What kind of media would you recommend be used for archiving church services? We currently use tapes, but I was hoping for something digital, since we also record our services on a computer. However, in my experience, the digital media tends to have issues, like it can only be read on the same CD/DVD burner on which it was written. That's not always true, but you get my jist. I'm looking for something that can be universally read, and last until the next best archiving medium comes along, at which point I'll transfer everything over to that. Maybe I'm just not burning my DVD's right, if you think that's the case, please let me know that, too. Thanks.
finalize your disks?
"...it can only be read on the same CD/DVD burner..." this suggests to me that you aren't finalizing your disks after burning.
Providing you finalize your disks, they should be 100% portable between different systems.
We use CDs for backup of audio material (because the file sizes are fairly small) and we use DVDs (data files, not playable) for backing up our video footage.
If you are currently recording your services reliably using a computer, then you should certainly consider using CD as your archive media.
Hope that helps?
Cheers
Pete.
Don't forget
Don't forget that CDs and DVDs that you burn are only good for something like 4 - 10 years. They use an ink that can and does eventually run.
The longest lasting backup is a tape drive. They can last 30 - 50 years.
I'm just pointing out that some information, especially that which you want saved for a really long time, needs to have it's backup mechanism thought about.
Matt Farina
Geeks and God Co-Host
www.innovatingtomorrow.net
www.mattfarina.com