National Institute of Standards and Technology DVD Tests

[chas0039]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has confirmed that there is a difference in the quality of the dye and materials in CDs and DVDs and they have commenced a series of tests to determine which discs are able to last for how long. His idea is that after these tests are completed the manufacturer will be allowed to add a sticker attesting to the life span. The bad news is that the results will not be out for a year or two. One interesting fact to come out was that discs recorded at slower speeds should last longer.



http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,116473,00.asp

[Capmaster]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has confirmed that there is a difference in the quality of the dye and materials in CDs and DVDs and they have commenced a series of tests to determine which discs are able to last for how long. His idea is that after these tests are completed the manufacturer will be allowed to add a sticker attesting to the life span. The bad news is that the results will not be out for a year or two. One interesting fact to come out was that discs recorded at slower speeds should last longer.

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,116473,00.asp

I don't feel so bad now with my lame 1X burner I've had for 2 years

[Culley]

Nice and slow. 2x all the way for me

[noki]

One interesting fact to come out was that discs recorded at slower speeds should last longer.

sorry, i think it's me but where was this mentioned in the article?? think my eyes are going south....

[tag]

One interesting fact to come out was that discs recorded at slower speeds should last longer.

sorry, i think it's me but where was this mentioned in the article?? think my eyes are going south....

We must be using the same eyes; couldn't find any such reference in the article either, myself. However, I found an earlier article (same guy, Byers), where this was mentioned:

"Byers warned that all the life spans are rough estimates. A hurried burn or a change in manufacturing technique could cause premature failure."

Another interesting statement was:

"Surprisingly, premanufactured CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs may not last as long as recordable disks, Byers said."

Conversely, we have the "no sh*t statement of the millennium":

“These days, the rate of change in technology is so much faster,” Byers said. “I’m convinced there will be a new storage technology within 10 years.”

Link:
http://www.gcn.com/23_5/news/25166-1.html

[chas0039]

One interesting fact to come out was that discs recorded at slower speeds should last longer.

sorry, i think it's me but where was this mentioned in the article?? think my eyes are going south....

The mention of the slower speed being more reliable for archiving came from another source mentioned in the article that sent me to this source My original source was not available on line. Jerry Hartke, of Media Sciences Inc, a leading disc test operation is the source for the statement that slower speeds increasing storage life.

www.mscience.com

[johns0]

Burning at slower speeds is not true for all dvd media and burners,i get much better burns at 4x than 2x with maxell mxlrgo2.Tests like that are not reliable for all cases.

[chas0039]

Burning at slower speeds is not true for all dvd media and burners,i get much better burns at 4x than 2x with maxell mxlrgo2.Tests like that are not reliable for all cases.

Hartke is assuming that the burn was good to began with and that there was compatibility between the media and the hardware. After that he is referring to long term storage characteristics, something which none of us here is qualified to comment on unless we are in the business of media testing.

I am not trying to start an argument on burn speeds, I am just reporting reliable news.

[johns0]

Not arguing,just saying i dont trust those tests.