DVD burning speeds

[insane]

Hey. I've got a fairly simple question.

A friend of mine told me a while back that burning DVD's at fast speeds can result in a DVD with a shot life expectancy. Therefor I have usually burned all my DVD's at 4x or 6x speeds, tho I could write at 16x. However, I haven't been able to find any confirming information about the claim.

So does anyone know if this is true and what is the life expectancy of a typical DVD+/-R.

Thanks ahead.

[redwudz]

DVD Life expectancy? Probably 20+ years, depending on the handling and storage. Just guessing, though, since I don't think they have been around much longer than that.

I doubt the burning speed would have any bearing on longevity, I haven't heard that one before. But cheap DVD media and a cheap, worn out, damaged or old burner may have an effect on DVD burn and playback quality. The rest I would have to see from a reputable source before I would accept it as more than a myth. Just my opinion, though.

And since this has nothing to do with authoring, moving to our Media Forum.

[vico1]

A short life span...Maybe.
But playback inconsistencies becomes problematic, the faster you burn. (IMHO)

Tho have no "Difinitive" proof of this, I have read in many forums that after having probs
with discs burned at higher speeds, many have them work out after a re-burn at lower levels.
I now keep a rule of thumb: No higher than 6x.

[budz]

Just buy good quality dvd media like TAIYO YUDEN & VERBATIM then you won't have problems later. Buy cheap dvd media with MEDIA ID's like CMC & RITEK/RIDATA then you'll sure to have problems later down the road.

Speed has nothing to do longevity of the discs. If your drive is able to burn 8x spd - 16x spd and you're using discs that are recommended by the manufacturer of your dvd burner then you'll be okay. Another important factor is the firmware of your dvd burner. Some manufacturers like LG hardly ever have firmware upgrades. BENQ is the only manufacturer that I know of that has constant firmware upgrades to their drives to match the current new batches of dvd media. Too bad BENQ's optical drive unit was sold to LITEON.