I honestly can't say the last time I used optical media for storing porn.

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It has only happened three times in 15+ years of using external drives, but they can fail, which leads me to this:

This is a larger capacity WD drive. The current ones that are cost effective are now 8TB. They are cheaper per TB of storage than the smaller ones but the require a USB cable for data and an AC cord for power. I have 15 of these (some are only 4TB) with my entire collection backed up. If your files aren't backed up, they don't exist.

I had no idea that Blu Rays came in those sizes. I have to say that I'd be more worried about an optical disk failing than one of my drives dying.

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Thanks AngryPirate and rearadmiral. (Sounds like the whole fleet is coming!)

For rearadmiral: Blank Blu-Rays come as 25 GB, 50 GB, 100 GB, and the rare 128 GB.

Guys, I think I have a psychological block with an HDD because I cannot actually see the disk itself!
It is too mysterious, and I figure if it does fail, I can't clean it off or polish it and hope for restoration.

Given a choice, I think fast transfer to HDD over slow transfer to Blu-Ray would be preferred by most.

Another downside to Blu-Ray is that you need not only the disks, but also a separate Blu-Ray Writer.
Obviously a hard disk usually already comes inside the hard disk drive.

But here is one unmentioned idea that made me go with Blu-Rays over HDDs:

Once the archivable files are on the Blu-Ray disk, one does not later have to worry that malware, etc., might get into the Blu-Ray file directory when a computer accesses the archived files. The security of the files is important to me because some of them are older ones and are no longer available at the original paysites, or the paysites themselves are gone and their scenes with them. This is something like preserving History.

I was not confident that one could fully rely on the integrity or availability of the files on a HDD, once re-connected to a computer. But if I were simply collecting great scenes in general, rather than all known scenes of a particular model, with some no longer available, I might have gone with the HDD option.

Edited by - kronas77 on 2/16/2021 10:48:46 PM

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"This is a larger capacity WD drive. The current ones that are cost effective are now 8TB"

What did you pay for this?

Further question: to reduce the storage space requirements I am considering to cut some of the scenes that I downloaded. Some scenes are way to long without anything exciting to happen. Anyone who can recommend a software, that it is easy to handle, for this?

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I have been using Avidemux for several years. I use it on Win7 (32-bit) and on Win10 (64-bit).
It is free software. You want to save vast amounts of time by copying and not re-encoding.

Here are some more details that I have learned that will help streamline the process.

Done correctly, the actual creation of the new video commonly takes less than 1 minute, even a few sec.

You might want to copy and paste this next section somewhere.

HOW TO CUT AND COPY USING AVIDEMUX - The 4 Rules

Rule 1 - Make sure that the first frame in your new cut version of the scene is an I-Frame.

Avidemux has the type of frame displayed near the bottom.

Rule 2 - Use Copy for both the Video Output and the Audio Output. Do not re-encode.

Rule 3 - For the Format Output, I usually use .mkv or .avi. But sometimes you will get a message saying things are not meant to work that way for a particular video. In that case I try another format.

Rule 4 - Run a segment of the newly made video. The chief surprise, and it is only occasional, is that the audio is a bit off compared to the video. The cool thing is that there is a shift audio option in the main window.

Now let us do a sample run, presuming you have loaded a video into the program.

AN EXAMPLE USING AVIDEMUX

Click anywhere along the timeline near the bottom to pull your video close to where you want it to start.
Use the double-arrow buttons to go from I-Frame to I-Frame.
When you have the I-Frame that is closest to just before where you want to start, click the A button.
Make sure the click worked by looking at the far right little window showing the A button timestamp.
Click along the timeline again until you find the frame that completes your version of the desired scene.
It does not have to be an I-Frame this time.
When you have found the frame that is satisfactory, click the B button.
Again verify that the click worked correctly by checking the window showing the B button timestamp.

I like putting the ending several frames beyond the real ending just in case the ending feels a bit too abrupt.

If you are making a 15 min video, the difference between the two timestamps should be about 15 min.

You are now ready to copy. Choose Save, and rename your new file if you like.

Make sure you note where you are putting your new video.
In my experience, the copying of the video is usually anywhere from a few seconds to maybe 1 min.
This of course depends on the starting file size.

This should help set you free!

Let me know how it goes if you like.

Edited by - kronas77 on 3/27/2021 12:27:25 AM

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A couple of shortcuts I've learned along the way:
1. Pressing the "Time:" button in the lower-left, or clicking ctrl-T, will cause a pop-up box to appear. This lets you enter a time. Clicking "OK" will cause Avidemux to jump to that time.
2. Pressing the "[" and "]" buttons is the equivalent of pressing the "A:" and "B:" buttons.

Both of these work only when the video is paused.

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^Thanx for confirming and adding some helpful extra features.

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Some interesting discussions here, but as the original poster for this topic, I think we should now go back to the topic of preferred storage media. It is OK to post a bit more about Avidemux and Handbrake, etc., if it relates to saving space, which in turn then relates to where you store the new videos you make. I am only trying to steer things back because this is sort of expected here at ADT. All the replies have been informative. And I was the guy who went a bit off topic in the first place! But I am glad it helps some of you guys out a bit.

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I have just placed an order for 25 Blu-Ray 25 GB M-Discs at Amazon.

Edited by - kronas77 on 3/27/2021 12:25:47 AM

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I myself am ordering some Blu-Ray M-DIscs that are resistant to just about everything.
The poster LetTheWookieWin1981 says that M-Discs are basically made of rock.
For storage, I look for something that is durable.

As mentioned before, with regard to HDDs as backup, yes, they are fast and portable, but I worry that the files on the discs may not retain their integrity if later attached to a computer with malware that rewrites things.
With Blu-Ray M-Discs, everything is literally written in stone.

Edited by - kronas77 on 3/5/2021 4:51:54 PM

Edited by - kronas77 on 3/27/2021 12:24:54 AM

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However for the self-produced "porn", I'm considering switching to a NAS RAID array. Just less maintenance in term not worrying about backups.

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To do this, open the first clip you created, presuming it is the earliest in the scene.
Then use the Append option to add subsequent clips, one at a time.
You can also add a given clip more than once.
Then save the new video using the Copy option in Video Output and Audio Output.

Remember that for everything to work right, each clip needs to begin with an I-Frame.
And all the other parameters should be the same: resolution, audio, frame rate, etc.
After creating your new video, check for audio-video alignment, especially at the middle and end, to make sure things stayed true to form.

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Edited by - kronas77 on 3/27/2021 12:24:08 AM

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One thing about Blu-Rays is that if you attach a Blu-Ray drive to a computer, you don't have to worry that malware could attack the Blu-Ray disc files. Also, you don't have to worry that you yourself don't accidentally delete something from the archives. I know it is possible to enable a Read-Only function, but you need to remember to do that. So I like how Blu-Rays are invulnerable to electronic attack. Always need to make at least two copies of course.

HDDs are great, too, and way faster, but for those important, irreplaceable files, I think Blu-Ray M-Discs offer the best solution these days, even if expensive. HDDs can fail for no obvious reason, and I would rather accidentally drop a Blu-Ray disc than a portable Hard Drive!

Edited by - kronas77 on 3/27/2021 12:23:19 AM

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From Wiki (related),

The media were stress tested according to a procedure designed by Millenniata at a facility of the United States Department of Defense. The testing found that M-Disc DVDs are more durable than conventional DVDs. "The discs were subject to the following test conditions in the environmental chamber: 85°C, 85% relative humidity (conditions specified in ECMA-379) and full spectrum light". However according to the French National Laboratory of Metrology and Testing at 90°C and 85% humidity the DVD+R with inorganic recording layer such as M-DISC show no longer lifetimes than conventional DVD±R.

My own concern is not so much whether the M-Disc lasts 1000 years or a mere 100 years. lol

It is more about how damage-resistant the BR M-Disc might be compared to a regular BR, using the longevity comparison as a possible indicator. This resistance to damage in general is what I am hoping for, to make it a preferred storage medium. In other words, if I drop an M-Disc BR, is it less likely to be damaged than a regular BR? Also, a number of users are reporting that their regular BR's, when stored in sleeves, temporarily lose their function, as the sleeves make a reversible impression on the contacting underlayer.

I finally found an article by somebody who conducted a hands-on test comparing the two.

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artsep16/mol-mdisc-review.html

A Review of M Disc Archival Capability. With long term testing results.

His story:
"Testing the claims"

"I wanted to test the claims and decided to copy my latest feature film 'The Lorelei' onto an ordinary Bluray and an M-Disc Bluray, then subject them both to an all weather external environment. I put both discs outside in Feb. 2016 (this year) and brought them back in today Sep. 2016. They have seen temperatures below freezing, above 80 degrees F, and have been subjected to hail stones, plant scratches, being partially buried in soil, and all types of disturbances without any protection at all . . ."

"This is only one of the positions I placed them in and I alternated their faces so sometimes the data side was facing out sunwards and sometimes not. I half buried them for 2 months in soil as well for good measure. Here's how they looked today when I retrieved them. The one on the left is the ordinary Bluray. It is completely destroyed. The sunlight has generated temperatures greater than the silver data layer to withstand, causing it to crack, expand and break off the substrate. The one on the right is the M-Disc. Apart from a soiled surface, it otherwise looks intact."

He cleaned up the M-Disc and it played perfectly.

"I am pleased to report the disc played perfectly!"

"Verdict: The M-Disc withstood the most extremes of outside weather without any data corruption.
It was unaffected with being half buried in ground soil.
It was unaffected by below freezing and above 80 degrees F. weather.
It was unaffected by hailstones, torrential rain, high winds, days of constant sunlight."

"I don't know about 1000 years but I can verify this is a great medium for storing your
images and data on for archival purposes."

So you are right about the lack of differences in apparent lifetimes, but it looks like an M-Disc offers some heavy-duty resistance, and that it might even be kept in sleeves.

Thanks again.

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Thank you for the clarification.

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Plex also allows me to watch porn together with a friend over the internet, sort of streaming in sync at the original quality.
And also with the lifetime subscription it's easy to download a video from the server to a mobile device. Literally one tap and it downloads a copy for offline use.

Edited by - Alizee on 1/5/2022 7:26:13 AM

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Of course, with that, the concern is privacy, and reliability as well as accessibility, but I had long term concerns with hard drives and didn't want to lose anything. Having a big home RAID setup was also not ideal because I'm often on the move and don't have a primary home.

I settled on mega.io first to experiment and slowly backup up everything. I liked the zero knowledge end to end encryption and RAID standard setup.
After 3 years of use, I can report that I have had no issues with it other than the very occasional slow download or upload speed, which has been mostly ironed out by now.

It's native software works great on both Windows and Mac and I have heard on Linux as well.
The folder syncing is great for background syncing and manipulating folders in real time. It handles pauses and signal disruptions really well, usually picking up where it left off.
And once synced, I just unsync the folder to retain the uploads, and free up space on my machine to start again. Even works on smartphones.

Whenever i want to pull something, It's easy to use the application to browse the library and download it. Downloads are pretty fast - usually 25-35MB/s.

They just recently increased their pro plan from 16 to 20 TB, which will run out for me shortly here. They have flex options for beyond that, but it does get expensive per month fast beyond 20TB.
Maybe i will open a second account with another email starting with 4TB and working up from there.

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There is still the risk that the business has issues or goes under, etc, but there doesnt seem to be any indication of that happening.

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Edited by - Lexifan99 on 3/27/2026 5:58:36 PM

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