Best DVD medium for data archive

[bcslaam]

Gday
I searched the archive to no avail so...

What is the current cheaper solution for reliable archiving to dvd using Retrospect or similar?
And for an even cheaper duplicate working set, which dvd type is better?
Is there a particular brand of dvd-r that is more reliable (ie lasts longer, less errors)
Are DVD RW an alternative to "DATA grade" DVDs?
Thanks.

[braincell]

CD-RW are said to be not as reliable as CD-R.

[astroman]

for important stuff I'd do it twice and use different brands.
Looks like there are lots of faked 'quality' DVDs on the market recently - so beware of offers too good to be true.
The point is that they don't only fake the label, but also the information on the disk that drives the burner...

for the really, really important stuff I'd use (addionally) an external HD reserved for just that purpose.
I mean... what's a 100 bucks comparted to a recording that can never be brought back ?

cheers, Tom

[Zer]

Why not getting an external HD for backup proposals? They´re quite cheap at the moment.

[braincell]

I got an external DVD writer for $150. At first it didn't work but after turning off the wireless internet and using a thick USB cable it works fine. The media cost is cheap now (not for double sided yet). I started recording everything at 24 bit and it seems to sound much better.

[helldriver]

dvd ram is the best storage solution. safer than dvd r and dvd rw.

[astroman]

which brings us to the point...
the most reliable long term storage medium is.... still good old paper
remember those famous egypt scripts ?
sustained > 3k years
maybe we should return back to our roots and improve our scoring skills - ouch, I'd have to start from scratch on that one...

cheers, Tom