What's your method for archiving home video?

March 4, 2011 5:44 AM

What's your method for archiving home video?

I just got a new dSLR (the t3i) for video purposes, and I need a good, redundant, not-too-expensive archival/backup system. I use a MacBook Pro. I'll edit down projects and host them on Vimeo, but I want to keep the raw footage safe.

Hard drive space is cheap and varied these days! What do you suggest that will insure the video memories stay intact for years to come?

posted by nitsuj to Media & Arts (2 answers total)

The simplest way to do this is with three hard drives - one you work on, one you do automated nightly backups to, one you keep offsite. (Safety deposit box, friend's basement, etc. Store it in an enclosure, power and cables included.) Rotate the on and offsite backups monthly.

Don't forget that RAID - especially consumer-grade RAID - is not a backup solution.
posted by mhoye at 6:22 AM on March 4, 2011

Along with the backups on hard drives, burn your footage onto DVD's. I know this is time consuming and there are issues with using DVD's as a "backup", however, it's one more thing you can do. I personally copy my stuff to two hard drives, and to DVD's. Might be a little overkill, although it's nice to know that I have a "hard copy" of my stuff.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 6:43 AM on March 4, 2011