from e-mail...
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I have a questions I am hoping someone can answer for me. I have a bunch of vhs tapes and older hi-8 camcorder tapes of my kids that I need to transfer to DVD. What is the best possible DVD disk that you would recommend to last, cost is not an option? Should I not use RW disks? Many people say not to. Any help would be REALLY appreciated!
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The best quality media right now is
- Verbatim DVD-R or DVD+R, made in either India or Taiwan.
- Taiyo Yuden DVD-R or DVD+R, from an authorized dealer only.
- Sony DVD-R or DVD+R, made in Taiwan only.
Personally, I suggest going with a branded or inkjet version of Verbatim DVD-R or DVD+R. These tend to play and record best on the widest array of burners, recorders and players. The metallic AZO discs also have a very good shelf-life, and should last for decades.
Do not use DVD-RW or DVD+RW media. The phase-change media does not last anywhere near as long as dye-based write-once DVD-R or DVD+R. That is a temporary storage medium, intended only for short-term re-use. Long term archiving should be done to DVD-R or DVD+R, when using DVD optical media for this purpose.
For the best archiving, consider making multiple copies, one to each of the three media listsed above. Secondary version that reside on hard drives would also be a smart idea. You cannot never have too many backups, but you can have too few. Consider storing some "off site" at other safe locations, for the utmost in safety and archival longevity.
