How Do You Archive P2

[TomW]

I am purchasing my first prosumer camera. I’m looking at the AG-HPX170 and HVX-200. Here is the question: How does one archive video shot with P2 only? With a Mini-DV tape, I understand I can simply store the tape on the shelf – waa-laa, instant archive. But with the P2 “style” – how in the world do I archive??

[Rob]

You can burn all your video files onto a disk. It may take a lot of disk right now though since a DVD only holds 4.7GB. Actually, I think they have duel layer DVDs too.

Maybe you could buy an external hard drive, like a 100GB drive, and load all your footage on that and keep it in a safe place.

[Rob]

This is what a quick google search got me:

A Dual-Layer DVD differs from a standard DVD by employing a second physical layer within the disc itself. A drive with dual layer capability accesses the second layer by shining the laser through the first semi-transparent layer.
Dual layer recording is available on DVD-R and DVD+R discs for storing significantly more data, up to 8.5 GB per disc, compared with 4.7 GB for single-layer discs.

I would probably go with dual layer disks depending on how large the project is and how many files need to be backed up. Disks last a long time if you keep them out of the sun and in some sort of container, although, I guess you could say the same about an external hard drive as well.

[aburke3]

robgrauert,

Go with DVD media if your video project is too rigorous for a hard drive. Ie: DVD media is still more resiliant than a spinning hard drive in my opinion.

For most , though, archiving P2 media to a hard drive has been the answer.I use a new App called “ShotPut P2” from Imagine Products to send my video from a P2 volume to several hard drives at once. It never hurts to have your gold in several places 🙂

http://www.imagineproducts.com/ShotPut_P2_Edition.html

Luck,

Andrew

[Rob]

Yea, I know people archive with hard drives too. I’d probably do it too, but i feel like disks may be more cost effective depending on how much media needs to be stored, although hard drives are pretty cheap these days. Whatever works is cool…

[birdcat]

Just be careful about archiving to HD – Ihad a 500GB one go south on me a couple of months ago and lost a lot of stuff that I will be paying a lot of money to recover.

I would go with a BluRay burner for larger files now (25GB and 50GB). It may be pricey but BD blanks are way cheaper than P2 cards!

[Author]

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