Preserving Home Videos: Which DVD Format is Best?

I wrote this article a few months ago, after my dad retired and declared that his first post-retirement project would be re-recording and preserving our old VHS home videos…

Preserving Home Videos: Which DVD Format is Best?

The first thing my father wanted to do upon retirement was transfer our countless VHS home videos onto digital media–to better preserve the memories, clear up some shelf space, and maybe even reminisce a little. But he didn’t know which of the various DVD formats would be best suited to this task.

He knew he wanted a long-lasting, affordable format that offered high compatibility with standalone DVD players. Conversely, he knew he didn’t want a format with complex rewriting or editing functionality. With these priorities in mind, he narrowed down his options:

–DVD-ROM and its permutations he ruled out right away; they were read-only formats containing pre-recorded content like videos and games.

–DVD-RAM was a high-performance rewritable format used primarily for storing computer data. It could be used for video, but was not compatible with most DVD players–and was far too advanced for Dad’s purposes.

–DVD-RW and DVD+RW were also rewritable formats (similar to CD-RW) used for both data and audio/visual applications. They were closer to what Dad sought – they were more affordable, slightly more compatible, and had a 30-year storage life – but still incorporated technology he didn’t need.

–DVD-R and DVD+R were write-once recordable formats (similar to CD-R) onto which either computer data or audio/visual information could be permanently burned using a laser. Both were inexpensive, had broad compatibility, and had a 100-year storage life. One of these would be perfect for archiving our home videos – but which?

DVD-R, introduced in 1997, had a slightly higher compatibility with standalone DVD players than DVD+R, which wasn’t introduced until 2001. Because DVD+R was newer, it had some added versatility–but it was also a bit more expensive than DVD-R (though the price would probably come down as more discs were produced).

The most important difference between DVD-R and DVD+R was that manufacturing companies tended to adhere to either one standard or the other: DVD-R was supported by a “Forum” that included Panasonic, Pioneer, Toshiba, and Apple Computer; DVD+R was supported by an “Alliance” that included Philips, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and Thomson Multimedia (RCA).

Realizing that the DVD format he’d ultimately need would depend upon the brand of hardware he used, Dad concentrated on shopping for a DVD recorder. Finally, he purchased one made by Broksonic–one which required DVD-Rs.

Since beginning the Great Home Video Conversion, Dad has been pleased both with the DVD recorder and with the DVD-R format. He’s been working very diligently; as of right now, he’s nearly done with the first shelf of videos. (Just seven more shelves to go…)