[geeks] Best media for personal long-term backup?

[Nate]

On Feb 27, 2009, at 11:16 PM, Shannon Hendrix wrote:

> On Feb 27, 2009, at 16:55 , nate at portents.com wrote:
>
>>> Taiyo Yuden DVD+R.
>>>
>>> The DVD+R format has error-correction vastly superior to DVD-R, and
>>> Taiyo Yuden have a reputation for producing the best archival- 
>>> quality
>>> DVD+R media.  Expect to pay 4x - 5x what you'd pay for your local
>>> electronics store's discount media brand.
>>
>> Yes, I'm familiar with the claimed advantages of +R media and the  
>> brand,
>> but how much better is it *really* than good quality Verbatim media  
>> for
>> instance?
>
> It is a lot better, and people have tested it pretty extensively.   
> DVD+R and DVD-R have been extensively compared and there is no  
> contest here: +R is superior to the point it is worth paying twice  
> as much if you have to.

Well Taiyo Yuden 8x DVD+R media is only $0.36 a disc, so I wouldn't be  
breaking the bank by buying it... whereas 12x DVD-RAM media (Maxell  
DRM47D.1P) is $15 a disc!

> It's not just added error handling, the signal strength you get from  
> +R is a lot more consistent and powerful.  You can actually get DVD  
> drives that can measure that, but I think they are expensive.  Some  
> guys test various media and post the results, and +R always wins.

You mean Lite-On drives with the KProbe software?

http://kprobe.cdfreaks.com/

Or something else?

> Go further and actually test aging and damage, and -R falls pretty  
> flat, unable to recover from fairly normal kinds of damage, and poor  
> burns.

What about Taiyo Yuden DVD+R vs. Taiyo Yuden CD-R?  Which will be more  
reliable long-term do you think?

> Of course, understand that I think all CD and DVD media sucks, and  
> for that matter, so does HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.
>
> Personally I wish I could afford tape.
>
> DVD is far too small, and the burn process sucks.

Considering the backups I'm re-burning are coming off of CD-R, DVD  
sized media will be more than enough for me.

> Blu-Ray is little better, offering insufficient increased capacity  
> and the same inconvenient and unreliable burn process, and the media  
> is expensive.

Agreed, though I understand the surface polymer formulation (at least  
for pressed media - not sure about recordable media) has a very high  
scratch resistance, and was one of the big pros over HD-DVD (and CD/ 
DVD).

- Nate