How do YOU backup your project files... I think SF capture could be modified to backup

tjburton wrote on 11/9/2002, 10:18 AM
How are you backing up your working files to later edit? DVD? or saving all the many dv tapes it might take for one of your projects?

Currently I am using WinRAR to put my files into the max size that will fit on a DVD-R. This is getting quite expensive, when you buy branded DVD media.

What do you think about this... Some added functionality to the SF Capture util. What if the capture util could backup project files to Digital8? Maybe just before each AVI file gets written, some data that contains the file name and length of that specific file is written to tape. If this is possible, it would be possible to backup finished files back to the media that many of the Vegas users already have.

Just an idea, what do you think?

Comments

BillyBoy wrote on 11/9/2002, 10:53 AM
You apparently don't understand how Vegas Video .veg files work. The actual project files (veg) are tiny and contain all the information you need to rebuild your project. For all practical purpose they are nothing but a detailed list of how you plan to alter your source files. Any other "backup" you're doing is not needed.
This assumes you keep your ORIGINAL source files and don't alter them.

Example:

Project 1 is made from source files A, B, C totaling 500MB.
Project 1 veg file is 120K.

You would keep A, B, C plus the project veg file, UNTIL you render in whatever format you wish your final video project to be.

IF you keep source files A,B,C in their unaltered and original state, then anytime in the future project 1 veg file will contain all the adjustments you've made to them and you can continue or change your editing from that point.

There is no need or purpose for any "working" files other than keeping the veg file along with your source files UNTIL you render your project.

Frenchy wrote on 11/9/2002, 3:18 PM
tjburton:

The technique/process BB dscribes works well (for me) on projects which are either A) All on DV, or B) All stills and/or music audio, (which for short projects, all media can be archived to CDR or DVDR, if you're hip [g]). So, if a project contains a combination of DV and offline audio and stills, then keeping the media together requires at least digitape AND one or more CDR/DVDR's. I'm going through this mental see-saw myself, these days.

"Keeping it all together" in a system queried about, becomes ideal, albeit more cumbersome. Since digital cameras only "do" video, and not data, an additional DV or D8 combination data/video deck would be required (not an inexpensive sounding proposal)

So, archiving/saving the final, rendered project "with" a combination of unaltered original media, is the $64,000 Question (which is not a lot of $, these days...), which has been discussed at length on this board as well as others.

My 0.02

BB:
great tutorials BTW - Thanks

frenchy

BillyBoy wrote on 11/9/2002, 5:10 PM
Maybe I'm missing something...

Do some of you keep project files AFTER you've rendered a project?

I'm at a loss trying to understand why. What purpose does it serve, I'm in the dark, and waiting to hear some reason because that little light bulb over my head right now isn't lighting up.
jetdv wrote on 11/9/2002, 5:21 PM
Because I don't have enough drive space to archive a couple of project, and because I *might* need to edit the project again (i.e. if I made an error), I keep the project (.veg) files. Then, If I need to re-edit, load the .veg file and have it automatically re-capture the needed footage. No Muss, No Fuss, No Re-editing from scratch.
tjburton wrote on 11/11/2002, 8:42 AM
Billyboy,
Yes I keep my files after rendering. I'm doing some projects for other people and not just myself. In a year or so, somebody might want an updated version - where I would want to be able to "Quickly" get the project back on my system. The size of raw media files I talking about is in the 15 - 30 Gigabyte range. These files are many time strung over 6 - 7 tapes. It would be a shame to have to babysit recapturing all of these clips when there are ways to backup and restore large volumes of data out there.

I was more curious how some of the power users out here are backing up. I am compressing and spanning with RAR and then writing to DVD... What I would like to see available is a robust tool that will write data to a Digital8 tape. Using Digital8 tapes for storage would be less than half the cost and more than twice as fast as using DVD. I've read Digital8 can hold 20G of data without error correction -a good error correction could decrease this to 10G (still twice the size of a DVD-R).

Here is a tool that I am playing with that is a rough start down that road.
http://www.dawnload.net/video_software/video_tools/dvspoof.cfm

Here is another for Linux
http://dvbackup.sourceforge.net/

I just think that it would be wise on SF's part to integrate a backup solution for video projects.

My $.02
Sr_C wrote on 11/11/2002, 10:25 AM
I have never utilized batch capture or clip logging before. But from what my limited understanding of it all is, couldn't this be utilized as a back up of sorts. When you originally capture all of your clips, can you not log each in and out in Vid Cap and save until you want to batch capture?

So, say you do this, then build your project and render. Then you delete all clips from your hard drive but save the Veg files, Vid Cap files and your original tape (raw footage). If, sometime later, you want to re-edit the project, couldn't you just put the original tape in your camera, load the Vid Cap file and batch capture again. Once all of your clips are on your HD again, you can load the Veg file and re-edit. Am I missing something?
tjburton wrote on 11/11/2002, 10:55 AM
You are correct, this is just how it works. I am interested in just backing up my files I used for the project - not keeping the 6 or 7 tapes that contain the original media.

Under the scenereo you described it is necessary to pre-record "black" to the complete tape before you use it to record your video. This is to keep the segment times from starting over - If you prerecord the tape times will not start over (confusing the capture utility).

I am just suggesting a simple way to backup only the necessary files for large projects.