Dual layer recordable DVDs

[pressld2]

Anyone using them? Are they reliable?

I've been using single layer TDK DVD-Rs and am just wondering if the dual layer ones are any good as it would mean half as many discs to store from now on.

Dave P.

[Tringa]

Dave are you using them to store photos or other important files?

If so, then I do not know anything particularly related to dual layer DVDs, but there is a fair bit on the 'net that suggests DVDs/ CDs are not necessarily a good long term storage.

Sorry if I have missed your point.

Dave

[pressld2]

Yep, it's for backups of my photos.

My primary backup is to an external hard disc which is sitting on my desk and permanently connected to my PC. This is fine to protect me against a hardware failure on my internal hard disc, but in the event of a burglary or a fire it's likely that both the PC and the external drive would be lost. So I also back up to DVDs and store those off site (in my office). I know there are some question marks over the longevity of recordable DVDs so I always use quality brands (TDK for the most part), store them properly and am in the habit of periodically checking that I can still read the oldest ones. So far the discs burned six years ago are still readable.

The problem is that I've now got 116 backup discs* and that only gets me to the beginning of July 2011 (cos I'm all behind with editing, keywording and backing up ). If I could trust dual layer DVDs at least as far as I trust the single layer ones then I could halve the number of discs I need to burn and store. But I've no experience of the dual layer discs and don't know if they're as good, better or worse than the single layers.

Dave P.

* They're not all full mind. I organise my photos into folders for the day they were taken and back them up in date order. So if I have 150 photos from the next day to be backed up but there's only room for 145 on the current disc, I just finalise that disc and start another one.

[tcvarlh]

Have you given a thought to online storage as an extra safeguard?

h

[glsammy]

I used to do a similar routine Dave, until last year when I realised I couldn't care two hoots about my old shots. So now all I do is upload them to my web sites at a reasonable viewing size and take one hard drive backup.
To be honest, if I lost the lot I wouldn't lose any sleep over them. It would simply give me an incentive to keep on going out to take some more!
Of course this is of no help to you at all.

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by tcvarlh

Have you given a thought to online storage as an extra safeguard?

Not much H. You see I work for an IT company that provides services for a communications company that sells on-line storage under a brand name that I won't mention. A year or two ago they managed to destroy the database that linked stored files with their owners and didn't have said database backed up. It wasn't much reassurance for customers to be told that their files still existed somewhere within a pool of a few hundred million files. Needle in a haystack is a doddle in comparison.

Originally Posted by glsammy

Of course this is of no help to you at all.

It's a fair point and food for thought Graham! I must admit I'd have an awful lot of fun going out and getting new (and hopefully better) shots of everything. If I'm really honest with myself there's probably less than a dozen wildlife shots I'd be upset to lose. There are family shots that are irreplaceable though.

Dave P.

[freiston]

I've had several CDs and DVDs go bad on me over the years but I've never used double-layer DVDs.

My 'intended' back-up method is to use two portable USB HDDs - keep one at home and one off-site - back up any new files on to the disk at home and swap them over every week. The trouble is that I'm not very good at keeping to back-up regimes.

[roseway]

One possible option is to use SD or micro-SD cards for backup storage. They hold a lot more data than a DVD and they're a lot smaller. But what I don't know is how reliable they are in the long term.

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by freiston

My 'intended' back-up method is to use two portable USB HDDs - keep one at home and one off-site - back up any new files on to the disk at home and swap them over every week. The trouble is that I'm not very good at keeping to back-up regimes.

Now that's a possibility worth investigating. I've never met anyone who was as good as they should be with their backup regime!

Originally Posted by roseway

One possible option is to use SD or micro-SD cards for backup storage. They hold a lot more data than a DVD and they're a lot smaller. But what I don't know is how reliable they are in the long term.

Another option but quite an expensive one I think. a 32Gb SD card holds seven times as much data as a single layer DVD but the price per GB is about 18 times higher. Mind you, hard discs are pricey at the moment as well.

Dave P.

[tcvarlh]

Originally Posted by pressld2

Not much H. You see I work for an IT company that provides services for a communications company that sells on-line storage under a brand name that I won't mention. A year or two ago they managed to destroy the database that linked stored files with their owners and didn't have said database backed up. It wasn't much reassurance for customers to be told that their files still existed somewhere within a pool of a few hundred million files. Needle in a haystack is a doddle in comparison.
Dave P.

O-Kay! Bad, Well that's stopped me thinking about online-storage too, thanks So, it's another HDD next month then. I've got all 6 satas in use and two externals plus a server chock-a-block full. wayhay, file swapping time again!
h