Life Span of DVD Minus R's? « Videomaker Community Forums

Tom Scratch
Member

Hi Everyone,
My clients love getting their pro-ductions on DVD discs in the popular DVD-R (Minus R) format. Instances of unplayable discs have been extremely rare. (Use Verbatim's.)
Recently was browsing another forum where they were yucking it up about the durability of DVD-R discs. A facetious remark to the effect that the next revolution may be back to VHS was getting a lot of ayes among the wisecracks. There was a serious undertone in this discussion.
Apart from the fact that this convenient distribution system will soon enough be replaced by the next temporary technology, what information is known about the lifespan of DVD-R discs that are stored/treated in a reasonable way (kept in sleeves, not used as coasters...).
Did I miss info that might have been in Videomaker on this. Any info/references on this subject would be appreciated.
REGARDS ... TOM 8)

Posted 6 years ago #
compusolver
Member

According to this study:
http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/gipwg/StabilityStudy.pdf

Good quality media that is stored properly can last for decades.

From what I understand, temperature, the type of dye used, exposure to light (especially sunlight) and other factors can spread the range from a few weeks to half a century or more.

What have you been up to lately, Tom?

Posted 6 years ago #
Tom Scratch
Member

Thanks Mr. C,
Did you just give all the answers? (Consider politics?)
This is a good starting point. A timely govt report of value to the public coming out of Washington (re DVD-R's!) is a very cool thing indeed. It's dated '04 and refers to another report in the works so I may have to do some more research on this. I wonder if there are any recent articles in the popular media or professional oriented mags on the subject that are causing ripples.
The issue of degradable DVD-Rs is more a matter of curiosity for me. Right now am archiving to mini-DV via firewire. If it's not that important, my S-VHS decks are still running and I do not part with originals. If clients come back in future years seeking replacements of DVD-Rs which have become mushy or just lost their true colors, I will be happy to negotiate.
I have been on the road a lot; some 77 days since the beginning of August. Have been following this forum from Kinko's. Had a laptop stolen and also my Sony TRV520, maybe the best Digital 8 camera they ever made. (Anyone know where I can get another? If you are in the US or Canada I can use one of the free tickets I got for being bumped over the holidays to come and check it out!)
Happy Chinese New Year! (Esp dog lovers)
REGARDS ... TOM 8)

Posted 6 years ago #