Personal Digitization: Saving, Sharing, Editing

Documents

• Excel/Word files that are scanned in the OCR format create searchable documents that user can create to be able to search for recognizable text in their documents. Saved in Excel or Word file type.
• Searchable PDFs scanned using the OCR format can make scanned documents searchable in Adobe Reader.

Image Files

Images are usually saved as JPG, PNG, or TIFF files. JPG files are smaller image file types that are the least detailed that are most easily accessible, PNG files are larger file types that are more detailed and accessible, while TIFF are the most detailed image file that are usually larger files due to the amount of detail saved on an image. Not as accessible for viewing with modern technology as JPG files.

Audio files

Audio files are usually saved as MP3 files for their accessibility. WAV files are usually made as master files of a recording due to not compressing the audio. WAV files are usually closer in quality to the original recording. They are higher quality but sometimes cannot be played on certain players. These are not as accessible as MP3's.

Video Files

Video files are saved as MP4 files. These files feature video and audio in their recordings. The resolution of the video can vary and can be scaled up. As scaling up happens the file becomes larger and more intensive to run. 

Documents

• Excel/Word files that are scanned in the OCR format create searchable documents that user can create to be able to search for recognizable text in their documents. Saved in Excel or Word file type.
• Searchable PDFs scanned using the OCR format can make scanned documents searchable in Adobe Reader.

External Hard Drives

Storage device for various multimedia. Can hold large amount of data up to but not limited to over 1 TB (Terabyte) of data. These storage devices are capable of storing any file types when connect to a computer or other technology usually by USB. Many external hard drives last 5-10 years but is limited by the frequency of use, handling, and storage of device.

CDs and DVDs

Storage device for various multimedia. Can be played in various devices with a disk drive but can be played with an external disk drive connected to a computer or monitor. Life cycle of CD's and DVD's can be up to multiple decades in ideal storage conditions. Most CD's and DVD's last about 10-20 years depending on frequent use, handling, and storage.

SD and Micro SD Cards

Storage device for various mobile devices ranging from camera's, phones, and scanners. May require adapter to be plugged into a computer to extract/copy files. Life cycle of SD and Micro SD card is around 10 years depending on various factors such as frequent use, handling, and storage.

USB Thumb Drives

These storage devices can contain various multimedia. They amount of data that can be stored on them is predetermined and limited by what is on the packaging. These storage devices can be used on a variety of devices including computer, printers, and scanners as well as anything that has a USB port. Most USB Thumb Drives last about 10 years or so but is limited by their frequency of use, handling, and storage.

External Hard Drives

Storage device for various multimedia. Can hold large amount of data up to but not limited to over 1 TB (Terabyte) of data. These storage devices are capable of storing any file types when connect to a computer or other technology usually by USB. Many external hard drives last 5-10 years but is limited by the frequency of use, handling, and storage of device.