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The Library of Congress is wrecking CDs to learn how to save them
Like it or not, CDs rot over time -- your well-worn copy of Soundgarden's Superunknown might not play anymore. Just how they rot is frequently a mystery, though, which is why the Library of Congress is currently destroying CDs (including those you donate) in hopes of improving its archival techniques. Researchers are using a combination of artificial aging tests and simple observations to see what factors trigger decay, sometimes with surprising results. As the Library tells The Atlantic, data loss varies widely between manufacturing processes, the lasers in CD players and even individual discs; experimenters can subject two identical copies of an album to extreme heat and lose only one of them.
Fujifilm sees which way wind is blowing, ends production of cinema film
Since your average talkie is now recorded onto SD card and SSDs, companies that produce old-timey film are feeling the squeeze. As such, and despite its own efforts, Fujifilm is shuttering a large part of its cinema business by March 2013. While it'll continue to produce stills film (for the time being, at least) and archival material similar to Kodak's Asset Protection film, moves are under way to redirect its focus toward digital tools that won't be left behind as people start to make movies on their smartphones.
Kodak announces 'asset protection' cinema film, thumbs nose at your digital movie collection
Kodak may not be beloved by digital filmmakers, but it's not fallen out of love with the talkies. It's new "asset protection" cinema film is designed to save motion pictures from being lost if your digital-storage-medium-of-choice is rendered obsolete. It's designed for long-term archive storage, with your Hollywood blockbuster stored in a "human-readable" format that'll remain usable "well into the future." As such, the reels are loaded with dyes that will reportedly remain stable for "decades," but the company thinks will remain viable for over a century -- in stark contrast with the short life of your average hard-drive. It'll add a monochrome offering to the range later in the year, but if you want the color version now, your people will have to talk to Kodak's people, Mr. Producer.
Panasonic's Blu-ray burning FreeSat+ DVRs due in June
Blu-ray archiving DVRs have been a staple in Japan since the format was still in protective cartridges, and now we have more details on the new Panasonic HD Everything lineup launching in the UK. All three boxes can convert recorded programs into h.264 to save disc space, and beyond their FreeSat+ twin tuner DVR capability, support Panasonic's VIERA Cast internet hookups to pull in video and pictures from YouTube and Picasa. The DMR-BS850 and DMR-BS750 support BD-Live enabled Blu-ray playback and recording in HD, while the DMR-XS350 serves as an HD DVR on its hard drive, but falls back to SD for disc archiving on old school DVDs. No word on a price, but while the British ponder Panasonic vs. Humax we're already willing to trade in proposed tru2way boxes to have a shot at these.[Via TechDigest.tv]Update: TrustedReviews came through with some better pics, specs, and most importantly, prices for these joints - The DMR-BS850 has a 500GB HDD for £999, the DMR-BS750 has a 250GB HDD for £899 and the DMR-XS350 clocks in with a 200GB HDD for £699.
The Photo Archival Company offers Blu-ray archival solution for camcorder footage
For camcorder owners with mind enough to know what Blu-ray is (and own at least a Blu-ray player), yet not enough time / knowledge to bother archiving your footage onto the format, The Photo Archival Company is ready and willing to take your dough. The archiving outfit has formally introduced a solution that involves placing old (albeit valued) content on USB hard drives, camcorder tapes, etc. onto Blu-ray Discs for safe keeping, though there's no mention of just how costly this convenience will end up being. But no, it won't be cheap.[Thanks, Anthony]
Got any tips for archiving / streaming DVDs?
If you've stumbled upon the perfect solution for archiving your DVD collection and streaming it via a DLNA server (you know, like the PlayStation 3), this week's Ask Engadget question is just begging for your input. Head on over and give those two pennies a toss!
Ask Engadget: What's the optimal DVD archival solution?
This week's Ask Engadget question is a bit on the specific side, but it's one we've heard asked time and time again. Thus, we figured it was time to finally get it out in the open for you readers to debate."I have an extensive DVD library that I would like to archive on a network drive and be able to access via my PS3, menus and all. I am currently using TVersity to stream videos from my PC to the console. I've seen walk-throughs for archiving DVDs, but I haven't seen anything that will present these via a DLNA server (to my PS3) with their original menus intact so that you can access special features such as commentary tracks and featurettes. I am not even sure that it is possible to navigate the menus via the PS3 remote. Any recommended solutions out there?"Can't you just hear the hopelessness in poor Ron's voice? Throw the guy a bone, will ya? And while you're at it, throw our highly sophisticated email sorter a question of your own at ask at engadget dawt com.
Delkin's 25GB Archival Gold BD-Rs will be around longer than you
Archive master Delkin has stepped up to the plate once more, this time aiming to please those with way more horror films than a typical CD-R can hold. The Archival Gold Blu-ray recordable media is the first of its kind "guaranteed to preserve data safely for over 200 years." The 4x discs feature the outfit's proprietary ScratchArmor technology, which is designed to fend off the terrifying effects of UV light, heat, humidity and careless fingernails. The units are available now in 1/5/10/25 packs for an undisclosed price.
Nokia sits us down and tells us where Beta Labs apps go when they die
Now that Nokia's Beta Labs has had some time to stew and develop, the fruits of its labor have started to ripen -- and, in some cases, over-ripen. So what exactly happens when the beta process is complete? The best-case scenario is "graduation," meaning that an app has gone through a full beta phase -- possibly comprised of multiple update and feedback cycles -- and go on to become production offerings. Otherwise, they're "archived," in which case they'll either be embalmed and offered as-is for posterity's sake or disappear quietly into the ether, never to be heard from again. Nokia says that it usually won't be able to disclose exactly why certain projects get archived, other than that they've served their official purpose to the company -- but for what it's worth, Beta Labs chief Tommi Vilkamo figures that roughly half of the Labs' apps will graduate and half will head to archival purgatory. Here's hoping Maps 2.0 doesn't head toward the latter category, eh?
SanDisk secretly concocting read-only memory for archival use?
Getting wind of a flash memory successor is far from new, but a major player in the flash game now seems to have something a bit counterintuitive going on behind the scenes. After slashing jobs and prices in an attempt to "keep up with competitors," SanDisk is now reportedly delving into the "read-only memory" realm, as it seeks to create a product that acts as a "cheap archival device." Although the company is remaining tight lipped about the details, this self-proclaimed "3D memory" is said to last "up to 100 years" and become the "new digital film," but we're not exactly sure the digital disposable market is apt to boom anytime soon. Moreover, SanDisk seems to hope that this new creation will "remove the PC from the equation," allowing users to relive to excruciating annoyance that is developing film in-store while removing the ability to delete photos or overwrite bad snapshots once taken. Nevertheless, the memory is purportedly being tested in a retail pilot program, and Greg Rhine (head of SanDisk's consumer business) noted that Walgreens and Wal-Mart both raved over the invention, as it would theoretically force more customers to revert to ages ago when OTC development was an unfortunate mainstay.
