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

There are archival quality CD-R's and DVD-R's.

These discs from Mitsui have a life expectancy claim of 100 years because of the 24K gold reflective surface. Even if they are wrong by 50%, 50 years should be enough for most things.

Regards, Rich

They do deteriorate. It also applies to regular CDs as well as the recordable CDs. It is my understanding that deterioration is primarily due to poor quality construction of the CD itself. Some will last longer than others depending upon how well it was made and what materials were used. If you search the archives, you'll find some previous threads on this topic.

FWIW, I've heard that the Library of Congress still archives recorded material on good old analog vinyl!