How can i tell if my dvd-r media rots?

[DrJeepney]

How can i tell if my dvd-r media rots?

i have verbatim dvd-r media with the purple bottom and i make backup movies with it.

how can i tell if it rots, besides just playing the movie on the dvd.

[BJ_M]

it will get a really bad smell and sometimes you will see maggots when you pull it out of the case ..

[flaninacupboard]

ummm, good point BJ?

DrJ, go to the media section on the left, check your media code and read what other people have expereienced. that's your best bet for gauging reliability (i won't say whether the bad reliability is rotting or not, there is some contestion on this point)

[garryheather]

"Laser rot" and other such derivatives is actually a poor term. It's a bit like whoever called a method of buffer under-run protection "burn proof". Always strikes me as a contradiction in terms, applying that to a writer.

Anyway, the problem with recordable media is usually that the tops are quite fragile and can be quite easily scratched, damaging the reflective layer and organic dyes that are very close to the surface. It has nothing to do with the laser burning or in some way damaging the disc during playback - it's not powerful enough (although your eye does a good job of focusing, so don't look into the beam to find out just how powerful it really is)

Some of the early Compact Discs used to corrode, or to be more accurate, the alluminium layer used to oxidise, because air got into them and / or the chemicals used in the discs actually attacked the disc and the air getting to them made the pits and lands "furry", thus unreadable. I actually have a disc in my posession that did this, it is characterised by the disc turning a sort of pale, warped copper colour and the fact it doesn't play ! But, in all my collection, this is the only one I have ever seen do it.

I understand there is some talk of laserdiscs suffering the same problem, but again, they are few and far between.

While the dye on DVD +/- R and CD-R's is indeed organic and thus COULD possibly break down over time, manufacturers (should) optimise their dyes to prevent this. It's not like the dyes are "grown", so it's not like a plant withering up and dying (no pun intended) if you forget to water it. The general rule of thumb is keep them out of humidity, sunlight and in their cases when not in use, don't write anything on the top with anything sharper than a felt tipped permanent marker and do not be tempted to microwave them, and the disc should outlive the format, if not you.

Some discs to seem to "age", but I can not speak from experience on this matter although some people on the forum do claim to have had discs pack on them after a while.

All I would say is for the best compatibility of stuff you want to keep (you might, for example, have a DVD-ROM drive pack up on you and you find the replacement isn't as tolerant of the media you used at the time), use decent quality media with some sort of surface on them to provide that extra level of protection against surface damage.

Always handle the media by the edge, don't drop them or place them on a table surface (use the cases), and try not to bend the disc excessively during removal or replacement into the case.

Chances are you'll be just fine.

[BJ_M]

laser disks have a large problem with this - we archive 1000's of laser disks at my work and have to monitor them all the time ..

it isnt "few and far between" at least relating to laser disks....

[garryheather]

OK, the half a dozen or so people I know who have / have used laserdiscs have never reported problems... but I doubt their combined collection amounts to anywhere near the thousands !

Anyway, I bet you only monitor the "dodgy ones", IYKWIM...