Next message: FRANKENSTEIN Paul: "RE: [WinMac] DVD burner"
Tom Roth wrote:
>>"DUSSAULT, YVES" wrote:
>>
>>I realize this is still all new but are there any known issues with long term
>>durability/reliability of the media like with some CD-ROM media? I remember
>>seeing a site that seemed almost entirely devoted to CD-ROM and discussed
>>media issues; I thought I had bookmarked it but I can't find it. Does anybody
>>have a reference to this or an other site that might adress DVD media issues?
>>
>
> You might look at:
>
> http://www.macintouch.com/cdrfailure.html
>
>
OY! That string of posts is a giant gmish of urban legend, unverified
anecdotal evidence and FUD pure and simple. It's mostly 'squeaky wheel'
evidence.
Yes, there are cheap CDR's out there. Yes, if you mishandle them they
can become unreadable.
This does not mean that everyone's cdr's are crap in a week. I have a
number of CDR's that are over 5 years old now. None of them have
exhibited any problems (though, granted, they sit in their jewel cases
in the box 99.999% of the time)
They were even written on with Sharpie markers <gasp>!
The problem is the rapid evolution of CDR manufacture and the limited
time that the media has been around, and the entirely uncontrolled
nature of any study of CDR longevity means that no one knows how long
the things will last.
One person rather authoritatively states that green dye CDR's WILL lose
their data after a year, and that it's been going on for ten years now,
but very few consumers are aware of this.
Say WHAT???? The things would be off the market if that were the case.
The links purporting all of this evidence are mostly run by people with
competing products to push.
Many more people said cleaning their CD drives fixed the 'bad' media.
That said, no one has any clue how long data on CDR's, much less DVDR's
will last reliably. They haven't been around long enough.
If you have archival data that is critical, refresh it onto new media on
a yearly basis. Do multiple burns, keep the copies in multiple
geographic locations. Belts, suspenders and velcro...
--
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group
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: Wed Jul 25 2001 - 10:52:18 PDT