Online storage for photos/videos

[Wd40]

Hey guys,

I haven't really been good at backing up photos/videos etc. I have them all in different hard drives. I have just looked at Microsoft One Drive, since it integrates well with my windows phone and laptop, but it gives only 30GB of free storage, which seems pretty tight. Also the process of uploading is very very slow. It like 1 hr per GB. Also I am wondering in the long term, whether they will start charging us. Once I have like 30GB there, its going to be hard to download all of that and move somewhere else.

Any ideas?

[nakatago]

Flickr has 1 TB storage, although limited uploads per month. Photos/videos only though.

Dropbox (paid) would be around 1TB IIRC.

[curiousgeorge]

I don't know if this applies to you, but if you have an Office365 subscription, the OneDrive storage is essentially unlimited (although it shows 10TB).

With the integration on your phone/pc, don't worry about the upload speed. Sure, it takes a while when you first sign up, but after that it remains synchronised in the background.

I set all my default folders (documents/videos/music/pictures) to OneDrive, meaning that I have my local, synchronised copy but also available in the cloud. Thus, everything is available on my PC/Tablet/Phone/Laptop without ever thinking about it.

Finally, as per the MS T&C, if you ever exceed your storage (or stop paying if you subscribe) you don't lose all your stuff, you just can't upload any more. You can still access/download it.

And because it *can* synchronise a local copy (i.e. actually take up storage space on hard drive) if you don't have internet access, no problem. Changes sync when you do re-connect. And if you want to switch to another cloud provider, you don't need to download everything, as you still have it all there on your local hard drive.

To compare:
Dropbox free 2GB /9.99 1TB
Google Drive 15GB free / 9.99 1TB
One Drive 30GB Free / 6.99 10TB AND INCLUDE FREE OFFICE365 (full installed office suite)

[Wd40]

Thanks both. I have decided to align myself with the Microsoft camp and in future too, whatever tablets or phones I am going to buy, its going to be windows which is why I am inclined towards one drive, instead of google drive. ITunes is not even applicable, for me. Nice to know that there are ways to increase the storage space to unlimited for one drive.

[nakatago]

Thanks both. I have decided to align myself with the Microsoft camp and in future too, whatever tablets or phones I am going to buy, its going to be windows which is why I am inclined towards one drive, instead of google drive. ITunes is not even applicable, for me. Nice to know that there are ways to increase the storage space to unlimited for one drive.

Microsoft is fast becoming platform agnostic; even if you decide to stop using windows phones, you can still integrate your stuff easily.

[nakatago]

And because it *can* synchronise a local copy (i.e. actually take up storage space on hard drive) if you don't have internet access, no problem. Changes sync when you do re-connect. And if you want to switch to another cloud provider, you don't need to download everything, as you still have it all there on your local hard drive.

That's practically all cloud storage lockers*, actually. You usually install an app on your computer which will sync a specified folder.

* What I've used so far: Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive (sorta), Ubuntu1 (now defunct). iCloud also works on the same principle except that Apple doesn't want you thinking about where the actual directory is.

[zzm9980]

And because it *can* synchronise a local copy (i.e. actually take up storage space on hard drive) if you don't have internet access, no problem. Changes sync when you do re-connect. And if you want to switch to another cloud provider, you don't need to download everything, as you still have it all there on your local hard drive.

That's practically all cloud storage lockers*, actually. You usually install an app on your computer which will sync a specified folder.

* What I've used so far: Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive (sorta), Ubuntu1 (now defunct). iCloud also works on the same principle except that Apple doesn't want you thinking about where the actual directory is.

Actually there is now iCloud drive that lets you do this. Their allotted storage is small though.

I personally just use Dropbox and pay for the 1TB. It's not the cheapest, but when I last compared (~2-3 years ago) their client was the best by far. Now I'm too entrenched to both changing.

If your'e relying on a free tier I wouldn't trust Google. You'll get an announcement one day they're cutting/eliminating it and be forced to move.

[x9200]

This need of having some TBs allocated in some cloud to be accessible from anything and anywhere... I have problem to imagine why one may want to use it at any practical frequency, or is this just for a backup?

[Wd40]

Mainly for pictures/videos. External hard drive's don't last beyond 3 years, I read somewhere. Also we keep moving sometimes country to country, these drives can get lost. Imagine you want to see your childs pictures 20 years from now, cloud seems to be the best option other than the good old hard copy photo albums we used to have.

Now with smart phones and tablets we are generating pictures and videos in such a large amount and because of the higher megapixel, the size of each photo is also so much higher.

[nakatago]

If your'e relying on a free tier I wouldn't trust Google. You'll get an announcement one day they're cutting/eliminating it and be forced to move.

All free things are like that. Ubuntu told me to move my stuff when they were closing UbuntuOne because free offerings are heaps better. Not sure though if all free services would notify you right away and give you time to move your stuff. It could happen to free Dropbox, free OneDrive...any free service really (and paid ones as well, really, if the company is bleeding money).

Oh, Google Code? They did notify people to move their stuff. People were only lamenting about orphaned code.

Anyway, yeah, if people want the privilege to complain, pay up. I would still complain about a free service though if they'd close without giving me a chance to get my stuff out.

@Wd40: if you want to be really sure you don't lose your stuff, use multiple services as redundant backups and still back up to hard drives. Even if one of them close, you'd still have the others; if all of them close, you still have your hard drives.

[x9200]

Mainly for pictures/videos. External hard drive's don't last beyond 3 years, I read somewhere. Also we keep moving sometimes country to country, these drives can get lost. Imagine you want to see your childs pictures 20 years from now, cloud seems to be the best option other than the good old hard copy photo albums we used to have.

Now with smart phones and tablets we are generating pictures and videos in such a large amount and because of the higher megapixel, the size of each photo is also so much higher.

So the backup/safer storage.

For any of the mentioned cloud storage options, any privacy/security related concerns?
I recall headlines on some celebrity photos that leaked out...

[nakatago]

I recall headlines on some celebrity photos that leaked out...

The Fappening. (yeah, someone complained about the term 4chan coined...it's like complaining the Ku Klux Klan is racist).

[Wd40]

Yeah security is a concern, but if we are operating our bank accounts online, then storing photos online should be lesser of a concern.

[nakatago]

Yeah security is a concern, but if we are operating our bank accounts online, then storing photos online should be lesser of a concern.

Those at the top of the list are pretty reputable (heehee) companies so you're mostly covered as long as your photos/videos are mundane enough that you won't be a specific target (i.e. no one is specifically looking for your files in the cloud and even if someone did, you don't mind them knowing that you had your picture taken at location A). But if you're really concerned, you'd encrypt those media first before synching to the cloud...or take it one step further, to a paid service that specifically offers super private cloud storage.

[x9200]

Yeah security is a concern, but if we are operating our bank accounts online, then storing photos online should be lesser of a concern.

Having mentioned the celebrity photos myself, with the second thought, I would be actually more concerned about the NSA and alike things. Such photos are or could be a gold mine for personal profiling of you and the shooting subjects. If you encrypt them probably more attention will be attracted. Not that I have anything worth this attention, but have this habit of controlling the information on myself/family I give away.