Old school paper v Digital comics

[Andrew_J]

More fundamentally we may the last generation to leave a physical record trace. Never mind my comic collection; I have boxes in the attic with old holiday photos, letters from ex-girlfriends, homemade zines, stupid handmade postcards from friends, old diaries I've kept for years, drawings, sketch books, letters and newspaper clippings from my dad.
What are the chances my kids will ever have a stash of memories like this? At least after I've been Sent to Resyk these file boxes will give them four hours of nostalgia about their old man before they throw them on a skip.

F#€k. This thread got morbid quickly.

[TordelBack]

I think you're missing the big picture there, 20th C boy.

Far from their memories of you only being tarnished by carting your old Mayfairs to the skip, your every online indiscretion, rant and imprecation will be theirs to cherish and access eternally.  Including this one. 

[Andrew_J]

I think you're missing the big picture there, 20th C boy.

Far from their memories of you only being tarnished by carting your old Mayfairs to the skip, your every online indiscretion, rant and imprecation will be theirs to cherish and access eternally.  Including this one.

Ha Ha!

Until the massive solar flare wipes every electronic device clean and we're living in After The Vengance.

[Recrewt]

It seems there are a few posts in this thread where people are combining the problems with formats and the problems with hardware.  JPGs are 'safe' because even if another format does evolve to replace them then you can always convert them.  I can't think of much that I have come across digitally that I can't convert - the only thing I can think off is something specific to a particular program that has disappeared.  JPGs are not specific to one application, so there is no problem there. 

The problem with hardware is the bigger issue.  I recently transferred some video tapes to my PC and out of copying the films, choosing the video format and quality, editing and distributing - which was the biggest challenge?  Getting the data from tape onto my PC - like many, I no longer have a VCR in the house.

[Banners]

JPEGs are lossy. You'll be wanting to use TIFF.

[IndigoPrime]

JPGs are not specific to one application, so there is no problem there.

But that assumes JPEG will be popular enough for that to still be the case in the future. I don't doubt that'll be so for five years. But what about 10 years? 20? 50?

The problem with hardware is the bigger issue.  I recently transferred some video tapes to my PC and out of copying the films, choosing the video format and quality, editing and distributing - which was the biggest challenge?  Getting the data from tape onto my PC - like many, I no longer have a VCR in the house.

And there are also format issues. I have all sorts of carts in the loft, and various types of video—VHS; BetaSP from my uni work; DAT; Hi-8. All that stuff's just going to be lost.

[Recrewt]

JPGs are not specific to one application, so there is no problem there.

But that assumes JPEG will be popular enough for that to still be the case in the future. I don't doubt that'll be so for five years. But what about 10 years? 20? 50?

The future does not really matter in that respect - JPEGs are popular enough now to ensure that if they ever are replaced then there will be the means to convert them as people will want to convert all the JPEGs they already have.

The problem with hardware is the bigger issue.  I recently transferred some video tapes to my PC and out of copying the films, choosing the video format and quality, editing and distributing - which was the biggest challenge?  Getting the data from tape onto my PC - like many, I no longer have a VCR in the house.

And there are also format issues. I have all sorts of carts in the loft, and various types of video—VHS; BetaSP from my uni work; DAT; Hi-8. All that stuff's just going to be lost.

You can easily find a USB adaptor that will read all of those formats and store them on your PC.  The real ticking time-bomb there is how long your betamax/vhs player will last.  Once that is broken then you have to start hunting round ebay for a replacement.

I can't really see how keeping some old stuff in the attic is better than converting it to digital where it can be distributed to various places and effectively last forever.  Ignoring that those carts will erode over time anyway, all it needs is a fire in your loft and then all is lost.   

[IndigoPrime]

Well, that's the problem, isn't it? I don't have a BetaSP player (that's the professional format, not the consumer one), and renting one is pricey. Multiply that out by all the other formats and take into account digitisation time and—feh. (I have been planning on converting this stuff for ages, but... well, time.)

[Recrewt]

Depending on how many tapes you have, there are some companies out there that will convert them to DVDs for you.  I noticed the local Max Spielman had a poster saying they convert VHS/Betamax so you could ask them if they also do SP.

[Colin YNWA]

I've started a separate thread about this as it is pretty big news (I guess) but Amazon have bought or are in the process of buying Comixology... discuss!

http://comicsbeat.com/a-few-more-details-on-the-comixologyamazon-deal/

[Dr Feeley Good]

Well end of a era,I have just rung Denise at Rebellion and cancelled my subscription to the weekly and meg,going to start getting them digitally from now on...bought a back issue and a couple of casefiles and have decided it's the way to go...

[Dominic O'Rourke]

Wait till next Tuesday night. Waiting for that ping just after midnight that says your prog is available to download - better than queuing at WHSmiths.

[Mattofthespurs]

Wait till next Tuesday night. Waiting for that ping just after midnight that says your prog is available to download - better than queuing at WHSmiths.

But not as good as hearing it drop through the door on a Saturday morning 

[Moggot Lover]

I read a lot to my son who's not long turned 4, his books vary from Hot hippo to Iron man (Early readers kind of stuff DC and Marvel),Also I read his comics to him. Avengers and Ben 10. I have also brought him some Adventure time comics from Kaboom. He loves them, books and comics the whole shebang.
I can't see how trying to read a book/comic to him on an tablet would be better, considering the amount of fun we have reading them, and my 21mth daughter has taken in interest in Spiderman and Adventure time. So last night she sat next to her brother while I read his one of his books and then comic.  Its defiantly not something I think would be much fun using a tablet, although my son has asked when he can read properly, if he could have a kindle 
So I think the paper will be with us for a very long time.

[GrinningChimera]

I read a lot to my son who's not long turned 4, his books vary from Hot hippo to Iron man (Early readers kind of stuff DC and Marvel),Also I read his comics to him. Avengers and Ben 10. I have also brought him some Adventure time comics from Kaboom. He loves them, books and comics the whole shebang.
I can't see how trying to read a book/comic to him on an tablet would be better, considering the amount of fun we have reading them, and my 21mth daughter has taken in interest in Spiderman and Adventure time. So last night she sat next to her brother while I read his one of his books and then comic.  Its defiantly not something I think would be much fun using a tablet, although my son has asked when he can read properly, if he could have a kindle 
So I think the paper will be with us for a very long time.

This is real parenting right here. Good work