My vague understanding is that DVD's will hold about 8GB. Does anyone here use DVD's for data storage, and if so, are they reliable?
Normal DVD is about 4GB net storage, double layer will get you 8+ GB.
Like others said, external hard drives are so cheap now that in most cases they are a better solution (just buy two if you want redundancy). If there are particular reasons to archive on discs (edit: like, if you don't have and are unable to add USB2.0, firewire or eSATA connections) , DVD-RAM is preferred over other types of DVD (you'll have to watch out if your DVD writer has the option to write that format, though). I don't have much personal experience, but most thorough tests of DVD burning quality point out that the reliability and durability depends on the *combination* of the DVD writer and the make of the DVD. That is, the manufacturers put a lot of optimization information in the firmware of the drive, and the quality depends on what makes of DVD they used to test etc. Basically the only way to know is to rely on extensive tests of combinations of drives and DVD makes by computer magazines.
Depending on your needs, you might also consider (additionally?) free online storage services like those of Microsoft, Google (coming soon?) and many others who's names I don't remember but will pop up in a google search or Wikipedia article.
Edited by Annafan, : No reason given.
Edited by Annafan, : added some stuff
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