-
Back-up options?
-
My current P2 backup option is only good for P2, and ironically it involves tape. On set we’ll use two sets of hard drives, then once the footage is back in the studio, I import all the footage into Final Cut Pro. I line up the P2 clips in order of timecode in a sequence that has the same starting timecode as the first clip, and record all the clips to a DVCPro tape (or tapes) on the AJ-1400 VTR. Equivalent of up to 60 gigabytes of storage on a $20 tape. If you’re careful to make sure each clip starts at its original timecode, you can recapture a project from tape at a future date.
I know it doesn’t make sense for everyone who shoots P2 to own a DVCProHD deck, but it makes a really great backup option, even if you have to pay someone who has the deck to lay your footage off to tape. And that’s the irony of the wonderful tapeless format, that tape is still the most reliable backup format.
As for other projects, we use Media Manager to consolidate the project and then backup to DVDs.
Joe Murray
-
You got it exactly right. double double is the best right now. Think about spending 5-500k/day… you lose that shoot???? yikes.
Jerry
Apple Certified Trainer
Author: “Jerry Hofmann on Final Cut Pro 4” Click here
Dual 2 gig G5, AJA Kona SD, AJA Kona 2, Huge Systems Array UL3D
-
Wait, you say “DVCPRO” tape for only $20. That’s not DVCPRO-HD tape, which runs $40 per 30 minutes, and a DVCPRO-HD deck that is double digit thousands, right? You’re just using regular DVCPRO tape and deck, down sampling HD to SD, right?
-
>>>You’re just using regular DVCPRO tape and deck, down sampling HD to SD, right?
No, I’m outputting to DVCProHD in whatever format was shot to P2 originally. You don’t actually have to use the expensive DVCProHD tapes, you can use the AJ-P126L tapes and record DVCProHD with no problems, only you get 63 minutes instead of 126. The AJ-P126Ls are just over $20.
And yes the deck is that expensive, but when you think about how much time you can spend burning DVDs, DLT tape or whatever, at a certain point it might start making sense to do a layback/archive session at a studio that owns the deck, if it doesn’t fit into your business plan to own one.
Joe Murray
-
The “two drives” that are out are made by Quantum. One is a SDLT drive and it has been out for a while and the other is an LTO-3 drive and it’s supposed to ship next month. I saw a demo of the SDLT drive a couple of months ago and it is a very interesting solution. You can plug the drive directly into a network, via Gigabit Ethernet, and it can be seen and accessed by any PC or Mac on the network. Transfer rates are much faster then traditional DLT drives. The SDLT version has speeds up to 288 Mb/sec. and the LTO-3 version up to 544 Mb/sec. It is also MXF aware, so if you are working with MXF media, it is possible to grab only part of a file by timecode, instead of having to take an entire clip. We were going to get the SDLT version, but are now probably going to hold out for the LTO-3 version. Here are two links on each one respectively.
https://www.quantum.com/Products/TapeDrives/DLT/SDLT600A/Index.aspx
https://www.quantum.com/AboutUs/PressReleases/index.aspx?FullStory=3best regards,
jeremy
P.S. – I do not work for Quantum or one of their resellers, I’ve just been doing a lot of research for the last six months into viable long term archiving solutions for pro video.
-
The application, routine and media you adopt are secondary to determining what your exposure is; what are you protecting yourself againt? You can research best practices and various options for backing up easily on the Net, It’s something the IT industry has bene doing for decades. You pick your methodology based on what you need to accomplish in a worst case scenario.
Backups are worthless if they’re stored in the same physical location as your work computer.
Anything that can take out your computer (fire, tornado, theft, flood) will take out your backups, too. Thieves know all about peripherals these days; they will take your stacks of drives so your attached RAID is not a viable backup location.
bogiesan
This is my standard sigfile so do not take it personally: “For crying out loud, read the freakin’ manual.”
-
Does anyone know anything about software that can automatically back up large amounts of data to a bunch of DVD-Rs? Like by using a replicator or the Sony Media Changer?
-
thanks for all the replies.
I can see i have a lot more thinking to do. Its one thing to backup, but a whole other area deciding what to back up, how often and what method!
In an ideal world, i’d back up my entire raid in 5mins, onto a single little hard disc/tape/whatever, and pop it in my bag before leaving for the night. Hey, we can all dream!
Editor/Mixer
Character Options Ltd
Oldham, UK
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up