[rcfuzz]

I'm planning on transfering all my old home movies (various film & tape formats) to DVD using iMovie & iDVD. One of the aims of this project is to preserve these visual memories - some are almost 50 years old - for the future. Once I get these movies into DV would I be able to back-up or archieve the files using the Superdrive in my G4 (800DP)as data files on DVD-R (not make a DVD). Would I need additional software such as TOAST? If I transfer the non-DV tapes (VHS,8mm, Hi-8) to DV tape first, would this transfer result in any loss of quality? I also have the option to go right from analog to DV using the pass-through converter on my Sony Digital8 camera.

Your imput is appreciated.

Thanks.

Bob

[NeoMac]

I'm not a video pro, but I've been looking into this for the same reasons. I'll share with you what I learned. Mind you, some of this could be wrong. Also, this a consumer perspective. I'm sure the pro's have much more sophisticated ways to go about this.

The way I understand it, the best way to archive the content is to record it back onto DV tape. The reason: uncompressed video can't effectively fit onto DVD discs. It would take several DVD disks just to save one hour of uncompressed video. Obviously, this is cumbersome and expensive.

The way I understand it, there are three basic steps you need to do: 1) preserve the original material 2) edit and archive the material 3) and output the material.

Step 1a)
You make a digital video (DV) duplicate of the original tape. You would need a converter box or camcorder with built-in converter. You then save both the original and the DV tapes somewhere safe. Put them in a dark, dry place in a secure location. From then on, use only the DV copy for step 2.

Step 1b)
If you consider the content extremely valuable, make more than one copy* and save them in places far away from each other. For example, you can give a copy to another family member that lives somewhere else or put them in safey deposit boxes in different banks. *Make the duplicate from the first DV duplicate and not from the original analog tape. DV duplicates are exact and it spares the analog tape, which degrades from too much use.

Step 2)
Using the DV duplicate, import the video into iMovie and edit it. Once your editing is complete, you can either archive the project to large hard drives or back to a new DV tape.

Step 3)
Once you're editing is complete, you can then output to a final DV tape or iDVD for end-user consumption.

[mitchell_pgh]

I would wait until this MPEG4 QuickTime6 thing is all cleared up. Then you could encode them to MPEG4 at a very high bit rate so that it would be close to DVD quality. Other then that, there isn't much more then having those tapes laying around gathering dust. At lease if they were MPEG4 you could burn them to DVD's. They wouldn't work on a DVD player (YET) but they would be saved...

[rcfuzz]

NeoMac:

Thanks so much for your very imformative reply. You have confirmed some of the same methods I've been thinking of. It's a good plan to follow.

I'm expecting my new G4 this week so I haven't begun yet - I expect this will take me most of the year to get it done - I have so many tapes and lots of old 8mm films which need to be done. I'm sending the films out to be done by professionals who will make DV master tapes for me. The price is a lot cheaper than I expected... about 10 cents a foot.

Good luck.

Bob

[mitchell_pgh]

Great, tell us how it turns out. I have some people that might be interested in using that guy if it works out for you...

[jcarr]

After you finish editing your iMovie, run the project back out to your camera. You can then archive the MiniDV tape.

MiniDV tapes are about the cheapest 13GB long-term storage you will find, and you don't need to buy anohter drive!

[mitchell_pgh]

You need to be careful. The MiniDV tapes go bad after about ten years. They are also subject to heat/cold/moisture/dust/etc... Keep then in a dark part of your closet for best results...

[starman]

MPEG-4 is NOT, repeat, NOT a proper solution to the problem. It's a LOSSY compression scheme which means that in 10 years if something new comes out, you're going to have a much worse source to start with.

You can't archive these DV files to DVD in their raw format, they're way too big (roughly 15GB/hour).

Best bet, as stated before, is to dump the video back to digital (DV) tape. It's not easy storing a massive amount of data, but since we do have the ability to dump it back to digital tape, that should suffice.

Buy a hard drive big enough to store the files and keep everything on there. It's up to you to decide if the cost of the drive is worth it.

Keep the original sources safe. There will always be VHS players, but you may have trouble with the 8mm films. Keep the projectors safe, an extra bulb or two, and put everything in a cool, dry place. Once HD-type video archiving comes to the home, take it all out again.

Mike

[mitchell_pgh]

starman I was just trying to give an alternative to having a pile of tapes. Naturally the best way to keep original footage is to keep it in it's original format. I still have 8mm footage somewhere around here...

[mitchell_pgh]

starman I was just trying to give an alternative to having a pile of tapes. Naturally the best way to keep original footage is to keep it in it's original format. I still have 8mm footage somewhere around here...

[Dan Szwarc]

MiniDV tapes are about the cheapest 13GB long-term storage you will find, and you don't need to buy anohter drive!

Actually, Digital 8MM tapes are cheaper.

The MiniDV tapes go bad after about ten years.

Have you been to the future and seen this? I have VHS tapes that are well over 15 years old not and they don't look worse than when they started.

Tape doesn't last forever, but since MiniDV is digital, it won't degrade like an analog tape.

[DayDream Believers]

Please note the following media format that is coming out soon will replace said items mentioned....thread from news post:

The other day Philips, Sony, Matsusihta (Technics, Panasonic), Pioneer, LG, Samsung, Thomson, Hitachi and Sharp have signed an agreement for the next generation of DVD called Blu-ray disk. The regular sized disks can hold up to 27 gigabyte of information (comparable with 13 hours of regular television). The name Blu-ray is based on the fact that is uses a blue laser light in stead of the current red light.

tech specs:
Capacity: 23.3/25/27GB
Laser Wavelength: 405nm (blue-violet laser)
Data Transfer Rate: 36Mbps
Disc Diameter: 120mm
Disc Thickness: 1.2mm
Recording Format: Phase Change Recording
Tracking Format: Groove Recording
Tracking Pitch: 0.32 micro meters
Video Recording Format: MPEG2 video
Audio Recording Format: AC3, MPEG1, Layer2, etc.
Cartridge Dimensions: 129x131x7mm

They are still in the phase of standards however what makes this better than the DVD fiasco from before is that they want a standard this time soon and they need it before Christmas. As the prices for DVDs fell at no other technology than before. It took over ten years VHS to go under $100 while DVDs now can be bought for under $100 and above.


Tom