Cheapest massive archive storage solution?

[Alexander Grigoriev]

ULTRIUM tapes? media cost 1$/GB native.
DVD RW? Cost may be lower, but requires some autochanger.

 

[Jeff]

You have instant access to any frame at any time without rewinding. Plus,
clarity is much better than what is currently offered on extended record
24-hour VCRs. Easier to access, edit, print, etc.. with digital. No more
changing tapes. You can set the default to "eat it's tail" so you won't
lose current data when you run out of storage space. I can go on, but
nothing beats digital, especially when it's a SCSI array. You know I had to
throw in the SCSI bit for my long time friendly trolls.

Thanks for explaining it on my behalf. Additionally, I will be capturing the
closed captioning text to a searchable database so that you can retrieve a
perticular video clip from many years ago simply by doing a text search of
the actual dialog.

-Jeff

 

[Jeff]

ULTRIUM tapes? media cost 1$/GB native.
DVD RW? Cost may be lower, but requires some autochanger.

Thanks. I'll have to check the Ultrium format out. I had never really
noticed it before.

What is going through my mind however is the price point of a plain old
CD-R. I can pick up 50 packs retail for $10 bucks. That figures out to about
$0.29 cents per gigabyte. I imagine if I bought CD-R discs in very large
bulk quantities it would be even cheaper. On the other hand, I would hate to
find myself trying to store and keep 100,000 CD-R discs organized.

Is there any massive storage solution that would have a cost point similar
to or cheaper than a CD-R?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Alexander Grigoriev]

Ultrium tapes have 100 GB/cartridge native, and AFAIK it will be 200 GB some
time soon. Data rate 16 MB/s (1GB/min).