Storing old mini DV tapes - what do you do?
 

Storing old mini DV tapes - what do you do?

I've got them all captured, but just looking for the best way to store 400-500 mini DV tapes.


I knew you guys would be the best place to ask...

How do you store yours?

Look up Hollywood Vaults in Hollywood. Controlled temp and moisture environments, massively secure. They are a serious film and audio storage facility. Worth checking.

i would back all the content to hardrives, just to be safe.

I have mini DV tapes going back about 13 years. I just keep them on a shelf in a few plastic boxes. I tried one about a month ago and they work just fine still - no problems at all.

Definitely... these lil fuckers are resilient -----------!

They do go bad, and we have lost some great footage.

Best solution is backup on hard drives !

I would never trust a single copy of any kind of media... in addition I would backup to hard drives.

I've captured and backed everything up but still retain source tapes from years ago

I (used to) buy pro tapes in bulk, and simply reuse the cardboard boxes they came in (still using the individual plastic flip cases for each tape) and stored in a closet in my office.

SVHS, Hi-8, miniDV/HDV it all lasts if you take care of it. If your footage is vital, there are better solutions though

Remember to write the dates on them so you know the age.

2 copies HD and 1 copy BD

Get them digital first and foremost. I've had quite a few go bad over the years.

copy all to hard drive then do a backup of hard drive or mirror it.

I've got a walk in closet that I keep most of my gear in. I have 16 of these on the walls which makes it very easy to locate whatever tape I'm looking for dating back over a decade.

I have mine in a plastic storage 3 drawer thing. They still work fine, even those from like 2003.

soak them in water.

seal them in mylar bags or get the fuck outa here

I backup to a hard drive then duplicate the hard drive. I also, make copies of each tape onto Blu-ray discs, one to long life and the other to regular Blu-ray. If you do choose to use Blu-ray, make sure to read the manufacturer recommendations for storage.

What a great basic tip that is.

Makes total sense.

We store all our tapes in locked metal cabinets away from windows or heating ducts. Probably have about 30 of them now. Not just the camera masters but the beta and dvcam edit masters.

We are racing to capture everything on hard drive at the moment. Multiple copies across hdd's and tapes.

Another tip for storing tape for a long time is to stack them vertically. When you stack them horizontal the tape can eventually mushroom towards the bottom from the weight destroying the edge.

And like AdPatron said label everything.