Do Burned CDs Have a Short Life Span?

IDG News Service takes a look at CDs and doesn’t like what it sees. Opinions vary on how to preserve data on digital storage media, such as optical CDs and DVDs. Kurt Gerecke, a physicist and storage expert at IBM Deutschland, has his own view: If you want to avoid having to burn new CDs every few years, use magnetic tapes to store all your pictures, videos and songs for a lifetime.
“Unlike pressed original CDs, burned CDs have a relatively short life span of between two to five years, depending on the quality of the CD,” Gerecke says. “There are a few things you can do to extend the life of a burned CD, like keeping the disc in a cool, dark space, but not a whole lot more.”

January 10, 2006 by Uncategorized 2

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2 Responses

  1. Anna says:
    January 11, 2006 at 12:38 am

    made in Japan
    There are lots of discussions about this on live music recording websites. The general consensus is that using high quality blank media will help keep your collection from being damaged in a few years. I’ve made it a point to buy blank media made in Japan because the quality of the plastics and dyes tend to be better than those made elsewhere. I can’t find these in the stores, so I pay a little extra for shipping, but it’s worth it.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    January 11, 2006 at 1:40 am

    “Gold” CDs
    I got me some of those Archival Gold eFilm CDs, they say last pretty much forever. I’ve got some backups on them, and I’m working on backing up all my digital pictures as well. SHopping around, you can find them for less than a buck a piece.

    I wonder if they’re really going to last 300 years?

    Reply

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