The "M Disk" - Permanent Backup Storage by any DVD Burner?

This was cut from  Millenniata.com's blog about the "M- Disk" - a solution to the decades old quest for backup storage that 1. holds a lot of stuff, 2. Is durable enough to toss around and be okay, not damaged, and 3. Inexpensive.  Here's what THEY have one of THEIR clients' saying about their product.  I find it quite interesting.  I'm currently trying to contact them for more information regarding storage capacity, formats, required software, etc.  As the 2014 deadline approaches for doctors to have an efile of all of their paper files, one question keeps rearing its head- so do we also want to go ahead and make a backup of our own stuff, while we're scanning all of this media to be available online?

What will doctors put patient records on / in?  The 'cloud'?  I doubt a lot of doctors are going to let patient data float around with everyone else's in the 'cloud.'  In my experience, doctors, lawyers and CPA's trust ONE place for keeping backups- within an arm's reach.

Servers are great, ephemeral- especially the drives, and especially at this time in history as I'm seeing the crappiest hard drives coming out of Taiwan and China that I've ever seen...And no, I'm not surprised- just wishing they would start making drives in the Motor City of Detroit, or something- somewhere they can be built Ford Tough or Heavy Chevy.  I personally won't use hard drives solely for backing up important files, such as videos of my daughter's birth and birthdays.  I use the arm's reach, a couple of clouds, a locked FTP directory and also, a PAIR of duplicated (RAID) hard drives (Good old, and slower, IDE 40 Pin Barracuda drives 180GB at 7200RPM's -Well Western Digital is all I could find there with IDE interface- $80 for 160GB and $80 for 260GB, Which do you buy?  The smaller one if it's going to be your operating system disk, and the larger for storage only. Those two should ALWAYS be separate... Heavy as a brick, each one- and will click for a year before going out finally, so you know when it's time to change them.  Sata drives- don't get me started- technology- just bring on the Solid State, made in the United States preferably. )

So the "M- Disk"  See we all loved the 100 megabyte zip disk for its rigid strength 15 years ago- and then 250 megs!  Whew!   It would only take, aahuuummm about 7 zeros (2,500,000,000) / 250= 1 hundred thousand of those things to back up most good libraries and data servers today...  And 3 or 4 boxes of Sharpies to make sure they stay in order......And yes, 3 or 4 months to do the process.

Ultimatum- This "M Disk" needs to hold around 20GB at least to be as awesome as it's touted, because putting DVD after DVD into a drive as you back up a computer gets rather annoying.  Considering the typical 320GB - 2 TB we're doing these days, that's 16- about 16x6 (a hundred?? Not a math person) disks... Hopefully, on second thought their compression ratio and design has them holding 100GB per disk- that's only 10 per Terabyte... I can go with that for arm's reach sake.....  (Keep in mind a fire proof safe is not only crucial, but will only hold so many disks.....)

Millenniata:

We recently received an email from a small business owner who wanted to share his review and recount the story that lead him to using the M-DISC as his method for backup. With his permission we’ve posted his review below. If you’ve also started using the M-DISC and would like to share your review, please email us at contact@homePCmedia.com . We value the comments and feedback of our customers and community members.

I wanted to take a moment and give you guys some feedback on your m-discs and the BP40NS20 LG drive I bought for my small business. First, I decided to give your discs a try because at the end of last year the unthinkable happened and my external hard drive quit working. I was worried about this same scenario happening because the drive was getting a bit old (if you can call 3 years old!!) and so I had backed up the most important files on a jump drive. I still lost some photos and files that I really wanted to save, but as sad as it is to say I’m glad I didn’t lose everything on that drive.
Needless to say, I was feeling a bit vulnerable after this because I have documents and files for my business that I absolutely cannot lose. So, I did extensive research on the subject of backing up data and eventually made the decision to use m-discs. To be honest I was a bit skeptical when I first read your site, but after watching the video where you guys dip a disc into liquid nitrogen I was sold. I emailed your customer support with a few questions about which drive I could use on my mac and they did a great job helping me pick out the right one—kudos to them!
I’ll admit, I couldn’t help but do some of my own stress tests after watching your videos when my drive and discs arrived. It’s really quite amazing how much abuse the disc can take and still be readable. Anyways, I had thoroughly convinced myself that the m-disc would suit my needs and so I started backing up all my business files and docs. 37 discs later, I’m incredibly happy with my decision. I’ve saved absolutely everything I want to keep to my discs and continue to burn them as I inevitably acquire more files. I store the discs in a good location in my office and I feel confident that I will always have them when I need them. So thank you for the peace of mind!
Brig T.

 http://millenniata.com/2012/04/13/an--disc-review-from-a-small-business-owner/
 

                                                                               

Like Home PC Media on Facebook for our Recycling efforts to help low income families have equal access to technology.

Receive Home Server 2011 for less than $60 through this link!

 

Opinions and suggestions added by Mark Vanderbloemen- CEO Vanderbloemen Communications, Inc. (dba locally in Hickory, NC as Home PC Media or visit our recycling initiative on Facebook- Hickory Computer Recycling



Some HD Cable or Satellite opperates at higher frequency signal.
Cable Boxes like the SA HDTV DVR's and DirectTV H21.
Simply replace original receiver which cames with the IR system to the Dual Frequency IR Receiver.
The standard cable from the IR eye to the repeater box is 10' long; If you need more cable length, please add our Extension Cables

 CMPLE 1178-N Dual Frequency IR Receiver SA HDTV DVR and DirectTV H21

Get this or any device cheap through that link at the Techno Outlet

VLC Media Player - Apple and Microsoft meet halfway.

(In response to a question- a guy hooking up a new media server, looking for Microsoft to play an ALAC file (Apple Lossless).... That was a loosing quest, until VLC- the FREE, open source bridge...)


We live in this Microsoft Universe, where if we have something we want to do and Microsoft's products and solutions aren't doing it- we're basically screwed, right?  No, I'm finding out - there is a very bright light at the end of this very long tunnel, a buena Vista after all.  It's all about open source.  I don't care how smart the guys are at Microsoft, or Apple for that matter (a company which gives annually what percentage of their income to charity, by the way...??    any guesses???   Apple... under Jobs........0% .. That's right...zilch.
If I've heard one product in the last 6 months more than any other- no wait, lemme say this correctly.  I hear VLC everywhere I go... Oh just get VLC, VLC'll do it....
You know what, all of these codecs the other guy was good at explaining  (the recieving end neeeds as a translator of whatever language was spoken by the speaker (the player, the camera, the tape, .) however the media was modulated to the stream (as was the case with radio communication and still is..AM- Amplitude Modulation , FM frequency modulation....  You need an AM radio to listen to AM what____________? Radio stations / waves / transmissions, etc.....                         An "AM" codec for your radio......
But the difference with OPEN SOURCE stuff- I'll leave this readable- is the WHOLE THINKING... the WHOLE MINDSET that we're going to make things WORK for people, where they haven't , and we're going to build bridges where corporations have built motes (moats?)
Itunes doesn't WANT to play your WAV media files.  But they will work a deal with you- you can download their iTunes program and convert......the word "convert" just doesn't sit well with me....... But they want you to basically convert to applism.  iAM .  iLove you... iHonor Thou.   Oh great i, iArt the one and only...
Okay, but Mark my words, not only because that's my name, but because I've been playing with this stuff since 1983 when I was 5 years old.    My uncle was a salesperson for IBM and that PCjr he gave us shaped my life.  Believe me, it's taken all but a 12 step program to convert from Billism to Unaffiliated or Agnostic.  I think even Socrates said that the more he learned, the more he realized how much he didn't know- that's why he was the "Wisest man in the world."
Companies like Mozilla, Google (as it pertains to their organic search engines, and increasingly not much else..)  and ones making VLC type stuff.  Hey, In my store I have two identical computers setup.  One runs 7 Ultimate and one runs Ubuntu x64 12.4  (the latest and it's free, of course).  When older folks or people who don't know anything about computers come in, I'll ask them to try each and tell me which one they like more?  Which one do you think is a Microsoft based computer, and which is a Linux based OS?   (The winner gets a free copy of the latest Ubuntu by the way.... :-)
The #1 answer, of course, is I have no idea.  Which one do they prefer?  Neither- they do the same thing.  They're both beautiful, seem fast, do 2,000 times more than they expected a computer would EVER do... So what's the difference?  , well, about $350.    
My daughter is 2.5 and has an iPad.. I can't even use it and refuse to try.  Why can she use it- she had no preconcieved notions or biases which prohibit her from learning how to get her games to pull up.  (I do have it set up where she has to do a math problem or it won't unlock..)
My answer to you is that I am quite sure VLC plays ALAC files, because I used to tape phish shows and I know that format well.  I think I remember seeing it on the list..
_________________________________________________________________________________
 Ok brother:
Audio formats
MPEG, MP3, AAC, Vorbis, AC3 - A/52 (Dolby Digital), E-AC-3 (Dolby Digital Plus) 3, MLP / TrueHD, DTS, WMA, FLAC, ALAC, Speex, Musepack / MPC, ATRAC 3, Wavpack, Mod (.s3m, .it, .mod), TrueAudio (TTA), APE (Monkey Audio), Real Audio, Alaw/µlaw, AMR (3GPP), LPCM, ADPCM, QCELP, DV Audio, QDM2/QDMC (QuickTime), MACE
How's that for playing some dang music!?  And Video?

Video formats:
FLV (Flash), MPEG 1/2/4, DivX 1/2/3/4/5/6, AVI, XviD, WMV (Windows Media Video), Sorenson 1/3 (Quicktime), Real Video 1/2/3/4, 3ivX D4, H.261/.263/.263i/.264, Cinepak, Theora, Dirac / VC-2, MJPEG (A/B), VC-1, DV (Digital Video), On2 VP3/VP5/VP6, Indeo Video v3/4/5
(The biggest thing you'll notice here is the Apple / MS bridge- it plays WMV, Quicktime AND Real Video Files....)
_________________________________________________________________________________
Hardware Compatability List for VLC's Media Player:
(check it out- way too many to list here)

Now here's what really gets me.. Everyone has an old tuner card- the change to all digital signals was a pain for everyone, including software companies, but name another media player supporting this list:  VLC's HCL
___________________________
Anyways, good luck with your attempt to do what Century 21 will quickly allow- for software to replace hardware, for simplicity to replace cabling.  And for free, open creative advancement to carry our nation and this world together into the next century facing god only knows what challenges....
All I can say is that we're now headed for the clouds, where 40 gig hard drives will be large and unnecessry - where access to your media will be like finding the box of Cheerios in the morning, as opposed to something like what you pose as a ligitimate and challenging question due to a complete breakdown and lack of corporations to work together.... How long did every phone have a different charger before they all went to USB?
By that time I think every computer I sell will come with a version of Linux or other open sourced OS on it.   I just had a client walk int 20 minutes ago asking if I could come over and install XP back on his system... "I just don't like this 7 stuff, he said..."  And if 8's great I'll dance naked in Times Square.....
Please show your support for Recycling and responsible waste management for the sake of children in Bangladesh and countries like it.....


If you are going to get Microsoft for your PC, as 95% of computers do, get a version with Media Center embedded or Home Server 2011 for under $60 at the Techno Outlet:
        


Cheers,

Mark Vanderbloemen, ceo
Vanderbloemen Communications, Inc  (which finds itself sitting on a free Microsoft trial for the 365...360, whatever it is- a Sharepoint site....)
Home PC Media of Hickory
1245 2nd St NE,Ste. B
Hickory, NC  28601

828-MIX-PLUS

Home Theater becomes a working man's set top box- his amped up PC gone Windows Media Server...

 It used to be gadgets that got people out to the Best Buys and Circuit City stores.  Who knows if it was the Chicken or the Egg, but Best Buy turned out to never be so good of a buy, and gadgets have this terrible phenomenon known as obsolescence.  What Microsoft has been doing with Software lately- now lets keep in mind that Microsoft has no choice; -software is all they do.Over the last few years, the Rokus and "Extender" set tops have become the liazon between connectivity and everyone's' gorgeous, 52" TV.

Very lately I've noticed some of the freeware companies- such as the open source makers of VLC and VLCM (Server).  These programs, at no cost will play files that should only play on a Mac, on an Android device, or perhaps only on Microsoft's Media player.  This ability to play even Adobe's Flash files, makes it truly unique and refreshing at cost.  Knowing the inevitable, Microsoft has had to counter, as counter moves they do very well, and begin designing their own soft- hard wares.   So as time goes on, forget about that #1 selling product on the web (Roku)!  Soon you'll be able to pull back out your old VCR, not to play the tapes, but just for the simple interface between sound card and monitor.   And of course, add in a wifi router and you get the invisible for the sake of brilliant, 3D and deeply colored animation.  You have things working that you've always wanted to work in such a way, but you never had the time or know how to ask someone, "Hey, can I....."

And this might be the final breath for wired cable. If I were attached to any kind of wire right now, I'd be very concerned about the near future and my imminent demise....

 

Flat Screen TV's, Walls, Floors and the Sky's the Limit!
Installed with over 15 years experience in Home Theater, Media Servers,
CCTV Security cameras.  Call Home PC Media of Hickory across from
Checker's in Viewmont. 828-212-4817  (mobile: 358-6118)

 
There has been a lot of discussion  in the Windows Media Center community about the product's death. The theory is that Microsoft is throwing in the towel, focusing on the Xbox 360 and intends to let the best DVR software available become stale -- or worse, eliminate it from future versions of Windows altogether. After watching the Ballmer keynote at CES last week, it was hard not to get on this train as we all watched the 360, Windows Phone 7, and Windows highlighted on stage. But then something happened when the show floor opened: Windows embedded products were highlighted in private meetings and elsewhere. There was a buzz around Media Center embedded and even a price and ship date; meanwhile, home theater PCs got no love. So after years of trying, it appears that all hopes that HTPCs will ever emerge from their niche status are gone, but the same can not be said for Windows Media Center.

The demise of HTPCs is not for a lack of effort

We've had a fascination with home theater PCs since the first time we saw video running on a PC -- remember Intel MMX? There's something empowering about seeing video run on a PC, and there's been a PC connected to our TV ever since. In fact, we use an HTPC now and have enjoyed its benefits for what feels like forever. But all that being said, we wouldn't offer to set one up for a friend, and we wouldn't give our mother one, ever. The problem is that while a computer geek can make an HTPC do just about anything, a typical user has a hard enough time using a PC to surf the web. There are just too many things that can go wrong, and with the exception of some very high-end models, commercial HTPCs are non-existent. HP stopped making 'em four years ago. Dell never even bothered. Nope, no matter how hard PC manufactures and Microsoft try, HTPCs simply will never go mainstream.

Microsoft has tried as hard as anyone to make this geek dream come true, with multiple versions of Media Center and money dumped into R&D trying to entice programming providers in the US and the rest of the world to bring their programming to Windows. We'd bet that if stock holders had any idea how much money was spent compared to the return, someone would surely get fired. Right about now, there are some people screaming at their computer, complaining that Microsoft never marketed Media Center. Seriously? A company as successful as Microsoft knows a thing or two more than most about marking a product. No, the problem is there's no mainstream market for an HTPC, so realistically-speaking, another few billion dumped into marketing wouldn't have changed a thing (c.f. Kin). Consumer electronics have to be like an appliance, they just need to work. Even some top brass at Microsoft use a TiVo as a DVR instead of a HTPC because they just work. This all makes it easy to understand why Microsoft has re-purposed its software and lined up new partners for an embedded version of Windows 7 Media Center.

Home PC Media can make a media server for $200 or for $20,000 or more.  Software is beginning to replace hardware in our computers everywhere, because it's increasingly capable of telling more things to do , to less - physical devices.

Why an embedded Media Center just makes sense?

The one thing that every single mainstream DVR and smartphone have in common is that they are all embedded. It's a match between hardware and software that is designed to do a few specific things and do them very well. Microsoft has been making embedded software for a long time, and odds are you've used it at an ATM or stood right in front of someone who used a Windows embedded machine to ring you up at a department store. What's new is that Microsoft ported its Media Center software to the latest embedded version of Windows and is giving hardware partners the chance to build a DVR without spending all the big bucks on developing software. This means that some entrepreneurial electronics manufacturer can grab off the shelf parts, add in a little of Redmond's software and deliver a dependable DVR to mainstream America -- in theory. And a number of companies have already stepped forward with plans. We've been seeing demos at trade shows, and at CES one company even announced it'd ship a product in the 1st quarter for $499. Still a little steep for the mainstream, but far less than the thousands that off the shelf HTPCs cost today. And besides, the first products to market typical cost more.

The bad news is that embedded also means restrictions, and while some are sure to hack their way to more functionality, it won't be as easy. For those not willing to meddle and risk their investment, they'll likely be sacrifices that will have to be accepted. But once people have their hands on the software, anything becomes possible.  You can only solder and cross so many wires.  Commercial free television on Media Center?

You know the greatest thing about Media center, and its plan to be a program laid into another devices, is that one can install a tuner card and watch 20-50 channels in HD, crystal clear and digital, but they aren't recorded.  Digital antenna sales have gone up 650% since 2008.  Many, many people just don't want to see that 189$ cable bill what seems like every week.  And most of these people concerned about these bills are also lacking the see of something else- their TV's.  With mothers working and fathers always gone, there's not a lot of time for TV.  You could record what played that day- but that's what Media Center does... It's a DVR.  But and 5, 5:30, 6 and 7, you've got your local news, baby!  Clear as Aero transparent!


There is some more good news though. Embedded devices make more than just mainstream consumers happy, they also appeal to content owners. Netflix, VUDU, Blockbuster, cable video-on-demand have all been available to embedded devices for some time. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Verzion and DirecTV weren't showing their programming on a HTPC at CES this year, but they were showing 'em on a variety of other embedded devices. Of course, the PC is completely capable of delivering all this content and more, but media giants aren't going to spend their time and money developing software for a niche whose only measurable result would be to open up a new attack vector to circumvent DRM. So embedded doesn't just mean stability and affordability, it can also mean content.

Extenders vs set-top-boxes

Now, this is where things get interesting. Microsoft tried a few times to proxy the PC into the living room via Extenders and suffice to say the attempts all failed pretty miserably -- same goes for embedded devices, by the way. Maybe the hardware wasn't ready, who knows, but what we do know is that two Media Center PCs don't play well together with DRM'd content and if more than one Media Center in the house has a tuner, things can messy real quick. There have been a few recent changes in the content world that could really impact success here though. The first is the recent change to the CableCARD specification that allows a tuner to be shared over a network. Basically, this means that you can install six CableCARD tuners into a Media Center in the house and watch live TV on any other Media Center (set-top box or PC) in the house that's connected to the same network. That opens up some options, but there are still the DRM problem. Currently, shows recorded from cable marked as Copy Once by the provider are locked to the device they're recorded on, which frankly sucks. But connecting a few dots paints a rosier future.

InfiniTV 6 Cabletuner

What does Microsoft, Comcast, Timer Warner Cable, Cable Labs, and just about every major movie studio have in common? They are all a member of the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem and have vowed their support to UltraViolet. We know that joining a group and actually participating are two different things, but it isn't out of the question that Ultra Violet's new DRM could be added to the Cable-labs spec. This would mean that "each household will be able to create an account for up to six members who can access the household's Ultra Violet Movies, TV... Consumers will also be able to register up to 12 devices." This new tech won't be ready until later this year, but it does offer hope that DRM might not always be this bad, some day.  I'm going to takemore than Reycom, Acer / Gateway, and Haier to make this thing take off, but it isn't hard to let your imagination wonder on where this all could go. It would also be hard to argue that this isn't Microsoft's strongest position in the DVR market yet, and while anything could happen, we say long live Media Center with confidence. Who knows, if things go well, all the other previous promising developments for Media Center that never were, might find their way to market too. Then again, we've been wrong before.

"Turn out and Plug in"

Rewritten by Mark Vanderbloemen.

Vanderbloemen Communications, Hickory NC


Home PC Media and Computer Recycling - "Come dump your last home Theater and let us build you one 10 times as capable for 1/10th the cost of your original."