I sent a reply to Jackie, but I decided to send it here too. I am an
independent researcher / consultant with a focus on alternative energy and
data security. I have done some research into VHS format migration as well
as video archiving for some videos I want to produce myself. The best
options really depend on the nature of the collection, the condition of the
collection, and the purpose for the conversion. I'll try to post some more
information once I learn a bit more about what Jackie is trying to accomplish.
For now, take a look at the link below. This website talks about film to
video conversion, but has lots of interesting information. In Jackie's
case, we're talking about video to video. Click around the links in the site.
http://www.film-to-video.com/dirty_little_secrets.html
One interesting thing is that he says recordable DVD's may to last only 2-5
years. I've found some corroborating evidence for that. DVD may or may
not be the best format for Jackie, but if anyone is interested in archiving
to DVD (or CD), I'm looking into a source for archival grade DVD's which
are projected to last 100 years based on accelerated aging tests. I'll
post more data after I do a bit more research.
Just FYI, the photo labs at places like WalMart, CVS, and Walgreens can
usually do VHS to DVD conversion, if the tapes are in good condition. The
cost was about $25 / tape a few years ago, so it would be very expensive
for a large collection. I have about 200 personal tapes I want to convert,
and you can bet I'm not paying $5,000 to get it done. Even disregarding
the cost, there may be other factors which make that inappropriate for
Jackie. But, it is an option.
Sincerely,
Ron Frazier
At 11/6/2006 09:58 AM -0500, you wrote:
>I work for a local government and have some questions about converting our
>VHS tapes to another medium.
>
>1) What media did you decide to use? DVD? Another media?
>
>2) Why did you decide to use that media?
>
>3) How expensive was the conversion? I estimate that there are about 1,000
>tapes to convert.
>
>4) Are there any vendors that you would recommend? We're located in the
>Washington, DC metro area so a vendor from this area
>would be preferrable.
>
>5) How soon do you expect to have to migrate to another medium?
>
>6) Where did you find your source of funding for the conversion?
>
>I'd love to hear from anyone who has gone through this process. Please
>reply off-list.
>
>Thanks!
>
>
>Jackie Cohan, CA, MA
>Records Administrator & Archivist
>Archives & Records Center
>City of Alexandria, Virginia
>
>List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
>Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
------------------------------
Ron Frazier - owner of http://groups.yahoo.com/group/futureenergynow/ ,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/futureenergyproducts/
http://c3energy.com/ --- http://c3energy.com/alt_energy/
http://c3energy.com/computersecurity/ --- http://c3energy.com/health/
I am an independent researcher / consultant specializing in Alternative
Energy and Data Security.
I am particularly interested in exploring ways to archive data over long
periods of time.
Ron Frazier
4050 Dorothy Dr.
Cumming, GA 30041
770-205-9422 (O) 404-431-5472 (C)
Email: rwfrazier AT c3energy DOT com (replace the AT and DOT by hand)
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
|
