Introduction
As someone who has spent years accumulating a large DVD collection, I understand the desire to preserve these discs for the long term. However, as technology changes, it’s worth considering whether backing up DVDs is truly worth the time, money, and effort required. In this article, I’ll examine the pros and cons, Costs, and methods involved to help you decide if backing up your DVD collection is right for you.
Why Back Up DVDs?
There are a few key reasons why you may want to back up your DVD collection:
Preserve Your Investment
DVDs can degrade over time. Backing them up gives you a way to preserve your financial and emotional investment in collecting them.
Accessibility
Backed up DVDs can be easier to access and watch on multiple devices compared to physical discs.
Save Space
Backups let you store your DVD library digitally rather than on a shelf.
Convenience
No need to locate, handle, and switch out discs. Everything is available instantly.
Cons of Backing Up DVDs
However, there are also some downsides to consider:
Time Consuming
It takes time to manually back up each DVD, especially for large collections.
Storage Space
Video files take up a lot of digital storage space – terabytes for large collections.
Cost
You’ll likely need to buy external hard drives to store backups.
Quality Loss
Compression used in backing up can reduce video and audio quality.
Legality
Some argue ripping DVDs violates copyright law in certain countries.
Rewatch Value
If you won’t rewatch most of your DVDs, backing up may not be worth it.
Cost Considerations
Backing up your DVD collection has a number of costs:
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External hard drives – $100+ for multi-terabyte drives to store backups.
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Software – $50+ for DVD ripping and management software.
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Time – Hours required to manually back up each DVD. Paying someone substantially increases cost.
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Electricity – Keeping drives powered up to store backups does consume electricity.
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Maintenance – Stored backups will need occasional monitoring and maintenance.
For a large collection, these costs can easily total $500+ and 100+ hours of work.
Methods of Backing Up DVDs
If you decide to back up your DVDs, there are a few methods to consider:
Ripping
Using DVD ripping software to copy contents to a digital file (e.g. MKV, MP4). Provides maximum flexibility but quality loss can occur.
Cloning
Making direct disc-to-disc copies. Preserves original quality, but not very flexible and can be time consuming.
Re-encoding
Compressing backup files to save space. More loss of quality but smaller files.
Storing in the Cloud
Uploading backups to cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox. Convenient access but costs recurring fees.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Before backing up your DVDs, think about:
- How often do I rewatch these DVDs?
- Is it worth the time and money this will require?
- How much storage space do I need for backups?
- Will I watch the backups or still use the discs?
- Are there legal implications in my country?
- What are my options if backups are damaged or lost?
In Summary
Backing up your DVD collection requires a significant time, money, and storage commitment. While it does allow you to preserve your discs and make them more accessible, the costs may outweigh the benefits, especially if you do not rewatch most of the content. Think carefully about your specific situation and options to decide if backing up your DVD collection is truly worth the effort.
