Do Burned CDs Have a Short Life Span?

[lenti_75]

That writer should go work for Fox News, where bullcrap, propaganda and opinion happen more than fact. This article follows in that style.

Yes. Out and out Bullshit. Like the rest of you I have cd-rs from 5 years ago, and DVD-Rs from over 3 years ago that work fine.

Yes, it's too bad the writer of this article didn't follow the fair-and-balanced and intellectually honsest approach that Fox News brings to all their reports. Too bad they chose instead to follow the elite media's approach of using half-truths and intellectual dishonesty. Thank goodness for Fox News.

NOOOO I have a cd burned 12 yrs ago.....and perfect, it all depends on how idiots like you handle it.....

[rkr1958]

That writer should go work for Fox News, where bullcrap, propaganda and opinion happen more than fact. This article follows in that style.

Yes. Out and out Bullshit. Like the rest of you I have cd-rs from 5 years ago, and DVD-Rs from over 3 years ago that work fine.

Yes, it's too bad the writer of this article didn't follow the fair-and-balanced and intellectually honsest approach that Fox News brings to all their reports. Too bad they chose instead to follow the elite media's approach of using half-truths and intellectual dishonesty. Thank goodness for Fox News.

NOOOO I have a cd burned 12 yrs ago.....and perfect, it all depends on how idiots like you handle it.....

It wasn't me ... I haven't laid a hand on your CDs.

[robertazimmerman]

Well......it's not only handling that can cause problems with CD-Rs. I have a bunch of CD-Rs made by one manufacturer that have either stopped playing or have developed problems (skipping, stopping, sticking in on spot).

Since I switched to Mitsui gold CD-Rs, I have not had a single problem.

roberta

[crackur]

Reading very carefully, the article does not claim that dvds last only 2-5 years, only cds.

thank God someone actually reads


but I have tons of cds.......work fine......hell even the ones I've threw around and scratched up work fine.........

people write this type of stuff to encourage you to buy their stuff or do things their way...........................relax

[slacker]

crackur,

I'm not sure anyone had an ulterior motive in writing that article. The conclusion of the article is what has been known for a long time now, tape is more cost effective, more reliable and lasts longer than any other existing media, which is why the Fortune 100 companies still use tape backup to secure their most important data. I should know, I use to manage the server farms at BOFA, as well as the Capital Markets data at Charles Schwab & Co., among other things.

I continually hear stories about cds and dvds going bad after awhile. This can't be completely discounted. Simply because someone out there has a cd which is still working after 5 years doesn't mean that the article is false. It simply means that THAT event is outside the statistical curve. They may have been looking at means, medians, modes, whatever. The empirical evidence is there for sure.

I have backed up all my home videos to both miniDV tape and Verbatim MCC-003 DVD discs (quality by consensus). I will check test everything in 10 years or so and get back to everyone with the results.

[GaryDZ]

Aren't we forgetting that in 5 years the CD/DVD players/recorders we now have will probably be obsolete? Most of us will have re-recorded our valuable information onto the latest and greatest media long before that.

[adam]

The conclusion of the article is what has been known for a long time now, tape is more cost effective, more reliable and lasts longer than any other existing media.

I don't know where you are getting this from. The point of the article is hardly that tape is superior as a storage medium, the claims are that CD has a short lifespan of an average of 2-5 years and that is what no one is buying. I think that such extremely conservative numbers are quite frankly ridiculous and yes I am considering the calculated average. Even factoring in the crap media that degrages rather quickly, CDs lasting longer than 2-5 years are hardly exceptions to the rule. If properly taken care of the average burnt CD should easily last longer than 5 years and there is an entire market out there to serve as proof.

If they had said 10-20 or even 10 years than maybe, but their numbers are what's off the charts. Looking at where these estimates are coming from, I really just cannot take them seriously at all.

[Nelson37]

I think people are looking at this in the wrong way.

Just because most, even 99.9%, of disks last a long time does not mean they ALL do. For backup security, nothing less than 100% is acceptable.

I personally had some Verbatim CD's burned with video that deteriorated in matter of days. Stored in cases, indoors, out of sunlight and away from kids. 6 or more showed errors and 2 became almost completely unwatchable. No I did not scan for errors, I watched them and the output changed, which means the data on the disk changed. Player has showed no errors with any other disks in the subsequent 3 years, so it is not at fault. Errors also showed on 2 other players, after initial perfect playback.

And as for Fox News, SFAIK they do not insist on using false documents to push the story they want. 30 years of brainwashing will take a long time to counteract. Not trying to be political, but this is the sixth or seventh time I have seen this comment from the same poster and I believe it requires a reply.

[lordsmurf]

I'm not sure anyone had an ulterior motive in writing that article. .

http://www-03.ibm.com/servers/storage/tape/
Yes, there was plenty of motive. Look at who wrote it.

Nelson, like FOX NEWS, this person was guilty of passing off non-sensical opinion as if it was some sort of fact (or use "they" as a reference). There was also an obvious ulterior motive for this "report" (selling more IBM tapes), a private agenda, and not simply an act of journalistic normalcy. That article confused the public with propaganda, it did not inform them of anything whatsoever. The data referred to by this writer is either heavily skewed/erroneous or entirely pulled out of that guy's ass. I vote on the latter. Unfortunately, much like Fox viewers, people will eat up this shit this IBM guy said as if it were a passage from (insert name of favorite religious book here). Also, my commentary on Fox is not political, but rather that they do a crap job, and are sorry excuses for so-called news reporting. I think the comparison to this situation is very close, as it's the same behavior, carried out in the same manner.

On the other hand, I'm happy to see most videohelp members are able to blow off this article for the crap that it is.

[ROF]

Aren't we forgetting that in 5 years the CD/DVD players/recorders we now have will probably be obsolete? Most of us will have re-recorded our valuable information onto the latest and greatest media long before that.

Really? Tell that to my 8 track player.

I don't CDs going anywhere for quite some time. The greater capacity of high definition failed to supplant the CD. DVDs are also not going to be disappearing any time soon. The high definition of the next gen discs may help lower the demand for DVDs but I seriously doubt DVDs or CDs for that matter will be obsolete. That is unless something drastic happens in the technology sector.

[lordsmurf]

ROF, lasers die and cannot be fixed. I can still yank apart my 8-track player and fiddle with it, and make it work again.

[ROF]

@lordsmurf

You ain't kidding there. But considering 8 Track drive belts start at $10 and whole brand new dual layer DVD players start at $25 I just don't see DVDs or CDs becoming obsolete.

[adam]

I think people are looking at this in the wrong way.

Just because most, even 99.9%, of disks last a long time does not mean they ALL do. For backup security, nothing less than 100% is acceptable.

Nelson37 I can't find anyone in this thread that has suggested that optical media is 100% or even that its the best choice for secure storage. Every post I see challenging this article has been in reference to the 2-5 year estimate and for good reason. CDs are far from perfect but the only ones who would claim that they crap out on average between 2-5 years are their competitors.

[ROF]

I don't know of any media that conforms to 100% reliability. If security is important than backups of your data on several differing media is the way to go. Even then nothing is 100%.

[Nelson37]

I count at least 6 posts which certainly seem to be suggesting that NONE of their old CD's have failed. While I do not think that ALL or even any significant portion will fail in any given period, the possibly certainly exists that SOME will fail. As large quantities of burned disks have only been around for a few years, the true reality will become more obvious as time goes on. Critical data or video should be backed up more than once, on more than one type of media, and checked regularly.

Among people I know who are reasonably intelligent, educated, and get their information from more than one source, the only ones who hold a negative opinion on Fox News are completely brainwashed liberals who are no longer able to think for themselves. Simply watch Fox and any network news show and decide for yourself which is giving more facts and less opinion in the news portions of the broadcast.

[Cornucopia]

That's odd, because I could say just the opposite:

Among people I know who are reasonably intelligent, educated, and get their information from more than one source, the only ones who hold a positive opinion on Fox News are completely brainwashed conservatives who are no longer able to think for themselves. Simply watch Fox and any network news show and decide for yourself which is giving more facts and less opinion in the news portions of the broadcast.

The whole "we report, you decide" stuff is crap. You can only "decide" when you're given BOTH viewpoints. They NEVER give both viewpoints EVER.

but back on topic...

This is really a non-issue. I think everybody here knows no media is 100% permanent. The best thing to do for archiving of AV media is to find a semi-permanent medium, make a NUMBER of COPIES, and periodically migrate these to newer media as they become available, not just because the media will wear out, but also because the PLAYBACK SYSTEM will wear out, too.

Scott

[pepegot1]

I am always skeptical of those who have to profess their virtue be it "fair and balanced," or hide behind the mantra of Christain platitudes whilst they practice roguery and deception.

[adam]

I count at least 6 posts which certainly seem to be suggesting that NONE of their old CD's have failed.

Right...yet. No one here is claiming that it will last forever just that on average it will last much longer than 2-5 years. You have to agree with this.

[Nelson37]

Absolutely agree 2-5 years is too short but also note that forever is definitely too long.

How is lifespan determined? Failure of one in 10? One in a hundred, a thousand?, more? It is a sliding scale.

As to the original article, and other perceptions. After reading it, I think I understand the problem. Apparently some are perceiving this as a "news" or informational article. It is clearly biased marketing, I am somewhat astonished that anyone would think it to be anything else. I mean really, if someone who worked for Ford said all Chevy's wear out within 5 years, would there be any question?

Bias is present in almost everything. Once you understand that, it becomes easier to identify it and filter it out. People who had heard nothing but Chevy propaganda for 30 years or more would naturally take the stance that the Ford guy above was just absolutely wrong. Exposure to both points of view, as opposed to just one, would gradually sink in the fact that the truth lies somewhere in between, and that neither side is 100% correct or 100% wrong.

As for the news, I urge anyone to watch both type of programs. Listen not just to What is said but also How it is said. Listen to the descriptive terms used, and ask yourself Why such terms are being added to what should be simple, factual reporting. Seperate fact from opinion, whether it agrees with your own or not. I can cite specific examples if anyone is interested, as opposed to vague generalities and name-calling.