Home Video Conversion to DVDs

Author : Linda Ritchey

Comment:
I’ve purchased a new DVD recorder/VCR combo to transfer 20 years of our home videos onto DVD’s. I know that DVD’s are being replaced with Blue Ray’s, but I’m afraid of waiting any longer to transfer some of the older videotapes. So here is my question – What type of DVD should I purchase? I’ve read good and bad reviews on archival gold DVD’s. I’m not sure if I really need 100 year DVD’s, because I’ll need to transfer these onto Blue Ray or whatever replaces Blue Ray in the future. Or should I use 100 or 300 year DVD’s just to make sure they will still be able to be read 10-20 years from now? Is there a good brand name you would recommend? Also are Creative Memories’ pigma pens just as good for writing on the DVD’s as the pens they sell for this purpose?

Hi Linda,

I would go ahead and transfer your videos to archival gold DVDs. Blu-Ray players are generally backwards compatible. I recommend using archival gold DVDs, rather than relying on transferring the files to Blu-Ray discs at a latter time. Even with the best intentions, migrating data from one format to another may not actually happen and it is better to take whatever precautions you can at the time the discs are created to ensure their longevity. Please send me the references to the negative reviews of these discs. I have used gold DVDs from various suppliers without difficulty.

Creative Memories pens are not recommended for writing on CDs or DVDs. Instead, use a pen specifically designed for this purpose.

I hope this information helps. Let me know what you decide to do.

Mark

About Mark Mizen

I have over twenty years professional experience in all aspects of photography and digital imaging. I am Chair of the ISO WG5 TG2 committee responsible for physical properties and durability of imaging material and am currently with HID Global working on systems for security printing for IDs, licenses, and credit cards. Previously, I was Director of Digital Development at Creative Memories from 2009 to 2012 and was responsible for the Creative Memories digital products and services. I also established and directed the Creative Memories Technology Center, which evaluated new products prior to product introduction, assisted with production difficulties, and provided technical information to support product sales.

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1 Response to Home Video Conversion to DVDs

Mark Mizen says:

January 6, 2009 at 9:36 am

Additional information on Blu-Ray conversion is available at http://blu-ray.analogtodigitalconverter.net/