I am wondering on which methods people use for long term storage of digital video.

The cost of hard drive space is more than for dv tape.

But the question is

does dv tape stand the test of time?
Do hard drives have a limited life span?

If I use both methods, then it becomes very costly.

Any suggestions would be welcomed

Regards

Jon

[gringottsdirect]

jon1972,
Personally I wouldn't archive to tape or hard drive.
DVD-R is my choice.

If the source material is in DV format, my personal preference would be "master" quality dv tapes, probably duplicated and stored in different locations(!). At the moment for DVD-R you will have to do a lossy DV -> MPEG2 conversion, which wouldn't help.

Also, people forget broadcast masters are usual tape based systems - tape is not so good for everyday use, where that kind of access can lead to dropouts/head wear, unless you perform continual maintenance of the playback device.

I have just boguht some MAster grade tapes for the job (because they are cheaper than HArd Drive space).

I guess that DV tape is no better than VHS tape (or any other) but because the signal is digital, any degradation can be 'corrected' by the system, so that the ageing process of tape is not relevant

Am I right?

[gringottsdirect]

Originally posted by jon1972

I guess that DV tape is no better than VHS tape (or any other) but because the signal is digital, any degradation can be 'corrected' by the system, so that the ageing process of tape is not relevant
Am I right?

DV tape is a higher quality than normal VHS formulations.
Degradation can't be expected to be corrected by the system.

I agree with Xeonic, archiving to DVD-R will suffer a loss in picture quality. If comparing the DV tape original and the DVD-R copy there is a difference. To my eyes it is acceptable and slight. You may feel otherwise.
I keep important events on the original DV tape anyway, but find the DVD-R more convenient.