Video from camera to PC are too big for DVD, what to do?

[Anonymous]

I’ve got some avi files that are approximately 30 minutes long and about 7.5 gb. What can I do to save these files to a DVD in case of hard drive failure. I want to keep them on something safe.

[Anonymous]

Could you load the huge file into a NLE editor, then divide it into 3 parts, and save each as a separate AVI file?
I think it woud work, 🙂
Ken Hull

BTW, how much memory do you have, and what editor?

[Anonymous]

^^^ That is a good idea and you can break that avi up in Movie Maker if your on a PC with no problems.
Another option is a Firewire or USB hard drive.
I’ve seen them in all sizes.
I have two: One is 80 gigs and I have a 160 gig.
Never had a problem with either one and they are both about the size of a deck of cards.
Not only can you back-up videos but you can back-up your whole system if you want to. That will really easy the pain of hard drive troubles across the board.

As a side note:
I remember when people thought that the 25 and 50 gig size of Blu-Ray and HD-DVD was "too big"….
Extra space is always needed.

[Anonymous]

Yeah…Just cut the files up and burn them to a couple DVD’s. Remember data DVD’s may not last forever. You may get a cyclic redundancy error after 3-5 years, maybe longer with today’s technology. If you get this error it is unlikely you will be able to salvage the files. This problem is more common in data cd’s but it has happend with DVD’s. You may also have problems accessing the files as computers advance and develop new filing system formats. I usually just save my files to an external hard drive and haven’t had a problem yet. (it’s been ten years) Most important…I always save the original tapes, so that if there is a problem…I can always recapture them. It is also a good idea to make a log file in an NLE that saves the in and out point of your clips. That way you can capture the exact same clips that you had before which make it possible to use the same project you originally used to edit the files….if in fact you have edited them in the first place.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t edited them yet, they are just raw video straight from the camera.

So if I cut them in half and put them on a DVD, the file may not be good and could become corrupt, but what if I put them on a DVD as an actual movie in case I was not able to keep the tapes they were taped on?

[Anonymous]

hrlpirate,
I think you might be mis-interpretting what cprybicki was saying. The DVDs that you make with your computer are different from the DVDs you rent from Blockbuster. Professionally-released DVD movies are not "burned", they’re "pressed", and should last a very long time. DVDs you create with your computer are not as permanent. AVI files are not as compressed as MPEG2 files (which is what you make when you’re making you own movie-DVDs). So AVI files preserve just a little more detail. Of course, if you shoot with a miniDV camcorder, those miniDV tapes can last a LONG time.
Hope this helped, 🙂
Ken Hull

[Anonymous]

Sorry if my post was a little confusing and I didn’t mean to scare you with the remark that the files may become corrupt. I just wanted to inform you that this may be a possibility in the future. You may not have this problem but you never know. So…I would recomend that you cut the video in half and burn two data dvds like we discussed. If you want, you can copy those files from the dvd to your hard drive and make a new data dvd every 2-3 years so that you always have a fresh copy. I would also just keep the files on a hard drive. Many production compaies archive their video on hard drives and are confident that they will last. I reccomend an external hard drive or a secondary hard drive that isn’t used as much as the master hard drive that runs the operating system. You can also burn the whole video to a video dvd like you asked. But this will be your "last resort" file. Ken is right, when you make a video dvd, the AVI file is compressed into a VOB file. A VOB file is an Mpeg2 file but exclusive to DVD. The VOB, eventhough it still looks great is not as good as the original AVI. Futhermore, if you want to edit that VOB file in the future, you will have to either rip the dvd or copy the VOB file to your hard drive. Most NLE’s won’t allow you to import VOB’s, so you will have to get an encoder program and convert it back to an AVI. You will lose more quality during the conversion. I’m not sure how long "home" dvds last but I have videos that are 7 years old and still work. It’s always best to store media in cool dry places. You can also invest in removable media like Memory Stick Pro or SD but it can be very expensive depending on how many gigs you want. I do believe they now come in 10+ gigs. I think it would be a waste to use these for video storage and isn’t necessary. You will be just fine if you follow the advice in this forum.

Best Regards,

Corey

[Anonymous]

Great information guys, thanks a lot! I never knew that DVD production companies did a "press" instead of a "burn." I thought it was all the same, but it makes sense. We have good technology, but I guess not quite there yet.

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