Oh noes teh sky is falling!

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I have always heard a professionally pressed DVD should last a lifetime if stored correctly, barring random flaws. I would guess a BD is at least the same, if not much longer.

We know a DVD 5 and a CD are more simple in design being single layered and all..etc. So perhaps the thing that may get problematic for a DVD 9 or a blu-ray would be the adhesive used to bind the layers? Ya know, if left in a damp attic above your house for twenty years. I'm just guessing.

[bigshot]

Double layer discs are no more likely to go bad than single layer ones.

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by bigshot

Double layer discs are no more likely to go bad than single layer ones.

Ok cool.
I really wasn't sure. Just guessing.
Although I worked there for twenty years, I wasn't in the factory making the discs on the three replicator lines. I was audio mastering and pre-press (there were only 38 employees, so we wore multiple hats)

[mike171979]

I've had thousands of discs over my lifetime and I've never seen disc rot. Maybe it's because I use A/C in the summer that lowers humidity, and a heater in the winter that also lowers humidity? As long as they are indoors and in a climate controlled area I really can't imagine a disc going bad.

[PCFan]

I've been buying digital codes these past 2 months and buying from Vudu sales and iTunes sales. I think I'm going back to buying blu-rays and just buying digital codes for movies that I'm not sure I will enjoy since sometimes I can buy digital codes cheaper than renting digital, especially iTunes codes, but might continue redeeming iTunes codes that come with my blu-rays but selling the UV codes since I still prefer iTunes over UV. I'm still keeping my Apple TV for Netflix and Plex and watching what I have already on iTunes. I'll put up with the space issues of physical media. I will still buy my console and PC games digitally unless there comes a situation that persuades me to stop buying digitally for those.

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by PCFan

What about scratched discs? Damaged cases? Disc rot?

Scratched disks don't always kill the disk and Blu-Rays are not easy to scratch by accident. Damaged cases don't really effect the disk and disk rot isn't a common issue.

As someone pointed out, no form of media is 100% safe but at least with physical media you don't have to worry about how well your internet is working.

[classicmaterial]

Originally Posted by John Klein

As someone pointed out, no form of media is 100% safe but at least with physical media you don't have to worry about how well your internet is working.

This has always been my reasoning too. Yeah streaming is cool and all but the second it pauses to buffer I flip out. You know what that's never a problem with? Discs or even a mp4 file

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

Being a disc manufacturer for twenty years, the saying used to be something like, "CDs and DVDs should last your lifetime, or at least fifty years".

But I don't know the lifespan of a Blu-ray.

I know in 1989, when CD-R's were $50 a pop, we'd use them as source masters for our cassette duplication and CD replication.
I had a band then, and put my music on a CD-R in 1989... and that CD-R still plays today, twenty seven years later.

Like anything manufactured there's always a chance for failure. Like you, I've got hundreds of CD-R/CD-RW's that spin just fine after being pressed into service over 20 years ago.
Well some of my BDs are at the decade mark, and I haven't noticed any problems. I'm more concerned of a mass manufacturing issue as that's completely out of my hands. Proper storage is,,and so far, has been all thumbs up.

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Like anything manufactured there's always a chance for failure. Like you, I've got hundreds of CD-R/CD-RW's that spin just fine after being pressed into service over 20 years ago.
Well some of my BDs are at the decade mark, and I haven't noticed any problems. I'm more concerned of a mass manufacturing issue as that's completely out of my hands. Proper storage is,,and so far, has been all thumbs up.

And keep in mind, CD-R's have a different, cheaper makeup than actual CD's.
The data gets "burned" onto a foil layer on a CD-R, while the data gets pressed (like a vinyl record) into the polycarbonate on a CD.
So if our CD-R's are still spinning this many years later, I'm sure a properly stored CD should last not one but two lifetime's

[HotRats]

If you want something that really lasts there's M-Disc, which uses a glassy carbon reflective layer and is supposed to last about 1000 years. You'll need an M-Disc drive to write which has a higher powered laser but the DVDs and Blus play on standard machines. They're more expensive than ordinary blanks

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

And keep in mind, CD-R's have a different, cheaper makeup than actual CD's.
The data gets "burned" onto a foil layer on a CD-R, while the data gets pressed (like a vinyl record) into the polycarbonate on a CD.
So if our CD-R's are still spinning this many years later, I'm sure a properly stored CD should last not one but two lifetime's

My CD-R collection: so many 80's mixes, so little time!

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by rickah88

My CD-R collection: so many 80's mixes, so little time!

And I can't for the life of me throw away any of those first CD-R mixes I made for myself at work. They were $50.00 per disc back then. Fifty Dollars for one blank CD-R!!!! How much is one today? I don't even know! Maybe 0.05 cents?

[StingingVelvet]

I've been buying DVDs and BDs since my 2000 tax return and have had literally one single disc succumb to rot, a disc inside ER: The Complete Sixth Season. That's a pretty good failure rate when you consider I currently own a couple thousands discs and previously owned even more DVDs.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I've been buying DVDs and BDs since my 2000 tax return and have had literally one single disc succumb to rot, a disc inside ER: The Complete Sixth Season. That's a pretty good failure rate when you consider I currently own a couple thousands discs and previously owned even more DVDs.

I've been buying both since 2001 and have never come across disc rot in my collection. I must be extremely lucky.

[I KEEL YOU]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

And keep in mind, CD-R's have a different, cheaper makeup than actual CD's.
The data gets "burned" onto a foil layer on a CD-R, while the data gets pressed (like a vinyl record) into the polycarbonate on a CD.
So if our CD-R's are still spinning this many years later, I'm sure a properly stored CD should last not one but two lifetime's

Yeah, something like this. As long as you store your CDs with the CDD principle: Cool, Dry, Dark.

There isn't a thing in the world that won't get ruined if you don't store it properly.

Recently, I've started to get more worried about the lifespan of players than that of discs, although we still don't know much about the lifespan of blu rays compared to CDs/DVDs. But the lifespan of players might be the bigger issue going forward than that of discs. I speak from personal experience:

-I've owned hundreds and hundreds of discs, both professionally pressed and home burned and I've yet to see one "die" or "rot" on me out of sheer "old age".

-I've owned about 20-30 various players with lasers over the years - from stereos and video game consoles to DVD and blu ray players, and I've had several of these players die on me. Even a very expensive Oppo blu ray player that was supposed to be built like a tank died on me after 4 years.

So speaking out of personal experience with the statistical probabilities and the "failure per item ratio", the players/lasers are a way bigger problem. This guy who cracked the Sega Saturn talks about the problem of the lifespan of laser readers in this vid at the 9:50 mark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOyfZex7B3E

Recently I've invested into one of these special powerful dust blowers made to clean electronics devices with some very powerful concentrated streams of air:



I've opened my PlayStation 4 and cleaned it lately and a huge clowd of dust came out. So I don't doubt that this will help me extend the lifespan of these various players, I just don't know for how long.

[HD Goofnut]

I've recently started digitizing all of my LPs and CDs to one large flash drive. Let me tell you that's been a project. I'm also in process of backing up all of my BDs to external hard drives. I am almost through the Ds on my BDs.

[reaperx187]

Well as long as the companies such as Arrow Video, Scream Factory and all the other ones that have put out alot of the obscure titles and what not i don't think Physical Media is going to totally die. I mean you have collector's that have such huge collections such as as you tube superstar's Wet Movie 1 and Cool Duder etc who have alot and they continue to have there collections grow as they get new title's in pretty much daily if not almost weekly and what not too.

[Cranston37]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

I've recently started digitizing all of my LPs and CDs to one large flash drive. Let me tell you that's been a project. I'm also in process of backing up all of my BDs to external hard drives. I am almost through the Ds on my BDs.

I say just subscribe to something like Apple Music and save yourself the effort!

[PCFan]

Originally Posted by Cranston37

I say just subscribe to something like Apple Music and save yourself the effort!

Some people want to own their music rather than pay a monthly fee to listen to music.

[Cranston37]

Originally Posted by PCFan

Some people want to own their music rather than pay a monthly fee to listen to music.

Oh I totally get that, which is why he probably bought the LP and CD hard copies in the first place, and good on him for that.

It's just *for me personally* when you then take those hard copies and digitize them, then it all becomes six of one, half dozen of the other. The value of owning decreases signifigently. Whether the album you're listening to digitally is one you previously bought or just subscribed to, it's probably the same file being played on the same device and through the same service...