The best way to keep your footage for the future

jenman wrote on 4/19/2021, 6:07 PM

Hi there all.

I'm a new member and hoping to get your ideas and advice.

For many years, I have been rendering my video work on a yearly basis to a to large AVCHD file (1920x1080-50i).

I would then use DVD Architect to burn a Blu-ray movie with all the chapters etc in a blu-ray format which would then work on a standard blu-ray connected to a television. I would then archive the original AVCHD file away on a network drive incase I need it again to recreate the blu-ray in the future (the original raw files are then deleted from the SD cards etc).

The issue is, the network drive is getting full up because these AVCHD files are too huge (an hour can be around 13GB) so I cannot keep going like this forever. My idea going forward was to stop making AVCHD files and instead render to Voukoder MP4 in Vegas as my final product and thus archiving those MP4 files to the network drive. The plus points seem to be:

They are less than half the size of the AVCHD files.
When I watch the AVCHD file and the Voukoder MP4 on a computer monitor (2560x1440), I honestly cannot really tell them apart
They will be better going forward if I start to film in 4K. Voukoder MP4 seemed pretty fast, small file size and good quality with 4K footage.
I could burn the MP4 as a data file to Blu-ray disk (saving time with not having to use DVD Architect) and hopefully my Blu-ray player will just play the MP4 data file straight of the BD disc
Amazon firestick can play the archived Voukoder MP4 file (whether its HD or 4K) straight of an SMB share on the network drive

The main draw back that I can see is I wont have chapter files anymore on the blu-ray since its just a data disc now. Not great if the footage is 3 hours long. However I noticed if I wanted to, DVD Architect will allow the drag and drop of Voukoder MP4's into its workspace thus I could in theory build a Blu-ray format disc from this MP4 and create the chapters in DA.

Can you see any major drawbacks or issues with my new approach which has been brought by storage space issues?

Do you know if regular Blu-ray players (connected to a TV...not the computer ones) will play Voukoder 4K MP4 data files? I've tested with regular HD files 1920x1080p 50i which played fine on two different LG BR players

What do you all do with archiving your personal footage? Does anyone have a best way?

I really appreciate any feedback, suggestions or advice and would absolutely love to hear how everyone else does this.

My regards

Jen.

Comments

JJKizak wrote on 4/19/2021, 6:36 PM

Not related to video but most data from local judicial proceedings (after 10 years) and local governments is being transferred to microfitch black and white film for long term storage and to save space. Tape is out of the question and DVD's don 't hold up. Not sure about thumb drives however.

JJK

JN- wrote on 4/19/2021, 7:09 PM

@jenman With respect to quality, there is a link in my signature to render quality comparisons.

Dexcon wrote on 4/19/2021, 7:47 PM

For years and years, I've kept copies of the project files on at least 2 external hard drives. By project files, I mean the master folder and all the sub-folders containing all the original camera footage, stills, audio, music, title saves, renders from Mercalli SAL, renders from SpectraLayers and RX, in fact absolutely everything that is used (and sometimes not used) on Vegas Pro's timeline for that project. This means that I can go back and re-edit if the need were to arise without having to rebuild the project anew. Also kept with the project files are the Vegas Pro video and audio final renders, DVDA menu elements, project file and renders such as the BD .iso file.

Large capacity desktop external HDDs are relatively inexpensive these days and can be stored away when full. Portable 2.5" external HDDs are also an option but tend to be more expensive per TB than the larger 3.5" external HDDs.

Another slightly less expensive option is to use large capacity internal 3.5" HDDs (I use 4TB WD Blue) but used as external HDDs for storage. All that is needed is an external HDD docking station such as https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1605534-REG/sabrent_ec_hd2b_usb_3_0_to_sata.html (example only - there are dozens like this on the market - and the ones with 2 drive bays can usually be used for cloning). The only thing with this approach is that one needs to be a little more careful about how to store internal HDDs as against the purpose built external HDDs.

Does anyone have a best way?

In the end, the best way is arrived at by working out from all the available options and approaches what is going to work best for you.

walter-i. wrote on 4/20/2021, 2:23 AM

For years and years, I've kept copies of the project files on at least 2 external hard drives. By project files, I mean the master folder and all the sub-folders containing all the original camera footage, stills, audio, music, title saves, renders from Mercalli SAL, renders from SpectraLayers and RX, in fact absolutely everything that is used (and sometimes not used) on Vegas Pro's timeline for that project. This means that I can go back and re-edit if the need were to arise without having to rebuild the project anew. Also kept with the project files are the Vegas Pro video and audio final renders, DVDA menu elements, project file and renders such as the BD .iso file.

exactly the same here

Another slightly less expensive option is to use large capacity internal 3.5" HDDs (I use 4TB WD Blue) but used as external HDDs for storage. All that is needed is an external HDD docking station such as https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1605534-REG/sabrent_ec_hd2b_usb_3_0_to_sata.html (example only - there are dozens like this on the market - and the ones with 2 drive bays can usually be used for cloning). The only thing with this approach is that one needs to be a little more careful about how to store internal HDDs as against the purpose built external HDDs.

nearly the same here - I use something like this:
https://www.amazon.de/Salcar-3-5-Wechselrahmen-Fesplattenrahmen-Laufwerksschacht/dp/B0188HXBKW/ref=sr_1_3?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=2EYYKJCHN917B&dchild=1&keywords=wechselrahmen+3%2C5&qid=1618902672&sprefix=Wechselrahmen+%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-3

From today's point of view, however, I would prefer the version from @Dexcon because with the two exchangeable frames I had to take a larger computer case. - With the other version you just have something standing around on the table - you have to decide for yourself what suits you better anyway.

In the end, the best way is arrived at by working out from all the available options and approaches what is going to work best for you.

Again, my opinion coincides with Dexcon - when it comes to data security, what was written in stone or papyrus is still unbeatable.

If you want to preserve something for the future, the question is whether the hardware and software still exist to play it back - think of the floppy disks for example.

Musicvid wrote on 4/20/2021, 5:33 AM

If you will be burning BluRays from your archives, AVCHD is indeed the best format. It is also not very efficient for saving space. I don't recommend encoding to x264 and then encoding them back again if you want to make a BluRay. Yuck!

So the unanswered questions are:

1. What is your source footage that you originally brought into Vegas?

2. What are your intended future uses for your archives?

jenman wrote on 4/20/2021, 8:49 AM

If you will be burning BluRays from your archives, AVCHD is indeed the best format. It is also not very efficient for saving space. I don't recommend encoding to x264 and then encoding them back again if you want to make a BluRay. Yuck!

So the unanswered questions are:

1. What is your source footage that you originally brought into Vegas?

2. What are your intended future uses for your archives?

Your responses are much appreciated. MusicVid, in response to your questions:

1. The source footage is MTS files from Camcorders (filmed in 1080i). Looking to include 4K in the future which will be MP4. Not tried editing those in Vegas.

2. The archives are just to keep as master copies. I did a test and burnt some rendered MP4 (Voukoder) HD files onto Blu-ray discs (as data files) along with the original MTS files and rendered M2T files. The LG Blu-ray player understood the disc and played the all files with no issues (I could not tell the difference between the MP4 and the M2T file...however the TV is only 1080p and not 4K so that might be the reason).

The biggest problem I had was that one of the MP4 files is 1.5 hours long...theres no way on the Blu-ray player to quickly advance half way into the file. This is where the chapters would have been great on a Blu-ray formatted disc.

Appreciate all your inputs