How long do DVD's last?

[yamangman]

Specifically, how long do medium brand quality single layer DVD-R and DVD+R last? I have been told conflicting times, and was once told DVD-R's last as little as a year, but surely that must mean with constant use? What if they are kept in good condition and barely used how long do they last?

Cheers

[myth]

ummm..... in the dark in a clean environment... I'd say at least 20 years

[unrealrocks]

I once saw an investigation into CDRs and some became unreadable after 1 year in dark conditions - obviously less in sunlight. Better brands will last longer but CDRs and DVDRs are *not* permanent by any means simply because of the way the chemicals work.

[yamangman]

Well, the DVD's I burnt last year are still working. All I ever hear is conjecture and estimations of this media's lifespan. Can someone point me in the direction of a whitepaper or original manufacturer specifications that even states their lifespan is limited, let alone limited to 1 year.

[Knightcrawler]

If your worried about archiving stuff on DVD/CD there's a couple of things to remember.

1) Cheaper is not better. Do not get those bargin basement cd's that look the same on both sides. Now this doesn't mean that you need to spend an enormous amount of money. A 100-pack of name brand CD-R's usually can be found for around $20.

2) Avoid stickers and alcohol based markers when labeling. Both adhesive and the alcohol based inks can eat all the way through into the data substrate given enough time. Of course this is more for if your planning to archive something on CD/DVD for 5+ years. I have CD-R's that are 3+ years old that were labeled with just a normal permanent marker that are still in working order.

3) Keep all optical media out of direct sunlight. This applies to commercially produced CD's and DVD's also.

4) Keep optical media in container that minimizes wear and tear on the media when taking it out and putting it away. Scratches bad.

5) There are companies that sell archival quality media. These are made with a better grade of plastic, more stable chemicals, etc, etc, etc. Of course these cost more.

While to many of us some of these might seem like overkill, and they would be right. A little commen sense can go a long way. And who of us actually keeps, much less uses data/programs/whatever longer than 3-4 years. Later on down the road we just back-up and burn another copy. Only those perhaps in the IT field, saving family photo's for future generations, legal documents, or tax documents would really need to worry that much about the life of a CD.

[poindextermatic]

I have a CD from 1991 that is turning green!!

[Marcos]

5) There are companies that sell archival quality media. These are made with a better grade of plastic, more stable chemicals, etc, etc, etc. Of course these cost more.

Do you have any links to such sites? I have some things that I would like to back up to DVD and want it to last quite a while.

[Olly1234]

Couple of interesting bits:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/09...ng_experience/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004May10.html

[Marcos]

"If people treat these discs rather harshly, or stack them, or allow them to rub against each other, this very fragile protective layer can be disturbed, allowing the atmosphere to interact with that aluminum," he says.

This part i dont understand, if stacking was that bad, why would the majority of CD-Rs and DVD-Rs come in tubs, stacked and rubbing against each other?

[ajbrun]

The thing about not buying cheap - I 2nd that. I brought the cheapest CD-RW's I could find. Twice now, I've tried to back up computers with them. After I reformated, I tried to open some of the files on the disk, but nothing. Just an error message saying they couldn't be opened. I've learned my lesson.

[Knightcrawler]

Do you have any links to such sites? I have some things that I would like to back up to DVD and want it to last quite a while.

Here you go.


Delkin Gold 300-Year
More Gold Media
Maxell DVD-Rpro & CD-Rpro lines

[Knightcrawler]

This part i dont understand, if stacking was that bad, why would the majority of CD-Rs and DVD-Rs come in tubs, stacked and rubbing against each other?

I think apply's more to just throwing them in a box or on a desk in a pile. Also when you buy them they always have a spindle and/or a really tough plastic wrapper to keep them contained. Personally I go for the spindles, also store a lot of my burned ones that way. Never had any problems. My more important ones I either keep in individual jewel cases or in a Caselogic softside cd case with slide in pockets. But for archival purposes probably individual jewel cases would be the best bet.

My uncle used to write technical manuals, for his really important backups he stored them in a saftey deposit box at a bank. Out of sunlight, climate controlled and off site. Now this is overkill for most of us. But if you have things you really, really, really want to save its a thought.

[Marcos]

Here you go.


Delkin Gold 300-Year
More Gold Media
Maxell DVD-Rpro & CD-Rpro lines

Thanks, couldnt buy from the last link , i wanted DVD

[Knightcrawler]

Thanks, couldnt buy from the last link , i wanted DVD

Try this one. If not you may have to wait a month or two as many of these archival quality dvd's have just hit the shelves.

Maxell DVD-R Pro