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Re: tape digitizing

Subject: Re: tape digitizing
From: "Dan Dugan" dandugan_1999
Date: Sun Sep 27, 2009 4:20 pm ((PDT))
> --- In  Dan Dugan <> wrote:
>> Seems to me a properly-stored CD-R might be accessible longer than a
>> hard drive. The hard drive interface is likely to be obsolete sooner,
>> and the unused mechanism likely to get sticky.
> Hard Drives are pretty durable as long as you don't store them in a  
> super humid environment.  Inside and air-conditioned environment,  
> they should last a very long time.  The interface, IDE or SATA of  
> various speeds, will be around for a long time and like all archival  
> media, you may need to migrate data along with progress.
>
>> Can you point me to a source for that information?
>
> It started here:
>
> http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/Technology/CD-R/Media/Longevity.html
>
> A much more exhaustive analysis here:
>
> http://www.audioholics.com/education/audio-formats-technology/cd-and-dvd-longevity-how-long-will-they-last
>
>
>> What's the failure mode?
>
> Dye layer failure I would suspect.

If you're going to make this argument in public, I'm going to ask you  
for better back-up than suspicion.

> As for me, I use them, but I only trust them so far and have had  
> them fail with 5-6 year old data.

The first article is from 1998 and has no technical information. The  
second, from 2004, makes the point that media quality and storage make  
a difference. That doesn't change my opinion that a CD-R made on good  
stock with a good level of contrast and stored properly will have a  
very long life. Sure, cheap stock and leaving them in the sun will  
produce early failure.

I've just re-checked my oldest CDR, from 1995. It's fine.

-Dan Dugan






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