Here is what McGowan wrote:
"CDs had one thing right, they were going to last forever. Now, studies show that may not always be the case.
"At issue is the fact that optical media uses a combination of different chemicals and manufacturing processes. That means that while the data storage and basic manufacturing of a disc are standardized, the particulars of how it was fabricated aren’t. Particular makes and particular batches are subject to different aging characteristics. And with some of these failures occurring in less than ten years, we’re finding out just how susceptible discs are outside of lab test conditions.
"In short, these flaws appear to be fairly widespread.
"THE PROBLEM CAN BE TRACED BACK TO USING FAULTY DYES WHICH CAN CAUSE DISC FAILURE IN UNDER TEN YEARS. (emphasis mine)
And part of the problem is there’s no way to know which process your disc might have. My advice? Start ripping the CDs that really matter to you.
"Once ripped to a hard drive and backed up, your library should be safe. Playback can happen through any number of devices."
tomcy6 again: It is clear that McGowan is talking about cd-rs, although he doesn’t say that and he should have made that clear so that people like phd wouldn’t be confused. Dyes are only used in cd-rs.
I disagree with him that these flaws are widespread. I have many, many cd-rs recorded over many years from many different brands and batches of cd-rs, and only a few cd-rs have had any problem. The most common problem is bronzing. If you have a cd-r that starts turning brown, copy it to another cd-r or rip it to a hard drive.
I have been doing my own cd-r test. I bought some cheap generic cd-rs, recorded on them and have left them in my truck where temperatures range from well over 100 degrees to below freezing. That was over 15 years ago and they all still play just fine.
The key to cd-r longevity is to keep them out of daylight, especially direct sunlight. A cardboard box will do just fine. With a little care, cd-rs will outlive you with no problem.
