? Presumably he has an ost
file, so how big and fragmented is that? I'd probably try creating a new Outlook profile. If not then what add-ins does he have, could they all be disabled for a while to see if it's one of them, then add them back one at a time? If not is it worth running
a repair in Office? I've had that fix a fair few issues.
Just a few thoughts. I don't know if any of them will help.

Best Method for Hyper-V storage migrate

What would be the best and most efficient way to complete the following:
I have a Windows 2008 R2 Hyper-v Hosting server, with a Windows Storage Server 2008 ISCSI connected storage drive. I need to move all the Hyper-V images from one ISCSI drive, to another ISCSI drive, as I just purchased another Windows Storage Server 2008
that I setup a ISCSI drive on that I want to store the Hyper-v images on.
Is the best method a export of each virtual server, then delete the current server, and them import them back from the new location?

Thought so, and totally without a doubt test before delete, lol.
My issue is when I started this I only had a few servers, but due to how easy it was to setup a new server and every software vendor we have wanting thier own server I am at 19 servers.
Major downside is they take forever to export.
I like the export method because it creates a identical structure for all the machine, as before I was storing all snapshots in one location, all vhd in another
Thanks for verifying what I figured was the only method.
Using the Microsoft Virtual Manager I can migrate, but that takes so long as well and I figured if I export, I can then use that as a full backup and then import it.

What is the best media for long-term video storage?

I will be loading several MiniDV tapes into my Mac and want to store the video long-term (in a safe-deposit box). These are going to be home movies with some digital photos or scans as well.
I am curious what folks believe is the best medium for this. I am considering a Passport-style HD like those from LaCie, Western Digital and others. Has anyone had good luck with these? Or am I on the wrong track?
Thank you in advance for your opinions,
jf

I considered getting one of the DVD recorder products from Sony (they say you can plug right into the camera, hit a button and get a DVD copy of the footage in real time)
You understand that a DVD recorder will convert and seriously compress the material in the transcode from DV to mpeg2?
DVDs like this are not a storage system if you are looking to keep original material in a) as close to original quality as possible and b) in an editable format.
40 1 hour DV tapes is just over 500 GB when captured. Get 2 1 TB drives and make two copies of the material. Use one for editing on-line and put the other on a shelf (not in your house). Just be sure to get it back and spin it up every month or so.
The tapes need to be seriously secured. If the safety deposit box is too small, look into a fireproof home vault. 40 tapes do not take up that much space. Just store it in a cool and not humid location.
x

Best practice for long term maintenance ??

still busy with the long term maintenance requirement.
when maintaining a building my client wants to register the following
- long term maintenance (like 15 till 25 years)
- short term is already in preventive maintenance
- the long term maintenance must be related to specific activitities which contains keyfigures (the keyfigures are obtained from third party libraries which can be used to calculate the estimate cost for a certain acitivity when multiplied with for instance the surface area of the object)
- for the costplanning a report should calculate the estimated costs derived from the keyfigures
- the long term planning should be easy to manage and activities easily be changed in time
is there anything already at hand or an example where long term maintenance like this is implemented ?? I can't see how I can get above requirements in for instance preventive maintenance ??
reward for usefull info
kind regards
arthur

I try to make an config takslist but somehow I can't enter values when I attach the task to a preventive maintenance plan.
I created charateristics and a class with type 300
made a config profile with cu41
I also can't enter values when I attach the general task to a serviceorder
do I still miss something here ??
hmm I made a separete thread for this since it has nothing to do with the initial problem
Message was edited by:
A. de Smidt
Message was edited by:
A. de Smidt

Best media for long term archival purposes?

Browsing the Internet, I have come across several (and partially contradictory) suggestions for the 'best' (longest lasting, with good error correction algorithm, etc.) DVD media. The final conclusion of one of the more competently sounding tutorial (http://adterrasperaspera.com/blog/2006/10/30/how-to-choose-cddvd-archival-media) is: "...So, what am I using? Due to Taiyo Yuden’s superior media quality, and DVD+R’s superior design, I use only Taiyo Yuden DVD+R media. I recommend this media to everyone who wishes to keep their data for a long, long time." Based on the high level of expertise of many users in these forums, I would greatly appreciate any suggestions/comments/references. Thanks, as always, Laci.

Ah! You learn something new every day!
The last time I ordered TY DVDs, they didn't have the silver inkjet printable, only white. Apparently that is something new. Looking again at your links, it *does* say "silver inkjet printable".... very cool.
Now that I'm actually paying attention , I noticed a couple of things: using your link, the "last item" on the page is 8X DVD+R and it does not say "hub printable" (meaning you can print all the way up to the hole).
Not sure what you were looking for, but I know TY has a wider selection of DVD-R than DVD+R.
For example, here's a silver 16X DVD-R hub printable, and it's $38 instead of $46.
http://www.supermediastore.com/product/u/taiyo-yuden-16x-dvd-r-media-silver-inkjet-hub-pri ntable-100-pack?max=30&sortBy=-&search=taiyo+yuden&offset=0&hiddenSearch=+%23Category%3A%2 7DVD-R+Media%27
I've always found it hard finding exactly what I'm looking for with TY, and now it looks even harder since they've added "water shield", "print plus semi-glossy", "hardcoat", but it doesn't look like you can get all of that in one product.
I can't seem to find a "Taiyo Yuden 16X White Inkjet Hub Printable PrintPlus Semi-Glossy Water Shield Hardcoat DVD-R"
Anyway, good discussion. Let us know how the silver inkjet printable DVDs turn out.
BTW, I'm using an Epson Artisan 725 and it's fantastic at DVD (and photo) printing. I was going to get the Artisan 50, too, but found a great sale on the 725.

Printing for long term storage

I'm in the process of writing a personal history. It will consist of text and black & white and colour photos and reproductions of other documents. I have both HP6122 & 5652 printers and use genuine HP cartridges. I have a supply of acid & lignin free paper and intend to store the finished items in acid & lignin free binders. Has anyone done something similar? I'm interested in knowing whether the ink jet printing will last, or whether there is a better way.

You can save the scanned TIFF's to DNG from Adobe Camera RAW (and I think Lightroom too). You can't save TIFF's to DNG from the stand-a-lone DNG converter though.
People will say that the best thing to do is keep them as TIFF's, however I choose not to. Basically, all my original files are converted to DNG, whether they are RAW's from my DSLR, JPEG's from my compact camera, or TIFF's from my scanned negatives. The reason I do this is as follows:
Firstly, with the JPEG's and TIFF's, by converting them to DNG format means that I can't accidently overwrite the original during post processing (for example, imagine resizing an image for the web and accidently overwriting the original would be a nightmare).
Secondly, it means that I can easily identify each file by type. DNG's are always the original and TIFF's are always the full size edited file, with layers, etc. These are the only two you really need to keep, but I also keep smaller JPEG versions too, which I have converted for web/email/fast browsing use.
Thirdly, by converting RAW's and TIFF's to DNG, it lowers the file size of my originals. With JPEG's it increases the file size, but is not too much of a problem as this is way off-set by the savings of my scanned negatives (my negative scans are approx. 115MB each, but as DNG's they are approx 84MB).
TIFF is the number one archival format, but if your edited 'working' file is saved as a TIFF anyway, there is no need for the original to be too because it would just be more confusing, take up more space and create the potential to accidently over-write the original.
Also, if you open the images from Adobe Camera Raw into Photoshop as Smart Objects, you willl still have a version of the original in the TIFF file anyway, as it uses non destructive editing. So in 50 years time, you will have not only DNG versions, but also TIFF versions that can also be used as originals if need be.

I receive songs or photos from friends on email, and when I download them, they stay in my Downloads file. How can I move these to my hard drive for long-term storages and organization?

How can I transfer song or photo files from Downloads on Firefox to my own hard drive for permanent storage?

If the hard drive that crashed is the one that stored the itunes library, be sure to restore the library from Time Machine (mac) or whatever backup you use on windows. That will get back your music. I suspect that the replacement drive has an empty itunes library and thus, perhaps, the itunes match used that to sync to its servers.
Try posting in the iTunes Match forum, you'll probably find more knowledgeable folks there.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/itunes/itunes_match

How to preserve calendar on calDAV in iCal for long term storage?

Is there a way one can transfer/preserve calDAV/GoogleCalendar entries to iCal so that all the entries are preserved even when iCal no longer subscribes to those feeds?
Message was edited by: SoGood

Hi John and Austin,
I think both of you are correct (when looking at iCal "Version 6.0 (1639)" with 10.8.1/ML).
Thanks!
The "very subtle grey in Month view" is visible on my iMac as well, but ONLY in Month view.
This (almost invisible) highlighting is not shown in Week view. In my initial question, I was addressing Week view (without mentioning).
This is inconsistent - one may hope that Apple will fix this (and also the "invisibility").
Maybe, some extension programmer has already generated a tool to modify these settings of iCal?
(And at the same time removes the terrible "leather look" of iCal? Yes, I know there are descriptions how to change the resources. But I would prefer a tool that allows to modify the "skin" of iCal and Contacts via a GUI.)
Bests, BW
Added: check here: http://tweaksapp.com/app/mountain-tweaks/
The tools allows to remove the "leather skin", but does nothing to highlight sundays or weekends in iCal's Week view.
Message was edited by: bwadma

What is the best method for saving files off of the hard drive?

I would like to save music files and photos somewhere other than my hard drive (eg. CDs, DVDs, zip disks). What is the best method for doing this?

It rather depends on how paranoid you are
External hard drives protect you from hard disk trouble on your machine.
Optical media (CD's, DVD's) protect you from trouble with magnetic disks - such as external hard drives and the HD in your machine. Optical disks are thought to be more reliable that magnetic disks for long term storage.
Off site back-ups will protect you from fire or theft at your home or office.
How paranoid are you? Personally everything is backed up across three diferent external HD's. And maybe twice a year I burn a copy of my photos onto DVDs and they go to a relative's house across town.
Regards
TD

Long Term Storage ideas for Data in an Oracle Database

We have data that we no longer need access to and want to archive it on tapes for long term storage.
We want to save the data using datapump or rman from time to time and and store the exports/backups on tapes. The issue we don't want to face in the future is , if Oracle deprecates the methodology we used to save the data in 2012, we no longer have a way to retrieve the data into a database 10 years from now.
This may sound crazy, but hear me out. Before datapump existed everyone was using vanilla exp to export the data. Now we have datapump as exp's upgrade and we have rman too. What if in 2012 we took an export using datapump or a backup using rman and save it off on a tape. 10 years go by and in 2022 management wants to look at the 2012 data. Lets say by this time Oracle's mothodology changes and they have a much more efficient/robust export/backup method. One way for us to keep the old backups up to date is to import the data back before the method we used in 2012 is deprecated and then export/backup the data using the new method to keep the exports/tapes in sync with then current technology.
My question is, what methods of saving large amounts of data do you recommend/use to save data to a tape so that you don't have to worry about changing times.
An idea I heard is to save the data as insert statements. This would work for most of the data except for blobs.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

>
Won't an intelligent compression algorithm take care of a lot of the overhead for that?
>
That's certainly a valid point to make and one that the OP can test. And because the duplicated metadata is identical and in the same physical row location there may be compression algorithms that can reduce it to just one set.
There were two points I was trying to make.
1. Don't just save the data - save the metadata also.
2. The metadata for each row will be the same so if you use an INSERT format that duplicates it for every row you are potentially wasting a lot of space.
Your other point was probably more important than these or anything previously mentioned.
>
perform restores of the entire database every couple of years or so to make sure that your
database isn't degrading
>
Regardless of the format and media used to backup the data it is important to verify the integrity of the backup periodically.
There are a lot of ways to do this. One way is a simple MD5 (or other) checksum of data at some level of granularity and then periodically read the data and confirm you still get the same checksum.
In my opinion the more generic the format that the data is saved in the better the odds that you can recover the data later no matter how technology may have changed.

Best Method for converting a 16x9 video to a letterboxed 4x3 DVD

I'm not quite sure what would be the best method for this. My client is using a 4x3 screen and SD projector at a large meeting, and they want me to just create a DVD that is letterboxed. I have one Premiere CS5 project that's 1920x1080, and another project that's 720x480 widescreen (1.2). I created a new sequence in both projects that is 720x480, 4x3 (0.9), and what I do is just scale the timeline down so that it's letterboxed. Is this the best method for achieving this? Or would you do something else? I don't like the idea of scaling my timeline down in Premiere.

pjbarbour wrote:
I'm not quite sure what would be the best method for this. My client is using a 4x3 screen and SD projector at a large meeting, and they want me to just create a DVD that is letterboxed. I have one Premiere CS5 project that's 1920x1080, and another project that's 720x480 widescreen (1.2). I created a new sequence in both projects that is 720x480, 4x3 (0.9), and what I do is just scale the timeline down so that it's letterboxed. Is this the best method for achieving this? Or would you do something else? I don't like the idea of scaling my timeline down in Premiere.
Hello.
As Jim so rightly points out above, you do not need to do anything.
Just use your normal 16:9 widescreen footage, and author as normal.
Your player will letterbox automatically when it is connected to a 4:3 screen in setup (just make sure "Pan & Scan" is not also there)

Best method for videos

I need some advice. What would be the best method for putting a video on a page? How would I go about this method?
Also, the person who wants me to put in this video likely has it only in dvd format (A professor who records his lectures). Any suggestions as to a program that converts dvds to something simpler like a .mov or .mv4? Preferably a format compatible with the method I'm searching for.
Thanks in advance!

Hello Danielle,
there are so many possibilities (here too Google and the search function here in this forum could be your friends too ). That might be the reason that you didn't get an answer till now.
My "library" shows for example these interesting informations:
http://www.pickleplayer.com/index.html
http://videojs.com/
http://camendesign.com/code/video_for_everybody#video-what
http://www.mediacollege.com/video/format/quicktime/streaming/
http://www.mediacollege.com/video/streaming/embed/
and:
http://www.pickleplayer.com/index.html
http://videojs.com/
Good luck and a little bit of a "staying power"
Hans-Günter

What is the best method for backing up photos in IPhoto?

I have over 10,000 photos in IPhoto and am looking for the best method for doing a backup (or an archive?). I'm now using ICloud and it appears it's just photo streaming and does not have storage capability. External hard drive, copying to a DVD, other suggestions?

Most Simple Back Up
Drag the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to another Disk. This will make a copy on that disk.
Slightly more complex:
Use an app that will do incremental back ups. This is a very good way to work. The first time you run the back up the app will make a complete copy of the Library. Thereafter it will update the back up with the changes you have made. That makes subsequent back ups much faster. Many of these apps also have scheduling capabilities: So set it up and it will do the back up automatically. Examples of such apps: Chronosync or DejaVu . But are many others. Search on MacUpdate
My Routine
My Library lives on my iMac. It’s Backed up to two external hard disks every day. These disks are permanently attached to the iMac. These back ups run automatically. One is done by Time Machine, one is a bootable back up done by SuperDuper
It’s also backed up to a portable hard disk when ever new photos are added. This hard disk lives in my car. For security, this disk is password protected.
I have a second off-site back up at a relative’s house across town. That’s updated every 3 or 4 months.
My Photos are backed up online. There are many options: Flickr, Picasa, SmugMug etc. However, check the terms of your account carefully. While most sites have free uploading, you will often find that these uploads are limited in terms of the file size or the bandwidth you can use per month. For access that allows you to upload full size pics with no restrictions you may need to pay.
Every couple of months I test the back ups to make sure they are working correctly. It’s very easy to mis-configure a back up application, and the only way to protect against that is to do a trial restore.

When bouncing- what's best method for smallest file size/highest quality?

I am in the process of embedding 3 mp3's into a PDF to submit as a portfolio. The PDF also has text, and two scores included, and with the 3 embedded mp3's it can't be more than 10mb.
So my question is: When bouncing a project out of Logic, what is the best method for getting the smallest file size, but retaining the best audio quality? And once it's out of Logic and it is an mp3 or other type of audio file, is there a best format for compressing it further, and still maintaining the relative quality?
I bounced out the three projects into wav's. Now I am using Switch for Mac to compress them down to smaller Mp3's. I basically need them to be about 3 mb each. Two of the recordings sound OK at that size, but they are just MIDI(one project is piano and string quartet, the other is just piano- all software instruments. The recording that combines MIDI and Audio and has more tracks (three audio tracks and 10 Midi/software instrument tracks)and sounds completely horrible if I get it under 5 mb as an mp3. The problem is that I need all three to equal around 9mb, but still sound good enough to submit as a portfolio for consideration into a Master's program.
If anyone can help I would really appreciate it. Please be detailed in your response, because I am new to logic and I really need the step by step.
Thank you...

MUYconfundido wrote:
I am in the process of embedding 3 mp3's into a PDF to submit as a portfolio. The PDF also has text, and two scores included, and with the 3 embedded mp3's it can't be more than 10mb.
So my question is: When bouncing a project out of Logic, what is the best method for getting the smallest file size, but retaining the best audio quality?
The highest bitrate that falls within your limits. You'll have to calculate how big your MP3's can be, then choose the bitrate that keeps the size within your limit. The formula is simple: bitrate is the number of kilobits per second, so a 46 second stereo file at 96 kbps would be 96 x 46 = 4416 kbits / 8* = 552 kBytes or 0.552 MB. (*8 bits = 1 Byte)
So if you know the length of your tracks you can calculate what bitrate you need to keep it within 10 MB total.
I consider 128 kbps the lowest bearable bitrate for popsongs and other modern drumkit based music. Deterioration of sound quality is often directly related to the quality of the initial mix and the type of instruments used in it. Piano(-like) tones tend to sound watery pretty quickly at lower bitrates, as do crash and ride cymbals. But don't take my word for it, try it out.
And once it's out of Logic and it is an mp3 or other type of audio file, is there a best format for compressing it further, and still maintaining the relative quality?
You can only ZIP the whole thing after that, but that is just for transport. You'll have to unzip it again to use it. And no, you cannot compress an MP3 any further and still play it.
I bounced out the three projects into wav's. Now I am using Switch for Mac to compress them down to smaller Mp3's.
That is silly, you could have done that in Logic, which has one of the best MP3 encoders built in. And how good encoders are will especially come out at bitrates around or below 128, which you might be looking at.
I basically need them to be about 3 mb each.
So, one more scrap of info we need here: how long are those three pieces, exactly? I'll calculate the bitrate for you - but please bounce 'm directly out of Logic as MP3's. They will very probably sound better than your WAV-conversions made with Switch.
!http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/4996323899_071398b89a.jpg!
Two of the recordings sound OK at that size, but they are just MIDI(one project is piano and string quartet, the other is just piano- all software instruments. The recording that combines MIDI and Audio and has more tracks (three audio tracks and 10 Midi/software instrument tracks)and sounds completely horrible if I get it under 5 mb as an mp3. The problem is that I need all three to equal around 9mb, but still sound good enough to submit as a portfolio for consideration into a Master's program.
Length of the piece? And does the .Wav bounce you have sound OK?

Best method for converting 8 mm cassettes for long term storage

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for