The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

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IslandPink
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#1 The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by IslandPink »

Well the nightmare has begun. I was aware of the risks of putting important TV material down on DVD-R's , now it's started.
I pulled out a case the other day with 'Dr. Feelgood / The Fall' on the label. I pulled out the disc, put it into the Sony machine and it reported the disc was unreadable. No obvious signs of peeling or colour change or blotching on the DVD side, but nothing coming out of it.
This features the rather great 'Oil City confidential' documentary with lots of Wilco Johnson, very fine piece of work.
This was probably only a 4 year old disc.
Now I'm stopping putting VHS stuff onto the Sony machine, might even try & buy another newer VHS machine and buy some tapes !

I suppose the best thing to do now is see if I can read all the current DVD stuff onto my PC and/or onto the Samsung external drive.

I really really do not want to find my Arena 'Beat Generation' doc and the Mark Cousin's extended interview with David Lynch have gone missing, that would be more than I could take.
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Ray P
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#2 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by Ray P »

I use a NAS for storing stuff I want to keep, DVDs are such a pfaff.
Sorry, I couldn't resist!
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#3 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by IslandPink »

NAS ?
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#4 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by Cressy Snr »

N.A.S. = Network Attached Storage
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ed
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#5 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by ed »

not sure this is relevant Mark, and it certainly won't make you feel any better, but...
when I got rid of all my vinyl in 2003 I burnt what I thought was unobtainable on to cd-r. Stuff like 'greatest show on earth', quintessence and those early harvest samplers, quicksilver messenger service, just a few that I can remember.

well I think you can guess....when I installed a NAS in 2005/2006ish, at least half the cds were unplayable....oh waily waily....

there's more..

I used to create those small cds as demos for studio clients...standard cd-r from studio supplies....well some of the ones I put sticky labels on came back within days as unplayable and most of the ones without labels lasted a bit longer.

now it might have had something to do with the burner I was using, but maybe not because I used a variety over a period of time, all with similar results. So I deffo suspect that some cd-rs were better than others. Why should it be any different with dvd!

trouble is you never know until it's too late.
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#6 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by simon »

I was told by data professionals that CDR can only be counted on for 6 years. You may get longer,the technology might have improved, but they're not archival standard, home kit at least.

In blind faith (or hope) I tend to burn at slower speeds in the hope the pits will be burnt deeper and therefore last longer. But I'm probably kidding myself.
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#7 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by IslandPink »

I was hoping that someone would have created better recordable DVD discs, but I suppose technology has moved on into other areas. Still, at the moment I suppose I'll still have to create discs form the computer storage to use on my front-room TV .
I did find the Mark Cousins interview with David Lynch on Youtube, but it's pot luck what's on there for the future.
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#8 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by Ray P »

IslandPink wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:40 pm Still, at the moment I suppose I'll still have to create discs form the computer storage to use on my front-room TV .
Why? I'm sure your TV could be attached to some sort of streaming device so you could play material from any connected computer storage.

Ray
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#9 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by IslandPink »

Ray P wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:24 pm Why?
Well, it wouldn't be me working out how to do that !
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#10 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by IslandPink »

Another one gone - Dylan 'No Direction Home, part 2' . The VHS-DVD conversion project is officially abandoned !
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#11 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by Ray P »

Mark, you really need to invest in something like a NAS and a streaming solution. I know your reluctant and nervous but there's plenty of assistance on tap here. I've ripped a number of DVDs to hard disk and they all play just fine. Happy to help.
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#12 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by Nick »

in the hope the pits will be burnt deeper and therefore last longer
Recordable disks don't have pits. Write once uses a dye that is burnt by the laser to look like a pit. the RW ones use a phase change in a crystal material, the heat of the laser changes them from amorphous to crystalline, to erase them a brighter laser heats them more to turn tit back to amorphous. The crystals are shiner than the amorphous version, so again, work like pits.

Just FYI
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#13 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by Nick »

Ray P wrote: Sat Aug 18, 2018 11:15 pm Mark, you really need to invest in something like a NAS and a streaming solution. I know your reluctant and nervous but there's plenty of assistance on tap here. I've ripped a number of DVDs to hard disk and they all play just fine. Happy to help.
You have got part way there with the Pi and music on hard disk.
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#14 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by IslandPink »

Ray P wrote: Sat Aug 18, 2018 11:15 pm Mark, you really need to invest in something like a NAS and a streaming solution. I know your reluctant and nervous but there's plenty of assistance on tap here. I've ripped a number of DVDs to hard disk and they all play just fine. Happy to help.
Yes, true - now, I checked and remembered I'd read a DVD ( Arena 'Beat Generation' documentary and David Lynch interview ) to the computer and got as far as it being in a folder, but it wouldn't play from there. Here's is a capture showing how it looks at the moment :
DVD_folder.JPG
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#15 Re: The nightmare of self-destructing DVDs.

Post by Neal »

simon wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:53 pm I was told by data professionals that CDR can only be counted on for 6 years. You may get longer,the technology might have improved, but they're not archival standard, home kit at least.
Really depends on the dye used in the disc. CDRs are not 100% UV resistant but the darker dyes (deep blue/green) tend to be better lasting than the light coloured ones....but yes, they are not fit for archival use.
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