I need reassurance about my precious dvds!

[gentle_ben]

Hi there everyone!

I am a very worried person....I thought that when I copied all of my video collection to dvd-r then they would be safe forever! But now I am hearing scare stories about how delicate and fragile they are!??? Eg: I wrote on them with a permanent marker....can that damage it? when they are dusty I spit on it and wipe it on my shirt if its got finger marks!??? I also bought some with blotches on the purple but they seemed to record alright! what are the possible complications with discs like these? please try to reassure me!?? and I have a dvd that I really want to watch but it won't finalize! can anyone help me please!??

ta in advance!

[disturbed1]

when they are dusty I spit on it and wipe it on my shirt if its got finger marks!???
ta in advance!

With care like that, do you really expect them to last?

DVD, CD, and any optical media in general is rather fragile. The information side is always exposed. The data is writen on that surface in the form of 0 and 1. If something gets on the surface, and the data can not be read, then it's ruined.

With proper care, it should last a while, a long while. I have pressed CDs from the mid-late 80's that are fine, as well as burnt CD-Rs from '94, and burnt DVD-Rs from 2001 that are still fine. But I take care of my stuff

[gentle_ben]

what do you mean you have burnt dvds from 2001!???? is that supposed to be a great achivement!?????? I thought they lasted almost forever??

[gll99]

When it comes to backing up DVD movies, media is so cheap now who cares if it lasts. On top of that DVD5 will be replaced by dvd9 or some equivalent so we will probably redo all our backups again to get closer to the full original content. Most of my DVDs have already been converted to avi,wmv9 or rm9 before I bought the DVD writer but in that case I still had to use the original when I wanted to view the movie away from my computer and tv-out card.

Now I don't play my original DVD any more for the discs that I have backed up. They are safely stored away. If the backup gets scratched then I will just back it up from the original.

While I agree that we were probably mislead by some on the durability and longevity of the media, when it comes to backing up DVD , it's more of an inconvenience. Where's the real problem?

Data is another issue. I have more concerns of losing that so I have multiple copies of the most important stuf both on dvd and multiple cd's from different manufacturers.

[jimmalenko]

I agree that media is so cheap these days that it doesn't matter whether the backup copies last. I have taken the extra precaution of purchasing a removable Hard Drive tray and 2 X 200GB Hard Drives. I have left the ISOs of all my backed up movies on one of these Hard Drives so that if my burnt copy gives up the ghost, I reburn the ISO image. My originals NEVER get played and only come out of their cases once - to rip them as soon as I have purchased them. They sit on the shelf inside their cases for the rest of time.

[indolikaa]

I am a dvd novice, please don't be funny with me!

With that kind of signature line, you're going to get hammered.


The truth is, nobody knows. We haven't had CD-Rs around long enough to form a solid opinion on their lifespan.

[jimmalenko]

If you are overly worried about it, I would invest in an automated cleaning and scratch repair machine. They sell them in Australia for about $50-$100. I would never ever spit on the discs. I think wiping them with a soft cloth is bad enough.

[snafu099]

Not to worry, the manufacturer of the media will guantee it for life or your money refunded, no questions. Just keep the origingal reciept

[indolikaa]

This reminds me of that discussion in the movie Tommy Boy...

[gitreel]

Which one? The one about leaving a mark?

[indolikaa]

Which one? The one about leaving a mark?

When he's talking about the pretty warranty on the box. Remember when he tells the first guy he could get a good look at a T-Bone by sticking his head up the butcher's ass, but then he gets it right with the second guy?

That's been my mantra for reassurance ever since.

[gitreel]

yes I remember, but my favorite is: It's called reading-top to bottom, left to right.Group words in a sentence. Take tylenol for headaches, midol for cramps.

[jimmalenko]

Not to worry, the manufacturer of the media will guantee it for life or your money refunded, no questions. Just keep the origingal reciept

I think spitting on the disc would come under the manufacturers' blanket excuse for not replacing or giving a refund:

Wear and tear.

Regardless of if they replace the media, you still have the problem of lost data.

[The village idiot]

I am 100% positive that your disks will eventually fail!

You also get what you pay for, so buy good disks.

[indolikaa]

I am 100% positive that your disks will eventually fail!

You also get what you pay for, so buy good disks.

Taiyo Yuden. All other media is of fecal quality.

[dvdashot]

Taiyo Yuden. All other media is of fecal quality.

In the rich man's toilet of dvd quality? Yes.

[gentle_ben]

jeez - I am now more worried than ever! What about the dvd that won't finalize??? can someone repair it for me please?

[proxyx99]

It depends how you understand the term "finalize". They will soon "finalize" on their own, added feature (at bo cost) so your worries are premature. I have couple that have already "finalized" without my intervention. Next generation will "finalize" much sooner.

[gentle_ben]

basically when I go to finalize it gives an error message saying the disc is not recognised......

and so if dvds are not totally safe should I copy all of them back onto VHS for safe keeping??? i am totally baffled...

[glockjs]

BACK to vhs??? no no, thats a bad idea. if your really all that worried about it i would keep them on your hard drive. of course a hard drive can even fail. the only real way to make sure they will be safe is to keep them in limbo for the rest of your life. which is about a pain in the ass. even i will die some day, and yes that is a travesty, but i've accepted it.

[dvdashot]

Just reburn your entire collection every 10 years with respectable media if you're that worried. We have no way of settling your paranoia.

[gentle_ben]

We have no way of settling your paranoia.

Thats all it is??? paranoia?? I guess I am just scared to death of losing my recordings!!! But you reckon the dvds ar safe for at least another 5 years without the quality going down!!???

[davideck]

gentle_ben - I am as concerned as you are. I have transferred about 100 SVHS tapes that I consider priceless. My solution is to always burn 2 copies on different media. One is for general use. The other I put into storage in case the first copy is damaged or lost. IMHO, the best way to preserve a disc is to store it away safely.

[Kingnog]

But you reckon the dvds ar safe for at least another 5 years without the quality going down!!???

No, no, don't worry about the quality going down...it'll most likely just not work at all. One day it works with 100% recorded quality, next day...*poof* nothing at all

[muskgrave]

what do you mean you have burnt dvds from 2001!???? is that supposed to be a great achivement!?????? I thought they lasted almost forever??

what do you expect? DVD-R's from 1979?

Anyways..i clean mine with rubbing alcohol and charmin

dlv

[thor300]

I clean my DVDs with Gasoline, then burn them clean, the fire kill all data-eating germs but to be sure i rub them with penicillin every day. Microwave owen is also a priceless tool to avoid data loss, 1 minute on each side does miracles.

[gentle_ben]

[/quote]

One day it works with 100% recorded quality, next day...*poof* nothing at all [/quote]

ok thats not too bad then!???

[handyguy]

The gov has tested some media, Beall by Samsung, I think it is, rated for 100 years. Whether we have dvd players in 100 years or 10 years is a mystery.

[dap]

I agree in 10 years you will not even find a DVD player being sold anywhere.
Ever try to find an Eight-track player lately? All good things come to an end.

[tweedledee]

Thats all it is??? paranoia?? I guess I am just scared to death of losing my recordings!!! But you reckon the dvds ar safe for at least another 5 years without the quality going down!!???

Gentle Ben, start taking PROZAC, the DVD's will fail, but you won't give a shit.