CD-Recordable discs unreadable in less than two years

CDFreaks.com (by way of SlashDot) ^ | 19 August 2003 | Dennis

[Eala]

The Dutch PC-Active magazine has done an extensive CD-R quality test. For the test the magazine has taken a look at the readability of discs, thirty different CD-R brands, that were recorded twenty months ago. The results were quite shocking as a lot of the discs simply couldn't be read anymore:

Roughly translated from Dutch:

The tests showed that a number of CD-Rs had become completely unreadable while others could only be read back partially. Data that was recorded 20 months ago had become unreadable. These included discs of well known and lesser known manufacturers.

It is presumed that CD-Rs are good for at least 10 years. Some manufacturers even claim that their CD-Rs will last up to a century. From our tests it's concluded however that there is a lot of junk on the market. We came across CD-Rs that should never have been released to the market. It's completely unacceptable that CD-Rs become unusable in less than two years.

On the image you can see the exact same CD-R. On the left you see the outcome of our tests done in 2001. On the right you see the same CD-R in 2003. The colours indicate the severeness of the errors in the following order; white, green, yellow and red whereas white indicates that the disc can be read well and red indicates that it cannot be read.

For those of you who are interested, the original Dutch article can be found here and in the September issue of PC-Active. Please discuss this subject in our Media Forum.

[Physicist]

You're not luddites. You're "techno-Amish".

[null and void]

Maybe we ought to go back to the old style of recording, but on titanium instead of vinyl for important stuff. Edison records still play just fine.

Titanium would work. Strong, stable surface oxide, and unmeltable in an ordinary fire.

[Moonman62]

What almost made me cry is the discovery that a Japanese company actually is producing a contact-free laser driven turntable that nobody can afford to buy at $10k a pop. If mass produced and simplified by advancing electronic technology, I can foresee stamped media literally lasting indefinitely, and affordable to a larger segment of the world.

From what I understand, mass produced cd's are stamped on the plastic, backed by a smooth reflective layer. It's only cdr's that use dye, which can wear out. My problem with older cd's is cracking of the plastic, or in a few cases, the relective layer has disintegrated.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

how valuable will your CDs be 25 years from now when CD-ROM Drives don't exist?

They'll exist if you don't discard them. I have reel-to-reel machines, 8-track and cassette tape devices, PCs with 5 1/4" floppy disk capabilty and I intend to keep my CD read/write capability. Technology changes but no one is forcing anyone to throw out the old stuff. Keep it and maintain it.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Still, for the permamant archival market, industrial quality recorders and CD media should get the job done, I would think.

Good point. You can bet your @$$ that the quality and consistency of those units is far better than the $50 CD-RW drive you toss into a PC these days.

[Bogey78O]

VHS are an analog medium. As such loss of data is only a reduction in quality. There are many tapes I have from my parents that are still viewable but the colors and sound has degraded so much it takes effort to watch.

[Bogey78O]

RAID 1

Where one fails the other preserves.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Ever read the book "Heiro's Journey"?

Psssst.

I believe the proper spelling is "Hiero's".

[moehoward]

I know.

I am saying so far, 8 years after I was to be experiencing trouble. There is no loss of quality on any of the tapes I watch. Some are my daughters and get seen (at least partially) extremely often.

Of course YMMV.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

"The 9 Billion Names of God". Great short story.

Absolutely top notch short story. The best last line of any short story I've ever read. Actually, sort of chilling.

[Calvin Locke]

I thought VHS tapes started to go after 10 years. I also remember at documentary statement that NASA recorded so much
data during Apollo, that the tapes would "die" before NASA got around to analyzing it.

That's not to mention the coming pole shift and its effects on magnetic media. :-)

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

I have over 6000 books at my house too (most technical). I love information.

Super, now we'll know who to track down to help rebuild civilization after Lucifer's Hammer hits!

Hot Fudge Sundae falls on Tuesdae this week...

[RadioAstronomer]

I believe the proper spelling is "Hiero's".

Whooops! You are correct!

[RadioAstronomer]

Actually, sort of chilling.

Indeed it was! :-)

Not as chilling as the short story; "A Walk in the Dark" though! WOW that was some story too!

[RadioAstronomer]

The first computer I worked on was a PDP-4, w/ 4K or RAM, and it booted from tape! Had to load the registers by hand, too! Fun!

That goes back a bit :-)

[RadioAstronomer]

Super, now we'll know who to track down to help rebuild civilization after Lucifer's Hammer hits!

:-)

[strela]

Disturbing and annoying news. I'm about 90 percent of the way through scanning over 10,000 family photographs into my system to end up eventually on data CD. I'm also converting about 6000 feet of Super 8 movie film to video, to end up on DVD eventually.

[BlazingArizona]

All of my 15 year-old music CDs still play without a hitch, so I cannot believe the medium itself is fundamentally flawed.

The pits in a commercially produced CD are PRESSED, and will last until the substrate itself crumbles. The article is talking about CD's you make yourself ("burn") on chemical phase-change media.

[Kevin Curry]

That makes perfect sense.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Think about it. How many reading this can read 5-1/4 inch floppies? Anyone?

I have a working 486 stored in my basement that will do it - its only been there 6 months.