Laser life.....

[pinetop]

I recently had a LG 418 player die on me after 1yr of use. I don't know if it was the laser, but I started thinking about how long a laser in a player/burner should last. My 9 yr old JVC DVD player plays retail DVDs without a single problem. Now for the last few yrs I don't use it as much, but it does work. I have a 10 yr old Technics CD player that works, and a Nakamichi CD player that was manufactured in Sept. 1988, and it works great, even plays CD-Rs, something a newer NAB couldn't do. So why do I read all over the web that a laser is good for about 3-5 yrs?
Anyone else have a laser thats going strong for 10 plus yrs?

[redwudz]

It's not the years so much it's the usage time. Laser diodes are usually rated for 50,000 to 100,000+ hours usage. But that's just an average predicted lifespan. In most cases the drive mechanism will wear out before the diode. But there are always exceptions.

It's also difficult to compare a laser from an early CD player or burner to a new DVD DL 16X burner laser. The faster they burn, the higher the power they need to use. Just like many electronic devices, heat is what usually kills them. Burning multiple discs one after the other may overheat them, or poor ventilation within the burner.