Videos to DVD

[Joseph]

Well, it's moving time...

I recently have transferred pretty much all of my ballet videos to DVD format, for a multitude of reasons. But one is SPACE! The videos were creating so much clutter. Now the question is, can I just get rid of the videos or donate them somewhere - or does everyone think I should keep them for possible future archiving purposes.

I hope everyone says I can get rid of them - they are taking up so much space and are a moving hassle!

I was just about to get rid of them when I carried the two boxes back upstairs and said "Wait, BalletAlert will know if this is the right decision!"

[Mrs. Stahlbaum]

How about donating them to a ballet school? I'm sure that either the school itself could use them, or they would find good homes with the students.

[Giannina]

I hate to admit I kept mine. I asked myself, "What would I do if something happened to my DVDs?" Well, by saving the videos I could always transfer them again. And so they stay in the garage, awaiting possible future service.

My movies I tossed. Enough is enough already.

Giannina

[Paul Parish]

Joseph, I'd keep the videos....

Just in case....

One thing about cds and dvds that's gotten little attention is that they can FAIL -- a scratch or a warp, or some accident, and ALL the information on the disk disappears, and it's irretrievable. it doesn't happen often, but it CAN happen.

I'd box the videos, sstore htem in the basement -- of your mother's house if you have to. And if I remember right, store them vertically, not flat.

[richard53dog]

Just in case....

One thing about cds and dvds that's gotten little attention is that they can FAIL -- a scratch or a warp, or some accident, and ALL the information on the disk disappears, and it's irretrievable. it doesn't happen often, but it CAN happen.

I'd box the videos, store htem in the basement . And if I remember right, store them vertically, not flat.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Paul

Yeah it's always good to hedge your bets. But you never know what the weak point will be. Last Fall I went through a big box of VHS tapes. They were stored upright as you suggest. Many were unwatchable, but to be fair they were in the box many years.

With CDs, I have had a lot of luck with damaged CDs by copying them. I'll use something like Realplayer. More seriously damaged CDs can be salvaged by

Exact Audio Copy. I have been able to fix almost all my discs that have gone bad.

I've had tons of problems with CDRs with fancy skins, they seem to cause a lot of problems.

Also some DVDs can be fixed by different programs. Last Sunday I tried to play a DVDR. My player balked. I copied the DVDR and the player was happy to play that one. Crazy

I am no lawyer, but I've had it explained to me that you can make a copy of a commercial disc as long as it's just a backup for yourself. If you trade it or sell it,

then you are violating copyright. But I can't swear that this is so, not being a lawyer.

Realplayer, Exact Audio Copy, and DVD Shrink are all freeware.

So all this makes it more complicated the question of what to keep

And be aware of copyright laws.

Richard

[Paul Parish]

Hey Richard, thanks for that -- there's some good news there.

What I've found with old tapes is that the new machines track SO differently that old tapes are often unreadable. I'm kind of in despair about this, but I've kept the old machines even after I've had to stop using them (eating tapes, etc) hoping against hope that if necessary I'll be able to find someone to make that old motorola work again....

[dirac]

The old machines are often better made, too. I took my old Sharp in to be fixed and the repairman commented on what a good machine it was.

Depending on your space needs, I'd hang on to any tapes that are potentially hard to find and replace if you need to.

[mohnurka]

I think it's up to you to decide what to do, but I definitely wouldn't throw them out. After all, perhaps there is someone out there just dying to see that performance... Who knows... You could donate them to a local library or a ballet school. That way, you would get rid of the videos, but could still access them if you needed to.

[richard53dog]

Who knows... You could donate them to a local library or a ballet school. That way, you would get rid of the videos, but could still access them if you needed to.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mohnurka may have a good point, but I think it's more likely a school would take them.

Municipal libraries are phasing out VHS at, least in my area. My partner is director of one here in NJ. They will still take donations but they have to be in tip top shape, patrons complain about the condition of things they get to use for free (go figure)

Anyway in this particular library they are only accepting limited number's of VHS until their processing supplies run out. They will gradually get rid of all of them

Schools and universities are the best bet.

This comes up a lot on the opera boards, people want to do something more useful with their LPs than just throw them out. But it's hard to find a home for them other than a dealer that will buy the whole lot at like $.05 a disc. Schools just seem to not want LPs, maybe tapes are more appealing to them given that most people still have a VHS machine but how many have a turntable?

Richard

[dirac]

It's off topic, but I'm hanging on to most of my opera LPs, even if I rarely play them. Those wonderful books that were included in the old sets, with great notes and photographs! (And I still like the sound.)

[Treefrog]

When my husband has a spare item that might be of interest to his virtual running community, he "VBay"s it -- that is, he offers it up to whomever expresses an interest, and picks a random name from those who respond. No money exchanges hands.

I don't know if this would be in keeping with Board rules, but you might "Bbay" the tapes on BT4D, if you want to educate a young dancer, or here if you don't care what age balletomane receives them. If you have many, though, shipping could get costly.

[richard53dog]

It's off topic, but I'm hanging on to most of my opera LPs, even if I rarely play them.  Those wonderful books that were included in the old sets, with great notes and photographs!  (And I still like the sound.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

dirac, the sound of the LPs IS warmer. CDs are harsh in comparison. But LPs are SO fragile. I had tons and tons, which I threw out. I just kept 100-200 that I may transfer to CD.

And to anyone who hasn't seen the difference in the notes and other printed material that was included with LPs and not with CDs, well let's just say it would be surprising.

Richard

[opvidfan]

(opvidfan, I erased your post as it consisted entirely of a quote. If you want to post a reply, try clicking the "Add Reply" button at the bottom or top of the thread.)

Edited July 27, 2005 by Treefrog