Speaking of backup copies....

[Dave]

Someone mentioned in another thread they buy backup copies of movies they think will become rare or go OOP.

When DVD recorders become cheap, wouldn't it be easy to just make your own backup copies? Let me clarify for any studio's that may be reading this - WE'RE TALKING LEGAL BACKUP COPIES OF ORIGINALS HERE.

I mean, if you copy a music CD for backup purposes you have an identical replica of the original in terms of the content. It's digital after all, so no degradation occurs like what you'd see with a VHS backup. Won't the same thing be possible with DVD recorders?

Now I know DVD is a bit more complicated than CDs - multiple audio tracks, seamless branching, subtitles, multiple angles, etc. I haven't read much on DVD recorders but I somehow doubt they can replicate a DVD in its entirety, especially a DVD-9. Maybe I'm wrong...

Even so, if I could make backup copies with the image and a single audio track, I'd definitely do it. For a possibly rare movie that has a good commentary track I'd just make two backup copies.

Of course, this would only be feasible when DVD recorders become as cheap as CD recorders. For right now simply buying another copy of the DVD is the only way to go - both economically and technically. DVDs are cheap after all. Many of us used to buy laserdiscs for $50+ all the time. Buying 2 copies of a $20.00 DVD isn't so bad.



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David W. Anderson - dave@horrordvds.com
Webmaster - www.horrordvds.com (http://www.horrordvds.com)

[hojimoji]

In reality the problem with the DVD back-up problem isn't the recorder, it's the media. Blank DVD's are like 50$ a pop. That's why lots of people laugh at piracy over the 'net. If anyone is crazy enough to spend 6 hours downloading a crappier looking movie, and then is willing to pay 50$ to burn it to DVD, rather than paying a studio 20$, I say let them.

But to back up rare and out of print lasers and DVD's, 50$ becomes reasonable.


G.

[Dave]

Oh right...I can't believe I forgot to mention that. Making backup copies of laserdiscs - very important because these machines aren't going to last forever and Pioneer is only going to make replacement parts for so long. Some of mine are definitely worth $50 a pop.

I agree that $50 makes it unreasonable now, but someday they're going to be as cheap as CD-R's I bet.

As for macrovision, don't you think there will be a DVD-R recorder drive for your computer? If you can get it into a computer it's usually easy to defeat any sort of protection they have.

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David W. Anderson - dave@horrordvds.com
Webmaster - www.horrordvds.com (http://www.horrordvds.com)

[Jeremy]

I was reading an article in an audio/video magazine yesterday that reviewed some of the new recordable DVD players, and at this point a lot of the options available to the studios aren't available.

As far as backup goes, I'm thinking about getting a video capture card and a CD-RW, and making VCD backups of all my OOP VHS tapes, but I don't know if that's a practical plan or not.

[hojimoji]

Technologically, it's going to happen. There are no great hurdles standing between desktop DVD-R and the average consumer. Except, everybody's favorite, money.

But, what we have now is a once-bittnen, twice shy MPAA. Since the RIAA "supposedly" got burned by CD-R's (pun intended), the MPAA is going to jump at any chance to restrict consumer's access to digital recording equipment, DVD-R's included. Legislation has already been passed that requires all devices with digital-out to have copy-protection built into them.

And, when you take into account the restrictions put on consumer's by the DMCA, which basically throws out the fair-use doctrine, we have a situation where consumers are going to clamor for DVD-R's, and the MPAA, etc, are going to be leery of providing them.


G.

[Dave]

I've done my fair share of video capturing, but the card I have just isn't high end enough to do reasonable MPEG2 capturing.

I'd love to get a 100gb hard drive and backup some of my prized laserdiscs to MPEG2, then burn them to DVD-RAM or CD-R discs. The problem is I have to invest over $1,000 in a semi-professional capture card, which just isn't going to happen anytime soon.

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David W. Anderson - dave@horrordvds.com
Webmaster - www.horrordvds.com (http://www.horrordvds.com)

[Paff]

Here's a better possible use of DVD recorders: Backing up your old Laserdiscs.

Then you never have to worry about your LD player dying, or your discs developing rot, and best of all, no more side changes!

And will Macrovision prevent us from copying our own DVDs? I'd bet on it....