How long will CD-R's & DVD-R's last?

I've heard the same finite longevity theories, but have yet to hear of a confirmed failure. That does not mean it's not true. I'm a commercial photographer and I do store much of my work on CD and DVD media, so the issue does concern me.

On a related note there is some interesting data about DVD media quality. Most of the big manufacturers that you buy at OfficeMax/Depot/Staples, etc. are rebranding, or rather buying cheap media out of Taiwan. It is particularly annoying with some DVD-R/RW media that consistently fail to burn. There is some good information about locating quality media here, which will refer you to a link to download freeware that will help identify the media you are using. I won't go further as the site can explain it far better than I.

Marco

These are the Disc made in Japan. Maxell and Sony made by Taiyo Yuden.

You can no longer be certain that media from Maxell and Sony is genuine Taiyo Yuden media (definitely an excelent manufacturer). I've bought Sony DVD media that I discovered was of the worst quality manufacturing and was made in Taiwan. More than half of them would not burn and ended up in the circular file (pun intended). I think more and more the larger manufacturers are shopping for the best price and not necessarily the best media. I've recently started buying media from Supermedia Store where you can buy unbranded Taiyo Yuden media, as well as having other good media selection.

Marco

From the Supermedia Store site here is a link to detect real from fake Taiyo Yuden media.

Marco

Marco I was hoping you would address my comment on demagnetizing a CD-R audio disk after recording on it. Why would spinning it in my Bedini Clarifier degrade the sound? Any thoughts....

I've never thought to even try that. I stopped using my Bedini a while ago when I moved and put it in storage. I'll see if I can find it and give it a try. Interesting observation though. No idea what's going on except to say that the recordable media is different from the factory media. Perhaps the explanation for your results lie in that difference. Is it only true right after you burn the CD, or does it hold true to any CD-R/RW at any time after it has been burned?

Marco