>On Mon, 09 Dec 2002 21:01:02 GMT, d_ruether@hotmail.com (Neuman - Ruether)
>wrote:
>>On Sun, 8 Dec 2002 14:40:18 -0800 (PST),
>>bigrocketman3@webtv.net (Steve McDonald) wrote:
>>
>>> The durability of the metal-coated tapes of these two formats is
>>>much better than those that use oxide tapes and analog recording. I
>>>have analog-recorded Hi-8 and BetaCam SP metal tapes that still play
>>>back fine after almost 14 years, so I'm hoping that these
>>>digital-recorded tapes will last even longer. Of course, it all depends
>>>on how often you play or re-record on them, how gentle your equipment is
>>>in running them and how well they are stored.
>>>They need to be kept at an even, moderate temperature and away from
>>>moisture, sunlight and magnetic devices, such as large batteries, motors
>>>and other electric equipment.
>>>Steve McDonald

>>Batteries, being DC devices, will have no
>>associated magnetic fields. Even with the others
>>(including magnets), the tapes would likely need
>>to be in close contact for an extended period for
>>damage to occur... Also, it is wise to store the
>>tapes rewound, and upright, in a dust-free,
>>low-humidity, moderate-temperature environment...
>> David Ruether

On Tue, 10 Dec 2002 14:23:46 GMT, Jim wrote:
>
>You are right about tapes not being susceptible to most magnetic
>fields. I have a commercial audio tape eraser, designed for wiping
>reels of audio tape. I put a VHS tape on there for same amount of
>time that would completely wipe a large reel of audio tape, and then
>looked at the tape, and there was hardly any effect on the tape at
>all. SO, went back, turned tape over, did all the things you do with
>audio tapes, and the VHS tape was still pretty good, some dropouts,
>but the picture was definitely there. No matter how long and what I
>tried, could not wipe the tape. My conclusion was that to erase a VHS
>tape takes one strong magnetic field in contact with the tape,
>and probably a high frequency field, as the 60 hz field on the audio
>tape eraser had almost no effect.
>
>I am guessing that print-through and the physical construction of the
>tape itself (binding magnetic particles to the backing film) is going
>to be the limiting factor. I have a large amount of VHS tapes now 25
>years old, and they still look as good as new, but intend to try
>archiving them to some other medium as soon as I can decide which way
>to go. What's the consesus on best archiving method, DVD?
>Jim

Since VHS tapes appear to show no print-through effects with
time (surprising, but I have some old tapes, too), and since
DV tapes have a simple digital signal, I suspect they are
even more resistant to print-through, leaving physical
deterioration as the likely limiter of storage life. I
suspect that DV tapes, if properly stored, may out-survive
writable DVDs - and the tapes can store copies of the
original material in the original format, without further
compression...