home video on dvd Warning

On Dec 2, 1:52*pm, Paul Heslop wrote:
Vincent wrote:

"Paul Heslop" wrote in message
...
Paul S wrote:

"Paul Heslop" wrote in message
...
Gary wrote:

"Paul Heslop" wrote in message

Mine were in proper DVD cases

Gary

so that quashes the idea that direct sunlight is the main cause of
damage

It may be that although they look black to us that some 'light'
frequencies
would still see it as transparent?

--

Paul S

could well be, I know some of them are at least opaque. Mine stand in
a shelf which is out of direct sunlight too.

Or sunlight could be one of several ways that discs get damaged...

Whatever the cause though, I think it's fair to say that optical media isn't
very reliable for long term (greater than 5 years) storage.

--
Vincent

didn't they used to call it disc rot or something?

I remember that being mentioned for CDs where the paint chemicals
could eat through from underneath, but I don't recall anything like
that for DVDs.
I found some blank CDs from a few years ago still in their tub in a
cupboard and they've all gone yellow(ish). Haven't tried them out yet
but I don't actually need them.

In message , Paul Heslop
writes
Gary wrote:

"Paul Heslop" wrote in message

Mine were in proper DVD cases

Gary

so that quashes the idea that direct sunlight is the main cause of
damage
Sunlight, humidity. Temperature changes and time can all kill writeable
media. A combination of them is a surefire killer all you can do is
minimise them and make backups.
--
Clint Sharp

In message , Gary
writes
Nero disk analyzer can see the tracks but I cannot lift the tracks. any
help would be appreciated.

Read as slow as possible, try older DVD-ROM drives and if available,
older writers to read back.
they were both in proper black DVD cases.

Gary



Gary

--
Clint Sharp

On 2-Dec-2009, Clint Sharp wrote:

Sunlight, humidity. Temperature changes and time can all kill writeable
media.

You forgot oxidation.
Not that keeping them in the dark, in a mu-metal box (best to cover
everything), under vacuum, in a dessicator (just in case of any residual
air,
or from moisture released by any organic component), at a constant
4 degrees C, is viable for most of us.
What is the life of data stored on a disk drive that is only turned on
to access the data?
Like if I transfer all my multi-media stuff on to a 1 or 2TB drive?

Come to think of it, with a vacuum pump, and fused glass
feed-throughs, I could evacuate the chamber, and keep it in the
fridge. Won't take up much room.

"Ato_Zee" wrote in message
...

On 2-Dec-2009, Clint Sharp wrote:

Sunlight, humidity. Temperature changes and time can all kill writeable
media.

You forgot oxidation.
Not that keeping them in the dark, in a mu-metal box (best to cover
everything), under vacuum, in a dessicator (just in case of any residual
air,
or from moisture released by any organic component), at a constant
4 degrees C, is viable for most of us.

What about cosmic rays?

Better store them two miles down at the bottom of an abandoned mine to be on
the safe side.

--
Max Demian

Mike wrote:
On Dec 2, 11:01 am, wrote:
On Wed, 2 Dec 2009 10:57:58 -0000

"Vincent" wrote:
Whatever the cause though, I think it's fair to say that optical media isn't
very reliable for long term (greater than 5 years) storage.
For write once or RW discs thats certainly true, but for factory pressed
discs then as long as you treat them well they should last for decades.

Hence the statement 'optical media for storage' ?

Look for the term "archive". There are some (more expensive) discs
designed for that purpose. We also buy a lot rated "medical" which seem
to be better - not that long term is our requirement.

Andy

In article , "Vincent" wrote:
"Gary" wrote in message
...
I have just checked my DVDs with home video on them and some are unreadable
and some are fussy.

I suggest anyone with similar should do the same. before it is too late.

Yep - recordable optical media seems to become unreadable in a few years.
I've noticed this too. I used to backup my Playstation 1 games and use the
backups. They were expensive branded CDs, and now all of them (10 years
later) are unreadable.


More than likely its the laser in the playstation 1 that has become weaker
over time.


Replace the laser mech in the ps1, its only around $10-20 to do so.


I read a page online about this phenomenon a few years ago, and the theory
was that over time normal light (from sun, bulbs, etc) would blank the
discs. While the laser (which is just light of a specific wavelength) was
much more powerful, it was only on each bit (or pit) of the disc for an
extremely short time. Over the years, the ambient light adds up to a pass
with the laser. I'm not saying this is true, but it's what I read, and I do
have some support for this as media I've kept in a metal safe (i.e. dark)
has been fine, despite being recorded on the same burner and the media being
the same type.

On Wed, 2 Dec 2009 16:01:05 GMT, "Ato_Zee"
wrote:

Like if I transfer all my multi-media stuff on to a 1 or 2TB drive?

Come to think of it, with a vacuum pump, and fused glass
feed-throughs, I could evacuate the chamber, and keep it in the
fridge.

Don't try to run a hard drive in vacuum. The heads fly on a cushion of
air to avoid crashing into the platters.

Pure nitrogen might work.
--
RoRo

In message , Ato_Zee
writes

On 2-Dec-2009, Clint Sharp wrote:

Sunlight, humidity. Temperature changes and time can all kill writeable
media.
Come to think of it, with a vacuum pump, and fused glass
feed-throughs, I could evacuate the chamber, and keep it in the
fridge. Won't take up much room.
It wouldn't work in a vacuum either, hard disks rely on air pressure to
fly the heads.


--
Clint Sharp

In article , Paul Martin
wrote:
didn't they used to call it disc rot or something?

That's a different phenomenon. Incorrect laquer layers were used, which
eventually exposed the aluminium "silver" layer to oxidation.

That might be what happened to some Hyperion CDs some years back. They
went brown and wouldn't play properly. The company put a notice on their
website explaining this and offering free replacement, which they
honoured.

Rod.
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