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What are the Different Types of Digital Media Storage?

Contel Bradford
Contel Bradford

Digital media storage is used to retain various types of digital media. This may consist of images, audio, video, or even text files. Storage may be required to help an organization facilitate disaster recovery, or to simply allow an individual to save family photos. There are many different types of digital media storage, with memory cards, hard drives, and CD/DVD media being among the most common.

Memory cards are typically used for digital media storage in modern digital cameras. These cards are available in many varieties, including memory sticks, flash cards, and PC cards. Due to their small size and shape, memory cards are often difficult to label and organize for storage purposes. Therefore, they may not be the best digital storage for long-term needs. Some users work their way around this by installing their digital files onto a computer hard drive, and then transferring them to another storage facility at a later time.

A USB drive.
A USB drive.

Hard drives are a form of digital storage media found in personal computers and servers. While they vary in terms of capacity, they are usually cheaper per megabyte than memory cards. A hard drive is capable of storing large amounts of digital media, but is not recommended as an exclusive storage solution. This is because computers are vulnerable to data loss that originates from malware infection, file corruption, and accidental deletion. If the hard drive fails for any reason, it would be very difficult to retrieve the data it contained.

A CD containing digital media.
A CD containing digital media.

CD and DVD represent one of the most widely used forms of digital media storage. Both are typically used to store files that have been copied from a computer hard drive. The key difference is that DVD media has a larger capacity. For example, the average DVD is capable of storing 4.7 gigabytes worth of data, while most CDs only hold 700 megabytes. These types of digital media storage offer convenience, but are often viewed as temporary solutions. The slightest damage to a CD or DVD could make the information on the disc inaccessible.

Memory cards are used for digital media storage in digital cameras.
Memory cards are used for digital media storage in digital cameras.

Users who require a more reliable form of digital media storage may prefer third-party offsite solutions. These services are often sought after by individuals and organizations that cannot afford to suffer a catastrophic loss of data. By storing data in a secure, remote location, these digital assets are less susceptible to theft, flood, fire, and other unforeseen disasters that could occur at the home location.

Discussion Comments

caddy

We recently recorded some videos using our camera. there were five videos which we tried to upload to a desktop drive through the laptop but it would only take three of the videos. These three videos were less than 1GB, the other 2 are possibly more than 1GB.

It said the problem with the other two videos was that there wasn't enough space but there is about 800GB in the desktop hard drive. and when we downloaded the videos to a desktop computer, they downloaded no problem. I would be grateful if you could give some advice

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    • A USB drive.
      By: zayedbaloch
      A USB drive.
    • A CD containing digital media.
      By: kredo
      A CD containing digital media.
    • Memory cards are used for digital media storage in digital cameras.
      By: xiaosan
      Memory cards are used for digital media storage in digital cameras.
    • Floppy disks can store digital files, but have generally become obsolete due to their small storage capacities.
      By: Konstantin Emelyanov
      Floppy disks can store digital files, but have generally become obsolete due to their small storage capacities.
    • Hard drives, CD and DVD media are among the most common forms of digital media storage.
      By: imagedb.com
      Hard drives, CD and DVD media are among the most common forms of digital media storage.