Hard drives aren't expected to get cheaper anytime soon. Western Digital confirmed in its 2026 earnings report that they are sold out of HDD capacity for all of 2026 because AI data centers have bought up the supply. As a result, prices have skyrocketed hard. I was about to put in my credit card details and order another external drive for my video backlog. But then I came across HandBrake, threw a folder of old footage into it, and it freed up more space than the new drive would've given me.