user22196: Should I try to output family movies/slideshows to a DVD or a Blu-ray, if my video content is mostly SD, and some of my images from are high-quality RAW photos?  I'm thinking on just going the DVD route if the quality potential won't matter much?  Thanks for your opinions.
Please also suggest the best authoring software to use at a good price if you have opinion as well.

user19140: It depends on your goal:
If you must deliver to viewers with only a classic DVD player then make it a DVD.
If they only have a Blu-Ray player then make it a Blu-Ray.
For content preservation I would recommend to basically write all original content onto a disk with highest possible quality in wrappers/containers that are widely supported (high-quality JPEG for photos and MPEG4 or MPEG2 for videos). Then most modern players will be able to present the content, as well as allowing you to keep good mezzanine quality.

user1950: Have you considered uploading to Youtube? Upload as unlisted, so only people who you give the link can find it (or if you're really concerned, password protect it). It's going to be easier for most people to watch than an optical disk, you can use whatever resolution you want, and I'd be willing to bet that Google is going to be around longer than the DVD format. 
Speaking personally, I'd be hard pressed to find a DVD player in my house (I know there's one somewhere, but it's probably in a cupboard under a pile of USB cables and defunct plug packs for devices that I don't own anymore).
Of course I'd keep a couple of copies of the master in geographically separate locations (e.g. your place and some other family members). You can put it on removable drives or burn to disk for that. Or you could outsource the storage - keep a copy on Google drive, and another on Amazon E3 / oneDrive / dropBox / iCloud / SpiderOak etc…

user22079: Keep the original files on two different storage units, preferably different storage types, say external HDD and Blu-ray. Keep the distro of your editing app and the license key. Keep the OS version you used to run the editing app including the license key. Keep the project file.
Author a DVD-Video for your family to watch, especially the elders who are not at ease with YouTube and the likes. Will play in Blu-ray player too.
Upload to YouTube for everyone else. If it is interlaced, deinterlace it first. Make it unlisted or private. Share the link.

22196: <p>Should I try to output family movies/slideshows to a DVD or a Blu-ray, if my video content is mostly SD, and some of my images from are high-quality RAW photos?  I'm thinking on just going the DVD route if the quality potential won't matter much?  Thanks for your opinions.</p>

<p>Please also suggest the best authoring software to use at a good price if you have opinion as well.</p>
 19140: <p>It depends on your goal:</p>

<p>If you must deliver to viewers with only a classic DVD player then make it a DVD.
If they only have a Blu-Ray player then make it a Blu-Ray.</p>

<p>For content preservation I would recommend to basically write all original content onto a disk with highest possible quality in wrappers/containers that are widely supported (high-quality JPEG for photos and MPEG4 or MPEG2 for videos). Then most modern players will be able to present the content, as well as allowing you to keep good mezzanine quality.</p>
 1950: <p>Have you considered uploading to Youtube? Upload as unlisted, so only people who you give the link can find it (or if you're really concerned, password protect it). It's going to be easier for most people to watch than an optical disk, you can use whatever resolution you want, and I'd be willing to bet that Google is going to be around longer than the DVD format. </p>

<p>Speaking personally, I'd be hard pressed to find a DVD player in my house (I know there's one somewhere, but it's probably in a cupboard under a pile of USB cables and defunct plug packs for devices that I don't own anymore).</p>

<p>Of course I'd keep a couple of copies of the master in geographically separate locations (e.g. your place and some other family members). You can put it on removable drives or burn to disk for that. Or you could outsource the storage - keep a copy on Google drive, and another on Amazon E3 / oneDrive / dropBox / iCloud / SpiderOak etc…</p>
 22079: <p>Keep the original files on two different storage units, preferably different storage types, say external HDD and Blu-ray. Keep the distro of your editing app and the license key. Keep the OS version you used to run the editing app including the license key. Keep the project file.</p>

<p>Author a DVD-Video for your family to watch, especially the elders who are not at ease with YouTube and the likes. Will play in Blu-ray player too.</p>

<p>Upload to YouTube for everyone else. If it is interlaced, deinterlace it first. Make it unlisted or private. Share the link.</p>
