How Long Will Your Blu-Ray Collection Last?

[StarFuryG7]

How Long Will Your Blu-Ray Collection Last?
Lots of film nerds are hoarding physical media collections, but a physical copy doesn't necessarily mean longevity.

[Claudio Del Barrio]

Nothing last forever…in the cold November rain!

Who knows?!? I still have 8-track cartridges from the 70s that are alive and kickin’. Thought that those would be turnt to dust by 2024.

I tell ya though, my blu ray collection will not survive the apocalypse.

[starsteam]

If I ate four a day they'd last me a little over three years.

[WaverBoy]

It will last longer than you will.

[StarFuryG7]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

It will last longer than you will.

That's comforting . . . I . . .think . . .

[Thomas Veil]

You could ask this question about literally everything. It's a fools errand to worry about it. I've been collecting for years and never had one go bad; they will out live me for sure.

[Driver78]

As long as I want it to.

[skinjob69]

Of all the physical media I've collected over the years I've only lost one CD and one DVD to disc rot.

[steel_breeze]

Originally Posted by skinjob69

Of all the physical media I've collected over the years I've only lost one CD and one DVD to disc rot.

Similar, for me; I've been:
--collecting CDs since 1986 and only had one "go bad" without any external factors (the "A Very Special Christmas" compilation CD from 1985)... this isn't fair though 'cuz I mostly play either MP3 or SACD nowadays. Mostly. All my Floyd, Beatles, and Zeppelin discs from the 80's get regular rotation and play great, though
--collecting DVDs since 1998 and have had a couple turn bronze but they HAVE NOT stopped playing... this isn't fair though, 'cuz I've done my very best to get rid of all my standard-def shiny discs, so I've played them less and less over recent years
--collecting Blu-ray discs since 2008 and have had two mysteriously develop movie-stopping glitches with no visible blemishes or discoloring (one of which was Annie Hall; can't remember the other but I know there was one); had several bronze but NOT stop playing (like the original BD releases of Blade Runner and Purple Rain); replaced those with newer remasters.
--collecting 4K UHD Blu-rays since 2018; too recent to tell, but no bad stories yet

So a pretty good track record in my last 38 years of collecting shiny discs. Don't get me started on LaserDisc though; that was fun at the time but man I hated the way those deteriorated on me throughout the 90's!

[Phillip c. Niethe]

Originally Posted by skinjob69

Of all the physical media I've collected over the years I've only lost one CD and one DVD to disc rot.

I lost the stranger things discs to disc rot…it was like spores on both sides of the discs of multiple sets…really weird, it made the artwork look like it came from the upside down. Maybe it wasn’t disc rot, maybe it WAS the upsidedown:/

[Member-839946]

No limit. Multiple backups with checksum info, at least one offsite storage location.

If you're worried about a favorite disc getting a little long in the tooth, there are easy options.

[Dragon78]

What does disc rot actually look like?

[StarFuryG7]

Originally Posted by Dragon78

What does disc rot actually look like?

It takes various forms, from a disintegrated look, to the plastic shell peeling away from its inner coat to the point that the disc is useless.

[Member-839946]

Originally Posted by Dragon78

What does disc rot actually look like?

I'm sure someone will post links/pics, but I have discs that used to be fine and now won't play with zero visual defects. I know they read, and read perfectly, because I made backups from them years ago, and went back to get the same files again recently and they won't read.

Annoying, and no real way to monitor to see if its happening.

[The hitcher]

My cracked copy of Gran Turismo still played. I once read from a guy who put some CDRs outside for a year and they still worked.

Just... relax and just try not to use your blu-rays as dog toys

[The hitcher]

Laserdiscs still work almost 40 years later, if I see one of my blu-rays rot out when I'm 85 I'll probably grunt and put on something else

[TheMGR]

Absolutely not concerned about this. Aside from known issues like specific plants that put out faulty product during a specific period of time, optical media should last indefinitely. I have lots of VHS tapes that still play after almost 40 years so I have zero worry about the vast majority of my disc collection.

[crutzulee]

I have so many formats that I no longer have players for. I don't lose sleep over the longevity of my collection..
I have everything I could possibly want to watch right now... I keep buying discs even though I haven't had a working player in my HT for a couple of years. Everything is ripped to HDs with the physical disc as backup, which I also don't expect to last forever...

[gates70]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

I have so many formats that I no longer have players for. I don't lose sleep over the longevity of my collection..
I have everything I could possibly want to watch right now... I keep buying discs even though I haven't had a working player in my HT for a couple of years. Everything is ripped to HDs with the physical disc as backup, which I also don't expect to last forever...

I wish I could do that, but with the amount I have, it would cost a fortune!

[Region_unlocked]

Originally Posted by gates70

I wish I could do that, but with the amount I have, it would cost a fortune!

You really come to appreciate the utility of optical storage when you try to create a media server. I did the math one time and conservatively it'd take over 50 terabytes to digitize my whole collection at full quality. It simply ain't gonna happen.