I started out adjusting brightness levels on a histogram during or after scanning, but then realized a dark backing would make the printing invisible and save me the effort. I use black cardboard when scanning newspaper or magazine clippings in a flatbed scanner, but I figured cloth would let vacuum through. I think there are vacuum tables made for engraving and woodworking applications, or an air hockey game table might work with the blower reversed.
Camera on a stand, and make a vacuum table that sucks it flat. Use a black fabric underneath the newspaper to eliminate bleed-through from the text on the other side.
I pipe a recursive dir command output to a text file named for the disk number, and keep those text files in a folder. To find stuff, I use windows explorer to search for text inside files.
If movies came packed in an archive, I’ll use the checksum from that file to make an sfv. Otherwise, I run Corz Checksum to make a checksum in each folder.
AnyDVD to a folder or iso. Then you preserve all the menus and extras.
I purged hundreds of DVDs when I moved, movies and series I was confident I’d never rewatch, or that would be easy to find on Blu-Ray.
I still occasionally buy used DVDs, mainly foreign films and series, and mountain bike or fmx videos.
I need to do the same with my CDs. And make backups of the rare ones in case of disc rot. Vinyl likewise; but those won’t be given away.