1st job nano only
 

Did first job without running tape.10 person interview against green screen.. would have been a pile of tapes.. backed up to 2 HDD,s.. already in the edit.. no problems..
But sure 2/3 tape jobs will still shoot both.. or offer the backup tapes if they are paid for for,for longer jobs..

Got to love Shotput pro..!!

just shows ...
 

CF/SDHC cards and solid state storage are a viable recording and dumping option and tape ... got tons of them ... is getting less important in the process. On the EX3/NanoFlash I've been tapeless for some time and do not miss the tapes ... more closet space. Now, I just keep watching the SSDs advance and get cheaper ... I think this will be the way things will go very soon anyway!

Not sure about storage.. had first HDD die on me the other day.. what do people use these days Blu ray.. ?

I haven't shot tape since 2004. Haven't missed it either. And yes, I archive to BluRay. ~$1.50 per disk. That holds 1hour of source files, my master, my deliverables, a viewing program, and any exotic codec required if I used any.

I don't want to SEE another tape.

The first time that happened to me I bought SpinRite. It restored the disk and I have not had a problem with any disk ever since.

Looks like it only works on PC,s no mention of Mac?

multi storage ...
 

Got some on hard disks and online back-up storage as well.

SpinRite requires PC BIOS to work. If you have access to a PC, you could place the hard drive in an external enclosure (preferably eSATA since it is faster than USB) and have SpinRite work on it. Then you put the drive back into your Mac.

Perrone, where do you get your BluRay disk? I am going to start backing up this way.

Thank you Perrone.
Can you make a recommendation on brand?

I've used Sony, TDK, Verbatim, Maxell, and Imation... all without incident. Honestly, I don't think there's that much difference between them. I've never burned coaster in 2.5 years.

Since I started shooting with the EX-1 I started archiving in BR.
Now I'm storing on HDs. There are more flexible than BR.
With the BR you must organize very well your stuff.
Once burned you can't change nothing.
With HDs you can organize after storing.

here in laos i have to manage by my self when a HD die.
With DataRescue and FileSalvage i've been able to get every single thing from HDs, SDHCs and failed SxS cards.
Try the free trial.
rafael

But isnt that the point of using BR for backup.. to avoid using data rescue for all the drives that go down.. even if you can save them.. ???

Yes Robin, but when you can use a single 2TB HD, you don't need to manage 20 x 50Gbs disks.
For storage I'm using duplicated FW400/USB-2 Hds. In two standard HD I put the same than in 50 disks.Cheaper and faster transfer speed than BRs.
No need to transfer footage when needed. You can edit directly from those HDs.
Any other operation (cloning/coping) is easier and faster.

When I bought my BR in 2007, HDs were smaller and more expensive. BR was an option. Now, I wouldn't go that way.
One of the reasons made me adopt the BR is that I thought that some time most computers would have BR player. Is not like that (at least with Macs). if I wan't to travel with my BRs, I have to carry the bulky BR player wherever I go.
I've definitely stopped with the BRs when I started shooting with the NANO.
Rafael

BluRay is NOT suitable for this purpose. If this is how you were using BluRay, I can certainly undertand why drives are a better solution for you.

Makes sense given how you describe your use.

Well, that's an issue with the man at the top of Apple. You can get a BluRay player or burner on all but the very cheapest of PCs at this point. And I cannot see the utility of traveling with BluRay.

OK.


The point here is that you seem to be using BluRay as backup. Or you were. It's not good for that. No optical solution is. The idea of BluRay is archival. Something to use once your project is done and delivered. You don't WANT to be going back to them. They are there for reference only.

Used in the correct context, as short term archival media, I feel BluRay is an excellent choice at this time. But they make exceptionally poor backups.

Hi Perrone,
I agree with you that BR still being a good solution for environments "wider" than mine.
I wish I could manage a double-format workflow for back-up/archiving, but:
- I archive almost 100% of what I shoot.
- I'm a "one-man-band".
I have to simplify. With HDs, I can back-up and pre-archive on the field.
Back home, I clean and organize the stuff, clone the HD, and erase the CF and SxS cards.
Even this simple system give me headaches :-)
rafael

Hi Rafael and Perrone

Ok thanks for the info.. so once you put a video clip on a BR.. its not so easy to just drag it off again?

Thanks

Yes, it's easy. It's just a LOT slower than doing it with a hard drive. Let's say I was working on a project due on Dec 31. I'd keep it on multiple HDD until delivery. Once the project is delivered and signed off, I'll clean off my temporary files, but keep the sources and project file intact for another 30 days or until the project "airs". I do a lot of project that are for single play use. Let's say the project is going to air on Jan. 15. On January 16, I will take the project files, source media, deliverable, etc., and commit them to bluray. There is no going back and fixing anything, the project has already fulfilled it's purpose.

Once its on bluray and the disk is verified, I scrub the project off my drives and prepare for the next project. I've had people come to me 6 months, a year, or 2 years later, ask me about an old project. If they want to see it, I can go to the bluray, copy off the compressed version I put on there and give that to them on a CD.

It would take me 15 minutes to do that if the material were stored on a HD. It might take me 30-45 minutes to do the same off BluRay. The hard drive would cost me many times what the cost of a bluray would.