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Digital music: two-to-five year life span for burned CDs?
two-to-five year life span for burned CDs?
by LightJesusMaryLover - 1/13/06 11:05 AMIf the contents of the article (below) are true, is it also true for burned DVDs? If so, wouldn't it be better to archive VHS tapes onto new VHS tapes rather than burnable DVDs?
From pcworld.com
by John Blau, IDG News Service Tue Jan 10, 8:00 AM ET
Opinions vary on how to preserve data on digital storage media, such as optical CDs and DVDs. Kurt Gerecke, a physicist and storage expert at IBM Deutschland, has his own view: If you want to avoid having to burn new CDs every few years, use magnetic tapes to store all your pictures, videos and songs for a lifetime.
"Unlike pressed original CDs, burned CDs have a relatively short life span of between two to five years, depending on the quality of the CD," Gerecke says. "There are a few things you can do to extend the life of a burned CD, like keeping the disc in a cool, dark space, but not a whole lot more."
The problem is material degradation. Optical discs commonly used for burning, such as CD-R and CD-RW, have a recording surface consisting of a layer of dye that can be modified by heat to store data. The degradation process can result in the data "shifting" on the surface and thus becoming unreadable to the laser beam.
"Many of the cheap burnable CDs available at discount stores have a life span of around two years," Gerecke says. "Some of the better-quality discs offer a longer life span, of a maximum of five years."
Distinguishing high-quality burnable CDs from low-quality discs is difficult, he says, because few vendors use life span as a selling point.
Similar Limitations
Hard-drive disks also have their limitations, according to Gerecke. The problem with hard drives, he says, is not so much the disk itself as it is the disk bearing, which has a positioning function similar to a ball bearing. "If the hard drive uses an inexpensive disk bearing, that bearing will wear out faster than a more expensive one," he says. His recommendation: a hard-drive disk with 7200 revolutions per minute.
To overcome the preservation limitations of burnable CDs, Gerecke suggests using magnetic tapes, which, he claims, can have a life span of 30 years to 100 years, depending on their quality. "Even if magnetic tapes are also subject to degradation, they're still the superior storage media," he says.
But he's quick to point out that no storage medium lasts forever and, consequently, consumers and business alike need to have a migration plan to new storage technologies.
"Companies, in particular, need to be constantly looking at new storage technologies and have an archiving strategy that allows them to automatically migrate to new technologies," he says. "Otherwise, they're going to wind up in a dead-end. And for those sitting on terabytes of crucial data, that could be a colossal problem."
No, it wouldn't.
by Kiddpeat - 1/13/06 11:48 AM In reply to: two-to-five year life span for burned CDs? by LightJesusMaryLoverFirst, this is probably a case of someone looking for a headline. It is, however, true that the media used when burning CD/DVDs should be of excellent quality, and that care should be taken in how they are stored.
VHS tapes are analog. They will deteriorate even if they just sit on a shelf. They are not the kind of tape that this individual was talking about.
Analog is a Format and not a Media Type
by pacifist - 1/28/06 3:44 AM In reply to: No, it wouldn't. by KiddpeatAll the information that I have found on the subject compares the VHS tape to the older tape recorders and both of those being magnetic tape in nature but improved by not using the older fragile celluloid anymore. See this article on VHS tape which IS Magnetic Tape.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHS
I read a lot of ''opinions'' in this column and would not bank the longevity or security of my CD/DVD media on them.
I found the information posted on the degradation of CD/DVD media interesting but I would like to read about it from some recognized authority before I believe it to be true.
I know the people who post in these columns mean their best which helps us get to the truth.
Analog is neither a format nor a media type. It is
by Kiddpeat - 1/28/06 7:25 AM In reply to: Analog is a Format and not a Media Type by pacifistdescription of the physical world. Analog describes the world of continuity. It stands in contrast to the digital world which is composed of ones and zeroes. The digital world tries to approximate the analog world be representing it in a series of small steps. The smaller the step, the closer that digital can come the real, analog world. When a guitar string is plucked, it vibrates back and forth in a continuous motion.
VHS is analog because it records a continuous signal. The format used is VHS just as Sony originally wanted to use the Betamax format. I don't know what the Wikipedia link said on this subject. However, if it said analog is a format, you must remember that Wikipedia is written by anyone and everyone who wants to write about a subject. It is not necessarily correct. It might, however, have been discussing the definition of analog from some other perspective.
VHS is, as you said, recorded on magnetic tape just as all tape recorders record on magnetic tape. There are some digital tape recorders, but the vast majority are analog.
Finding a 'recognized' authority is hard. Someone has to do the recognizing. My suggestion is to look for research results if you want to learn more about CD/DVD longevity. There are some CD research results on the web. I am not aware of any regarding DVD longevity.
Your descriiption of digital vs analog supports
by pacifist - 1/28/06 9:12 AM In reply to: Analog is neither a format nor a media type. It is by Kiddpeatmy posting that analog is a format or type of recording used to record VHS and not a media type. My observation was only to point out that magnetic tape used in VHS is the same of which is referred to in the start of this string and supposedly more reliable over time than the CD/DVD media. You were the one who stated that VHS tapes were analog which has nothing to do with a media type.
You appear to have taken a critcal stance of the postings in this string and I hope it works for you.
(NT) You try. Some get it, and some don't. Oh well.
by Kiddpeat - 1/28/06 2:46 PM In reply to: Your descriiption of digital vs analog supports by pacifistPoint of View
by pacifist - 1/28/06 7:37 PM In reply to: (NT) You try. Some get it, and some don't. Oh well. by KiddpeatWe were looking at the problem from different view points.
I believe the subject of failing Media needs more study
Re: Format, media type
by - 1/28/06 5:41 PM In reply to: Analog is a Format and not a Media Type by pacifistYou have good points there.
But how do we define "format" and how do we define "media type"?
I think it's all a matter of context.
Format could mean analog vs digital but then again within digital alone it could mean CD vs DVD-A. See what I mean?
Buy TY's "Made In Japan" for long life cdr's
by Ed Mead
- 1/13/06 12:08 PM
In reply to: two-to-five year life span for burned CDs? by LightJesusMaryLover
Most older cdr's were made in Japan. Not like todays cheap cdr's that are made in Taiwan, China, and so on. Burners copied slower, unlike newer burners. I think this is one of the differences in how long a cd will last, along with how you take care of them.
--
do you mean the brand name Taiyo Yuden
by pacifist - 1/30/06 9:23 PM In reply to: Buy TY's "Made In Japan" for long life cdr's by Ed Mead
I see the brand name of Taiyo Yuden and wondered if this is the media you meant or is there another company called TY that manufactures CD/DVD's in Japan
So what?
by dano83860 - 1/14/06 11:06 PM In reply to: two-to-five year life span for burned CDs? by LightJesusMaryLoverI’m sorry but I fail to see the significantce of this article. With the rapid change going on around us does it really matter if burned CDs only last 2 to 5 years? I mean we are talking about digital music here.
Cds and DVDs
by dano83860 - 1/15/06 2:16 PM In reply to: That's what is called tunnel vision. Cds and DVDs are by KiddpeatWill go the way of the 5.25 and 3.5 inch floppies. I have a stack of them gathering dust in the closet. I currently use a thumb drive to transfer files between work and home. The media it self is not important. Its the hours of work I have put in to the spreadsheet or data base that is valuable.
My original post was based on the fact that this is the Digital Music Forum.
Obviously, the person who started the thread has serious
by Kiddpeat - 1/15/06 7:42 PM In reply to: Cds and DVDs by dano83860concerns. Just because you have little, or no, regard for your MP3s, that doesn't mean that other people operate at the same level.
Many are serious, even about music, and are concerned about the risk of losing their collections. It is not unheard of to find serious music with origins in the analog world on digital media these days. This music cannot be treated as cavalierly as modern mp3 collections which seem to be 'easy come' and 'easy go'. Some of it is no longer available from publishers.
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