I too remember paying big $$ for a <gasp> double-speed CD burner, but I didn't want to wait. Yes, prices will come down, but Willow's friend wants something now, and if he's going to spend the money anyhow...emuler wrote:The flip side of that remark is the fact that hardware prices tend to come down, especially in things like DVD Writers. I personally remember buying a CD Writer many years ago for TEN times the current price of a DVD writer. (If you factor in inflation, think 15 times at least). So, the chances that you'll get a BluRay burner for half the current price next year are rather good.If you're going to spend the money anyway, it makes sense to buy high-end so you don't buy twice.
If he can afford it, let him get a BluRay writer and use that for storing his videos in the format the camera puts out (he should of course make the appropriate settings in the camera to get the best quality output - largest file size). No harm done if his clips are not very large - he can put several clips on one BluRay disc just like you are currently doing with compressed movies on DVDs.
Word of caution: CDs, DVDs, BluRays etc. do go bad occasionally/ eventually. You put 500 movies on one disc and that disc goes bad... there's a big hole in your collection.
You're right again when you say discs go bad - they do deteriorate over time, especially if you let ANYONE borrow them. If you do, I guarantee you'll end up with missing, scratched or trashed discs - I saw how my kids treated their own discs. The few times I've had a file, or even an entire disc go bad, I've always been able to replace the files on it - ain't the web wonderful? - and the really rare stuff is backed up twice.