> I will consider using higher capacity CF cards and record my source
> files as WAV.
Where can you get Terabyte CF cards? :-)
I'm sticking to 320Kbs MP3 which will last much longer than I will,
and I bet nobody will tell the difference in quality from WAV. MP3 is
so ubiquitous that it is probably the best bet for long term storage
of compressed files.
The more pressing problem is longevity in the storage medium. Hard
drives are a no-no, flash memory is volatile over time and subject to
radioactive damage from cosmic rays. Expect several damaged bits per
year on "small" chips. They probably won't show up much on audio files
but on the directory they can mean life or death in the internal
addressing.
Archive quality optical is reckoned to be the best long term bet, such
as single layer DVD. As libraries use optical storage, it will
probably be readable for decades. For instance, the British Library
can still read the 12 inch optical discs (massive 300Kb capacity each
side) that the BBC produced for the Domesday Project in the 1980's.
Wiki it.
All compression formats increase the probability of corruption, but I
would have thought that MP3 will be around for a long time yet and
longer than magnetic storage. Programs for storing, reading or
decoding assumes that you have a very reliable long term storage
medium for the programs as well as the data, as single bit damage
garbages code. You will also have to preserve, in full running order,
computers and OS storage which will run the software to play your
archive. What if Microsoft or Apple goes belly up in the future? Now
Moore's Law is slowing down, we may soon be into organic computing.
:-)
Point to ponder for those good at maths: If a 33 1/3 vinyl record
plays a recording for exactly 20 minutes, how many grooves does it
have?
David
David Brinicombe
North Devon, UK
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - Ambrose Bierce
|