Burned Dvd Lifespan

So I'm putting together a dvd for my trips that I've been having recently here in East Asia.


Now I'm planning to burn it on quality media as a Dvd-R double layer dvd.


Then I want to throw it in the photo album (so I can look back at it 20+ years from now).

how long do you think the disc will physically last as a consumer burned dvd (granted it will not be scratched or have any wear being in a concealed photo album)?


Also, would that be your long term storage medium of choice? It is the best I can think of right now (project is a dvd movie @ ~9GB) since a mechanical hard drive would be soooo legacy in 20+ years.

I imagine a dual layere dvd will also be quite outdated in 20 years. You may have to transfer the data onto whatever is the new medium of choice before DVD's get outdated in probably under 10 years.
But as far as what is available now, that would be your best option.
As far as the DVD lifespan, I don't see any reason why it would deteriorate at all if it was not being used.

Ever since the advent of the CD there has been debate regarding the stability of the media.
IMO, there is no way to really tell since the disks haven't been around long enough to gather a large data set about media degradation...after all, how old is your oldest burned DVD...does it still work?

Irregardless, K's point is probably the most relevant.
Any device you can imagine today will be "legacy" in ten years- nevermind twenty- and the whole concept of futureproofing as applied to computers is nonsensical.

For the short term a DVD will be fine and you should just plan on migrating to whatever the next storage solution will be (flash memory cards?).

As with any critical data, you should CYA and backup to multiple formats.
Burn a DVD, copy to a backup hard drive and you might also consider online storage possibilities.
Hell, you could always print the photos on a quality paper and album them.
I have photos from my grandparents that are still just fine and look at the "legacy" tech they were using...

Ya its funny Clocker most of my problems with my home computer are picture related . My wife did n't understand that a harddrive fails , dvd's get scratched or files get deleted . I recommended burning to disk and taking to Walmart to print them . Walmart does n't do DVD disks . :dabs:

I still get her to print them as it seems safer , movies I'm not sure but I still have a Sony Betamax so ......... :D

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Originally Posted by peat moss

most of my problems with my home computer are picture related...I still get her to print them as it seems safer...

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Funny thing...your eyes will never be "legacy tech".

It's an interesting phenomenon that we tend to try solving problems originally exacerbated by technology by turning to even more sophisticated technology.
And somehow, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, we seem to believe the newer technology will be more permanent than the previous iteration.

For example...
We have a good idea about what the subject of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa looked like six centuries after her passing and it could be argued that due to the prism of the artist's genius we know more than just her physical appearance- all without a watt of electricity being expended.
Six hundred years from now will someone (thing?) be able to pick up a miraculously preserved DVD disk and look into the heart of your children?

I agree you should always back up your stuff on a different media.:)
I have a picture of my grandparents taken in 1880. I only have the one because they did not back it up on disc.:cry:

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"The International Standards Organization (ISO) quality media manufacturers have been able to document data life-spans ranging from 50-200 years. But keep in mind there are wide differences between low budget media operations and quality media firms. In addition variations in manufacturing methods, materials and processes/procedures can dramatically effect the data life of the media you use."

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So, under ideal conditions a quality disc could hold data for your life time, that of your children, their children, and maybe longer.

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Originally Posted by Broken

So, under ideal conditions a quality disc could hold data for your life time, that of your children, their children, and maybe longer.

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Is your quote describing a burned disk or a pressed one?

And keep in mind- the disk itself is only half the equation, what about the player?

If I were to hand you a wax roll from an early 1900's Gramaphone, what would you do with it?
Can't you just imagine your great grandchildren rooting through the attic and finding your stash of DVDs...
"WTF is this?"
"Dunno, porn, maybe?"
"Eeeew."

Burned media has a 50-200 (at the extreme end) year data life, depending on the quality of the materials used during manufacture and storage. This could vary wildly depending on those factors. A cheap disk may only last a few months.


TKD has a first in the industry lifetime guarantee against data loss due to decay on their disk (their definition of lifetime is 65 years). Now, in 50 years I don't know how many people would really return a disk for a replacement. The warranty is solely limited to replacement of the disk.


Gramophone disk (cylinder recordings also exist but are not readily playable with today's machines) dating as far back as the 1890's still exist today and it is technically possible to play such a record on a modern machine (record player). With proper care there is not set "lifespan" of this media. To my people's surprise 'records' are still in production today. That gives this media a 100+ year history, and it is still a somewhat viable format. I saw one in a cd/tape/record combo just the other day.

A better example would be a VHS. Next year the format will be 32 years old. It's obsolete.
Yet I could still go to the local mart and pick one up brand new(probably a VHS/DVD combo unit would be easier to find).

I don't think VHS will be around much longer though. Simply because the media on the format would have decayed. The life of a VHS tape is only about 15 years under the best possible conditions. But then again, a lot of personal camcorders still rely on the format. Time will tell, but I think at the most another 20 years.


Considering the pure amount of movies/data stored on DVD and that it has possible 200 year lifespan I'd say it's a viable format for more than the foreseeable future. As long as the media exist there will be a market and players will be made.


I think everyone's DVD porn collection is very safe. ;)

Yeah it would be best to just burn it on dvd (it has movies + pictures) then just update the medium as dvd dies.

Hopefully I won't be too old and lazy by then ;)

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Originally Posted by clocker

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Originally Posted by peat moss

most of my problems with my home computer are picture related...I still get her to print them as it seems safer...

---

Funny thing...your eyes will never be "legacy tech".

It's an interesting phenomenon that we tend to try solving problems originally exacerbated by technology by turning to even more sophisticated technology.
And somehow, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, we seem to believe the newer technology will be more permanent than the previous iteration.

For example...
We have a good idea about what the subject of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa looked like six centuries after her passing and it could be argued that due to the prism of the artist's genius we know more than just her physical appearance- all without a watt of electricity being expended.
Six hundred years from now will someone (thing?) be able to pick up a miraculously preserved DVD disk and look into the heart of your children?

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Well put my friend as the treasures are so clear in my mind , the children I mean . I look at a picture and can almost remember the time and date and nail to the wall for all to see .


No one can see from the little rack of CD or DVD 'S of pictures , what I cherish most . :)

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Originally Posted by Broken

Considering the pure amount of movies/data stored on DVD and that it has possible 200 year lifespan I'd say it's a viable format for more than the foreseeable future. As long as the media exist there will be a market and players will be made.


I think everyone's DVD porn collection is very safe. ;)

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You are a true optimist...since when has the "pure amount" of anything insured it's survival?
How many floppy disks do you think there are and when was the last time you saw a new PC with a floppy reader?
How many PS2 mice and keyboards exist and did you know that new Dells have no ports to plug them into?

Let's assume that the disk itself will survive and be playable for 200 years...
Just to be generous, let's assume you even have a brand N.I.B. 200 year old DVD player...

What are the chances you still have 110v AC power to plug into it?
How do you export the video signal to (whatever) the display device of the time may be?

So my point would be that we've gone past the point where technology produces the data (i.e., drawing, book, photograph) to where technology stores the data as well and without the appropriate extraction device (floppy reader, DVD player) the data is useless.
Pick up an unlabeled DVD and tell me- just by looking at it- what it contains.

I recall (if just barely) life before TV.
I definitely remember the advent of color TV.
I know that even 5 years ago a PC DVD burner was a major investment (over $200) and now they're dirt cheap.
Given the avalanche of technology I've seen in just my lifetime do you find it surprising that I don't believe that any of it will be permanent, much less survive for 200 years?