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CD vs. DVD for High Resolution Digital Image Storage

Our scanning and archiving services provide you with high resolution digital photos made from your old photos, slides, negatives, or advantix film. We have two options for storing your new digital photos: CD-Rom; and Data DVD. We'll discuss these two formats in more detail below.

Additional Service Add On's:
Along with your high resolution files we can also provide you with a number of other output options that make having a digital photo collection fun and easy to use. Our other output options include: 1 - DVD Videos of your photos: 2 - Uploading of your photos to leading "Photo Sharing" and "online backup and cloud storage" web sites where you can backup all your digital photos and access them anywhere that has Internet access or from your iPhone or iPador as well as share pictures with family and friends via email or on social networking sites like Facebook: 3 - Contact Sheets to easily locate the photo you're looking for.

CD vs. Data DVD for storage of your High Resolution Scans:
After scanning, your new digital photos need to be saved to some type of digital media for storage and transport purposes. We offer two options for storage of your new digital images: CD and Data DVD. Most of us know what a CD-Rom is but the term Data DVD may be new to you.

What is a Data DVD? A Data DVD is not a DVD Video; it will not play in a set top DVD player. Data DVDs work just like a CD-Rom. They are a storage medium for storing files just like a CD. The only difference is they hold more information than a CD would. Data DVDs work with computers like CD-Roms do. However your computer needs to have a DVD-Rom disk drive to read our Data DVDs.

Ok, so which is right for me?
The charts below compare the pro's and con's of each format. We use Mitsui MAM-A Gold Archival quality CD-Rs and Taiyo Yuden DVD-R media for our Data DVDs. Both of these are high quality storage mediums that far exceed the quality of media you might find at your local Walmart. Please review the charts below for a review of each format or click the link below to learn more about Archival Quality CD-R by visiting MAM-A's web site at www.mam-a.com

Estimated lifespan of 300 Years, much longer than DVD-R's expected lifespan.
Estimated lifespan of 100 years. DVD's are not expected to last as long as Archival Quality CD-R media.
CD-R's only hold 650 MB of data. Much less than DVD-R media.
DVD-R's hold 4,700 MB of data, a little more than 7 times that of CD-R's.
Higher Order Cost: CD-R's hold fewer photos than DVD-R's. More disks will be needed if your placing a large order.
Lower Order Cost: Because DVD-R's hold more photos you will need fewer disks when placing a large scanning order.
CD's work with just about any computer and don't require a DVD-Rom to be installed on your system.
To use a DVD with your computer you must have a DVD-Rom installed in your system.
Less Organized: Less photos per disk means you may have to find the right disk to get the photo you want.
More Organized: It's easier to find the photo you're looking for because you'll have fewer disks.

 

 
< 75 Years
300 Years
100 Years
650 Megabytes
650 Megabytes
4,700 Megabytes
* Media Lifespans are based on manufacturer's estimates. Digital Memories makes no guarantees or warranties concerning media lifespan or longevity.

 

As you can see from the charts each format has some benefits. If you want media that will last as long as possible then Mitsui CD-R is the way to go. If you want to be organized while keeping the cost of your order down then Data DVD is the option for you. Please remember that you will need a computer with a DVD-Rom to use our Data DVDs.

How many photos will fit on one disk?
This depends on the type of photo or film that is scanned, the resolution the photo was scanned at, and the file format the photo was saved to. We offer two file formats, TIFF and JPEG. Click here to learn more about TIFF & JPEG formats. The charts below list the number of photos that may be stored on one CD or Data DVD. The first chart is for 35mm slides or negatives. The second chart is based on print scans of either 300dpi or 600dpi organized by the size of the print scanned.

Film Scanning: number of files that may be saved to one disk.
45
185
330
1,340
20
95
145
690
11
68
82
495

 

Print Scanning: number of files that may be saved to one disk.
166
787
1,200
5,600
41
216
297
1,565
103
464
746
3,350
25
135
185
975
70
325
510
2,350
17
100
127
725
30
162
221
1,175
7
59
55
425

 

     
 

Scanning Services: Slide & negative scans come in three varieties; Silver scanning, Gold scanning, and Pro scanning. Print and photo scans come in two flavors; Silver photo scanning, and Gold scanning. Click a link to learn more about our scanning services.
Slide & Negative Scan Comparison | Photo Scan Comparison

Digital Image Benefits: This article outlines the many benefits of digital photography.

An Introduction to Digital Photography: This article explains digital images, Resolution, and Megapixels. It provides a brief technical background to digital imaging.

Scan Resolution Help: This article explains scan resolution. It looks at scanning resolution from three perspectives and makes recommendations accordingly.

Photo Scans vs. Slide & Negative Scanning: This article compares photo scans with slide & negative scans. It also outlines the limitations of photo scanning.

JPEG vs. TIFF File Format:
This article briefly discusses these two unique file formats.

CD vs. DVD:
Wondering what a Data DVD is? This page explains Data DVDs and compares them with CD-Rom for storage and backup of digital photos.

Disk Organization:
This page explains how your disks will be organized after scanning.

You may also find our order planning guide helpful.

   
 
Got Questions? Contact Us 1-800-383-2903