DVD Degregation

[Ricky]

How long do DVDs (and CDs too) last? Are they going to wear out, start to degrade in time with poor storage or anything? What shelf life can we expect?

[Time]

Probs when the sales of Blu-Ray increase to a billion. I dunno. Sometime soon though. But the thing is, Blu-Ray is like £40 just for 1 disc!!

[aperio]

I don't think your DVD movies are going to disintegrate or anything along those lines if that's what you're worried about. I would suspect the biggest danger to your discs are the scratches they get. As for Blu-Ray... I agree with you Time - I think the pricetag for those movies is part of what makes me not-so-excited about the new technology at this point.

[AbigailD]

There is evidence that CDs do break down over time-the layer that contains the data breaks up if badly stored, or if kept in a case that holds them too tightly so that they bend when you take them out. The flexing isn't too good for them.

[layla]

I hate those cases that hold them in so tightly you need the jaws of life to watch your film!

Around my house though the main cause of degradation is poor tidiness on my part.. they never seem to make it back to the case, for some reason.

[Ricky]

Heh, I have had similar issues far too often myself. I tend to find though more that the problem is that I put a new film in, and instead of finding the right case, I put the old disc inside the new disc's box so they end up all messed up.

[The Master Chief]

DVD's, much like CD's can suffer from disc rot I think...

Have to admit, I am not sure though.

I really wish that all these disc based formats are much more durable, and we all can accidentally scratch or drop a disc.

[fidget]

the biggest risk around here is little fingers. It all went downhill when the 3 year old figured out how to open the cases! At least she has a "mischief dialogue" that sets in whenever she's being naughty. "Mama says not to touch the discs. I opened it. Maybe I will take it out now..." Makes my job easy.

[Collyweed]

I think the main cause of degradation is scratches and scrapes along the surface. Seems to me like the longer you have them then no matter how you try, they are going to get scratched.

[purplefdu]

I've definitely got some old discs from when I bought my DVD player back in college. So they would easily be ten years or older. Being in a childless household (and not loaning them out to people with kids) has kept them from scratching. I normally replace the ones in tight holders as I worry about the disc breaking. Based on the technology they should definitely outlive scratches building up.