Question about longevity of cdr's.

[Calavera]

Hello guys. How long you guys think cdr's last. How often you think I should make backup copies. Do they require any special care?.

I wouldn't want to lose any of these irreplaceable treasures, I've already made extra copies of the ones I will listen to the most. I will appreciate any suggestions. Thank you!!!!

[Claviusb]

This has been discussed at great length in the past. Feel free to use the Search feature.

[Ed Bishop]

Claims run from 50-250 years. Truth is, nobody knows. It's now known that some CD pressing plants made poor quality discs with aluminum flaking away year by year, eventually rendering the discs useless. Nor reason to think CD-R manufacturing is any different; some will likely last longer than others, and even be more resistant to scuffs and mild scratches.

We have some CD-R experts here to help you out, who unlike me know the nuts'n'bolts and info on this issue. Still...if you don't use a DiscMan or otherwise abuse a CD-R(use a regular player as a rule, not a PC unit), you just might be in your grave and the CD-R will still play. Or not. The format hasn't been around long enough to make a fair determination. There are anomalies in the process that suggest they won't last anywhere near the playable life of a redbook compact disc.

On the other hand, shellac 78's weren't made to last, but many millions still exist, and play very well, if carefully handled and archived. You can still buy a sealed Lp from the mid-'50s and get sound quality probably equal to what you would have heard way back when(within certain limitations). Or not. In the world of audio, nothing is utterly perfect; the attempt is to get as close as you can. There's always a next step...

ED:cool:

[Dan C]

This is a hot topic in the photography community. The now-discontinued Kodak gold CD-Rs were popular for archiving but the higher price led to relatively slow sales. There are some gold blend "professional" CD-Rs on the market supposedly designed to last longer than standard CD-Rs.
But like Ed said, there's almost no way to know if the blanks were made correctly in the first place. I have a feeling that historians are gonna be pretty pissed off at us 100 years from now.
Dan C

[Grant]

I have a friend who has a few 10-yr old TDK CD-Rs made with supposedly very unstable yellow dye. They still play.

I think a big issue is with manufacturing standards and storage of a written CD-R. If a blank that was manufactured to exact standards, written well, and stored properly, there is no reason not to believe it will last decades.

[Michael]

Most likely much longer than we expect. I have some older CDr's still playing fine. It's cheap enough to make a back-up of a your favs.
Don't ya just love it!, a perfect copy for next to nothing. :thumbsup:

[Grant]

Originally posted by Michael
Most likely much longer than we expect. I have some older CDr's still playing fine. It's cheap enough to make a back-up of a your favs.
Don't ya just love it!, a perfect copy for next to nothing. :thumbsup:

I'm tellin' ya! There were album masters made on certain brands and flavors of tape in the 70s and 80s that wouldn't play after just a year! We have CD-Rs that have lasted at least a decade! I don't understand why these people are worried about the sky falling because of archiving to CD-R. Perhaps it is the distrust of anything digital that many people have. There are many people who still don't want a computer in their homes. They act like it's going to microwave their bodies or something!

[Holy Zoo]

Originally posted by Grant
I have a friend who has a few 10-yr old TDK CD-Rs made with supposedly very unstable yellow dye. They still play.



All of my TDKs from way back then are dead or dying.

Just wanted to provide another data point.

[Grant]

I have had Fuji CD-Rs that flaked out after just six months! I have to believe it is the quality of the disc itself, the way the disc is written, and the burner used to make it. Again, I live in a relativley dry climate. Perhaps humidity is a real enemy.

Ahhhh, who the hell knows?:(

I guess my point is that people don't mistrust tape because some tape stock was made with the wrong kind of binder, or tends to stretch, or whatever. But they distrust CD-R because of a few sad stories. There is a risk in ALL storage media. You pick your poison.

Me? So far I have had good experiences with CD-R. So I tend to have a more favorable view of it. If one likes tape, well, tape isn't gone yet. If you aren't sure, backup to both! If one fails, you still have the other. One may not sound the same, but at least your work won't be lost.

[Gary Freed]

As always the early adapters of any new format suffer through the growing pains of a product as the manufacturers learn.

The new CDR's are meant to last much longer. Several Manufacturers are guaranteeing the data for 100 years.

[Joseph]

My oldest cdr's are 4 years and counting and still playing fine with no audible deterioration that I can detect.

I'm running an informal test of cdr durability. I've left a Fuju (Japan) cdr in my car changer for over one year. This is through Toronto's hot and muggy summers as well as our cold winters. Checked last week and the disc still looks and plays well.:thumbsup:

[Jamie Tate]

I have some Fuji CDs that are flaking but all my others play fine. Now my DATs, well, some are almost 15 years old now. I bet they'll be unplayable in a very short time. Good thing I archived them to CDs.

[Matt]

Mitsui CD-R's (silver and gold) and the classic Kodak gold CD-R's have never given me any problems, in terms of reading, writing, longevity, and compatibility. In school, these were the brands the faculty/staff development labs used, and you can still look through old files burned a decade ago with no errors.

The first music CD-R I ever burned was on an unbranded CD-R given to me from a friend. Gold backside, blue dye that appeared to be dark green with the gold backing, it still plays fine. Don't know if it's really error free or the player is just compensating for the few it does have, but it sound fine.

Sony's cyan CD-R's seem very reliable, too. The only cyan dye CD-R that has never given me problems.

The worst CD-R's I've run into all were unbranded, light blue or dark blue dye CD-R's with plain silver backing. These may have been made by the same manufacturer in Taiwan (Taiwan plants make okay CD-R's, but they seem to be more prone to errors than those made in Japan; supposedly a lower standard of quality in the Taiwan plants), but they came from different sellers, and they all had different problems. Silver backing flaking off, some strange oxidation on the silver backing for a few, and lots of errors. Lots of errors, painfully obvious when dozens of archived files were unreadable weeks later.

[Calavera]

Hello, I just want to thank you all for all your responses.
I was worried because I was told that cdr's would only last for a couple of years. So I take that a properly imaged Verbatim should last for a long time.
I'm going to sit back and enjoy my new collection for many years to come.
Thank you again!!

[Grant]

Calavera,

Who was it that told you this, anyway?

[wildjim]

I've used Verbatim CDRs for a long time the current Super AZO are said to have a life span of 120 years; which is 20-40 years longer than most other brands. Also they are said to be resistant to sunlight damage.

I also have used Kodak and Fuji with great results.

The experience I've had is that direct sunlight will damage CDRs as will dramatic temperature changes no matter what brand. So if they are of great value do not leave them in the car.

[Michael]

So basically as in life, nothings perfect..just make 2 copies and forget about it...:thumbsup:

[Jamie Tate]

Originally posted by Michael
So basically as in life, nothings perfect...just make 2 copies and forget about it...:thumbsup:

I make 3 copies of important things... One to listen to, one safety and one in case I drop or scratch the safety.

One of my CDs got scratched so I got the safety out. While I was reaching to put it in my CD drive so I could make a copy of it the edge of the CD scraped the sharp edge of the CD drawer. That's when I started making 3 copies.

CDs are cheap.

[Michael]

Originally posted by yesman


I make 3 copies of important things... One to listen to, one safety and one in case I drop or scratch the safety.

One of my CDs got scratched so I got the safety out. While I was reaching to put it in my CD drive so I could make a copy of it the edge of the CD scraped the sharp edge of the CD drawer. That's when I started making 3 copies.

CDs are cheap.

Isn't it great! They're so cheap and sound like a million! Times are great for us consumers! We could only dream of such convenience years ago!:thumbsup:

[audiodrome]

I've been using Taiyoyuden CDRs for almost 10 years now with a 99.9% success rate and they all still play fine. The .1% failure rate was more than likely CD burner/computer error. My TDK and Fuji CDs from even earlier still play fine also.

Jamie - you're way ahead of me. I have a huge box full of DATS dating back to 1995 that I have yet to archive to CDR. I better get a move on...

[Jamie Tate]

Originally posted by audiodrome
I've been using Taiyoyuden CDRs for almost 10 years now with a 99.9% success rate and they all still play fine. The .1% failure rate was more than likely CD burner/computer error.

I use the Taiyo's too. All the studios and mastering houses here use them.

[Michael]

Originally posted by yesman


I use the Taiyo's too. All the studios and mastering houses here use them.


Now I have to try them...:thumbsup: Any links?

[Jamie Tate]

Here's (http://www.naprs.org/Members/nts/) where I buy mine.

[Craig]

Originally posted by Michael



Now I have to try them...:thumbsup: Any links?

I've used American Digital (http://www.american-digital.com/prodsite/category.asp?c=93) to buy Mitsui blanks and they also have TY.

[Michael]

Originally posted by yesman
Here's (http://www.naprs.org/Members/nts/) where I buy mine.


Thanks!:thumbsup: