[BC] Archiving materials on old media

[Alan Kline <akline@netins.net>]

------ At 04:45 PM 11/19/2005 -0600, The Most 
Honourable SHAFFER, RANDY L wrote: -------
 >
 >I have been thinking about doing this too, but 
can't imagine starting it considering the
 >number of cassettes, carts and R-R I own. I 
thought it might be something I do in retirement
 >20 years from now. But, will my machines still operate then.

I've gradually started dubbing some of my VHS 
tapes to DVD on a Toshiba set-top I bought
not long ago.  Mostly, I'm dubbing material that 
couldn't be replaced in any other way--
tapes I've saved through the years from work, 
off-air recordings, and my collection of
railroad VHS tapes that were issued as limited 
runs, and could never be replaced.  I
don't do dubs of Hollywood-type material.  Too 
much of a PITA, the copyright issues, and
most are available as commercial DVD's.  I've 
made the DVD copies for routine watching,
to avoid any possibility of a VCR eating the originals.

 >One question is, do you retain your transferred 
originals? I started this with videotape
 >some years ago, transferring 3/4" to SVHS, but 
retaining the 3/4", now I'm looking at
 >transferring to DVD. My wife thinks I'm nuts 
because we aren't gaining any space if I retain
 >the original. My thought is that the original 
is the better copy and my DVD or CD is the backup.
 >At which point we seem to get into an even 
bigger discussion as to why I keep this stuff at all.
 >So, I'm wondering what other people do with 
their transferred media? Or, do you keep your cars
 >in the driveway too?

I've been keeping the originals of the 
transferred material.  Like I said, most of what I've
been dubbing is irreplacable, one-of-a-kind or 
limited-run stuff, so I don't feel bad at all
about keeping it.   In most cases where I've 
bought DVD's of movies I already owned on VHS,
I've disposed of the tapes.  Disney's "Fantasia" 
is one exception--I discovered that the
"restored" DVD version is missing some material, 
and the narration is not the original Deems
Taylor track.

 >My dream had been to convince Susquehanna to 
convert the old AM studio location into a Central
 >PA media historical site and company museum. 
Now with Cumulus and Comcast picking up what
 >is left of the company, I don't think my retirement plan will work.

My wife is pretty much reconciled to the fact 
(her view) that what I really want in our
family room is the East Des Moines branch of the 
Museum of Radio and Television... ;-)

ak


Alan Kline, CBT, KN?H
akline at netins.net or kn?h at arrl.net (home)