CDRs

[(Shovel)]

Read an artical on the Reg recently about the quality of CD-Rs.

IT concerned the quality of the dye used, bringing to light the fact that some dyes do not last very long at all (20 months), while some manufactureres (presumably using different dyes) claim their CDs will last 50 years.

The result is the CDs tested after 20 months could not be read, a serious compromise as far as data backup goes, and with regard to storing things like photographs.

So, picking the brains of the community: Do we actually know which dye will last 50 years? And critically, do we know which brands use the best dyes?

For short term stuff like Audio CDs cheap brands do me fine, but I want to do proper backups of my PC and start getting my photos backed up onto long term media (I'll be heartbroken if my hard drive fails).

Recommendations/Online evidence anyone?

 

[Ch3tan]

I would really like to know this as well, as I have a lot of photos that are unreplaceable.

 

[Embattle]

I think TDC posted something about this in a topic, can't remember where though.

I do believe it has a relation with prices and quality, basically the more you pay the better the CDR in most cases.

If you buy those spindle based CDs which contain 100 CDRs and are really cheap don't expect them to last over a long period of time, if you stick them up to light you can normally see right through the CD.

This post will help guide you to the better brands:

http://forums.cd-rw.org/thread_view.cfm/12824

The thing to realise is that many brands are made by the same manufacturer.

A tool to help you get info about the CDR:

http://cd-rw.org/software/cdr_software/cdr_tools/cdridentifier.cfm

 

[(Shovel)]

Thank you Emb. I'll run my CDs through that thing and see what I can find out about them.

Being able to establish the dye type from it, as it claims you can, seems to be the best bit so far.

Ta.

 

[xane]

Originally posted by Embattle
If you buy those spindle based CDs which contain 100 CDRs and are really cheap don't expect them to last over a long period of time

The spindle CDRs are cheap because there are no jewel cases, they are not necessarily cheap brands, I have a stack of 50 Memorex on a spindle, which according to you link are made by Ritek and considered good quality.

Great links btw

 

[MYstIC G]

Kodak ones always used to be the daddy, never used to buy anything else. That thread explains what happened to them though, which sucks

 

[Testin da Cable]

I did indeed post about this more or less because worries about the integrity of data in long-term storage affects me at work. though the 6~700odd megs capacity on a cdrom is a bit small though just the thing for a ghost image imo. I generally keep tags on all aspects of all media available.

here at BigCompany we use tapes, either interned in robot silos or scattered about the place in racks of tapeunits. said tapes are supposed to be good for 30 years, which to me is a profoundly silly statement for various reasons but that's beside the point. anyway, the needs of a company profoundly differ from the wishes of a consumer inasmuch as a consumer expects (rightly imo) his freshly burned cdrom to last "forever"...realistically 5 to 10 years or so. this belief is subtly built apon by the manufacturers who will be caught dead before putting a sticker on their product saying warning!! product will degrade in 20 months!!

having said that, the ideas that burgeon into my mind come thick and fast, and WPKenny posted about this in the music (or was it film) forum iirc. what happens if you make a cdrom that degrades quickly after a certain period of time, or after a certain number of exposures to the reading laser? wouldn't that be a nice way to jack up the flagging audio sales?
consider tdc's mad idea: there is a cd with some music on it. this cd will degrade after ooh...1 month (or 20 plays or whatever). said cd costs um...lets say 5 pounds. now this: you like the cd and want to buy the "real thing". you turn the degradable cd in at your nearest record store and get a 3 pound discount on the price of the "real" cd and the other one gets reused or something.

how does that sound? what happens when you apply that to....a PS/2 game? Tekken8 comes out for the playstation. you buy it on a degradable disk for 2 pounds and this gets you 10 plays or something like that. you like the game and turning the temporary cd in gets you a 10 pound discount on every second game you buy....heh

now I'm utterly non-commercial...but I like to play with ideas like that feel free to lather me with scorn

 

[kameleon]

*dons knuckle dusters


So that the music companies can screw even more money out of us ?

 

[Testin da Cable]

possibly. maybe. I dunno! *confused*

 

[1tchy trigger]

*takes 10 play degradable cd, makes a 'backup' of cd and burns image onto new cd*

 

[Testin da Cable]

aha, but that's the trick isn't it. I hadn't mentioned it in my idea-dump post, but this is where copy protection really gets to shine


woo isn't it fun to dabble in the ways of the dark side?

 

[1tchy trigger]

*ban*

 

[xane]

I think TdC bemoans the loss of vinyl discs

 

[kameleon]

Originally posted by xane
I think TdC bemoans the loss of Wax cylinders*

Fi><0red

 

[Testin da Cable]

I'm not that old fashioned!!

 

[xane]

You'll be saying you want Slimline Salad Dressing next !

 

[vofflujarnid]

This CDRInformation v1.63 program doesn't work for my Plextor Premium CD-R

 

[Embattle]

Originally posted by xane
The spindle CDRs are cheap because there are no jewel cases, they are not necessarily cheap brands, I have a stack of 50 Memorex on a spindle, which according to you link are made by Ritek and considered good quality.

Great links btw

This is true, although I'm reffering more to you real cheap see through brands