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Homemade DVDs - do they last?

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Homemade DVDs - do they last?

Old 03-20-07, 08:50 AM
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Homemade DVDs - do they last?

I'm having an arguement with someone in regards to homemade CDs/DVDs (ones you burn on your own) - they are trying to say that they don't last. I'm not sure about the DVDs, but I have some CDs I burned back in 1999 and they still play just fine.

I just start putting together homemade DVDs in the last couple of years, and they all still play just fine.

What is your guys' take on this?
Old 03-20-07, 08:54 AM
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In most cases, they're illegal.
Old 03-20-07, 09:03 AM
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Originally Posted by indiephantom
In most cases, they're illegal.
Are you in the right thread?

From what I remember reading, the guaranteed lifespan of homemade CDs/DVDs are only 5-10 years i think. It could be longer, could be shorted. I make backups of all my photographs to DVD, and every few years, I make new copies and toss the old ones just in case.
Old 03-20-07, 09:10 AM
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I have some homemade cd's from the days of napster (year 2000 or so) that still work just fine.
Old 03-20-07, 09:41 AM
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Originally Posted by indiephantom
In most cases, they're illegal.
I'm talking about transferring things you taped off of TV onto VHS - and then transferred onto a DVD disc. Not bootleg movies!
Old 03-20-07, 09:44 AM
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I transfered some home movies to DVD-R about 4 years ago and those still work fine. I have stuck with Verbatim media for DVD and CD recording. All my old CDRs still work fine.
Old 03-20-07, 10:38 AM
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Originally Posted by mickey65
I'm talking about transferring things you taped off of TV onto VHS - and then transferred onto a DVD disc. Not bootleg movies!
Has there ever been a court decision firmly establishing whether this is legal or illegal? I'm just curious; I think it should be legal, but I could easily see the argument against it.
Old 03-20-07, 10:55 AM
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They'll last longer than tape. You can't lose by transferring over. Just use good brand media and check them when done for errors. I still have tapes that are almost 25 years old that play fine. Avoid humidity. The olderst dvdrs I have are from 2002 and play fine. As for cds, I once buried a cd-r in the back yard. Let it there for a year(snow, rain, mud). Dug it up, washed the mud off under a faucet, dried it and it played fine.
Old 03-20-07, 10:56 AM
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All of my CD-R discs from the late 90s play just fine. All of my regular CDs dating back to 1984/85 are fine too. DVD has a bit more of a problematic history. Defective discs have been produced (and still are) from day one. The industry flirted with something called EZ DVD which was a purchased disc that would become unplayable after 24 or 48 hours. I personally believe the studios experimented with this technology on the sly -- how many Universal discs have suddenly stopped playing?
Old 03-20-07, 10:58 AM
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I'm still putting off the arduous task of transferring all my camcorder VHS-C, 8mm, Hi-8, Digital 8 and Mini-DV tapes over to DVD for "preservation" and would hope that all that work is not going to be spent in vain just to have to worry about the DVD-Rs not lasting any longer than the tape I moved from.
Old 03-20-07, 11:31 AM
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I've been keeping disc images of anything I burn to DVD since I heard a few years ago that maybe burned DVDs are NOT forever.
Old 03-20-07, 11:44 AM
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I have a couple of cdr's from the late 90's that are unreadable. I have taken pretty good care of them. Very sad. I have very many that I have not verified.
Old 03-20-07, 03:13 PM
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Originally Posted by ThatGuamGuy
Has there ever been a court decision firmly establishing whether this is legal or illegal? I'm just curious; I think it should be legal, but I could easily see the argument against it.
I have always read the Sony "time-shifting" case to be flexible to accommodate new technologies encompassing the same basic concept. However, there is a strong counter argument between the distinctions of "time-shifting" and "archiving". Archiving would not be protected by the Sony case.

Clearly, the issue is ripe for review, and it's anyone's guess how they would come down. Grokster is an interesting correlary, but that was more clear cut that this is, as Grokster had relatively little practical use outside of illegal file sharing.
Old 03-20-07, 07:34 PM
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I've found that quality media and proper care will result an any format lasting a good long while. I have a copy of Videodrome I taped off cable in 1985 that plays as well as it did the day I recorded it. I've never had a cdr fail on me either. DVDs are still unproven in my opinion.
Old 03-20-07, 08:18 PM
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Originally Posted by mike7162
DVDs are still unproven in my opinion.
It's only been 10 years
Old 03-20-07, 09:56 PM
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I meant the recordable ones, silly!
Old 03-20-07, 10:36 PM
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Originally Posted by mike7162
I meant the recordable ones, silly!
I've been recording DVDs since 1996. It's been awhile man. They are safe. The jury is still out on masturbation.
Old 03-20-07, 11:17 PM
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Originally Posted by DVD Josh
I've been recording DVDs since 1996. It's been awhile man. They are safe. The jury is still out on masturbation.
You've been burning DVD+/-R's since 1996?! You must have some serious disposable income, weren't those early burners a few grand? Do you have a BD burner?
Old 03-21-07, 12:17 AM
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Originally Posted by i86time
You've been burning DVD+/-R's since 1996?! You must have some serious disposable income, weren't those early burners a few grand? Do you have a BD burner?
??? I had that Sony external 4x recorder. It was big and white (can't remember the name). I really don't think it was any more than $200. It might have been 1997 instead of 1996, but no later than that.
Old 03-21-07, 12:38 AM
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Is there a particular brand of blank CD's and DVDs that last the longest (or have fewer problems)?
Old 03-21-07, 01:07 AM
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i still use Beta............NOT!

through i record on DVD the odd time i still find it more convenient to just record on the old VHS.
Old 03-21-07, 03:24 AM
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Originally Posted by DVD Josh
??? I had that Sony external 4x recorder. It was big and white (can't remember the name). I really don't think it was any more than $200. It might have been 1997 instead of 1996, but no later than that.
No offense, but you are completely full of shit - both on the price and the year.

"The first DVD-R systems cost more than $17,000 with media running as much as $50 each, with a capacity of only 3.9GB. The DVD Forum also created a rewriteable standard called DVD-RAM, which works like DVD-R but uses a special caddy system and phase change technology where spots in the dye layer are created at one laser temperature and erased at another. In 1998, the first DVD-RAM drives hit the market with discs that held 2.6GB on each side. During that year, the Forum also increased the capacity of DVD-Rs to 4.7GB.

Dissatisfied with the caddy system needed for the DVD-RAM format, Sony, Philips, HP, and a few other DVD Forum members created a new group called the DVD+RW Alliance (http://www.dvdrw.com). The Alliance created a different rewriteable standard called DVD+RW (DVD+rewriteable) that was announced in 1999 but not made available until 2001.

Later in 1999, the DVD Forum released a new standard based on DVD-R technology called DVD-RW (DVD-rewriteable) to directly compete with the DVD+RW standard. That same year, prices for DVD-R drives dropped to less than $6,000, and the next generation of DVD-ROM drives were released with the ability to read DVD-R media.

In 2000, the DVD-R format was split into DVD-R (Authoring) for professional use and DVD-R (General Use) for consumer use. The following year, the first combination drives were released, including DVD-R/RW drives that also supported CD-R/RW formats and cost less than $1,000. By the end of the year, prices had fallen to less than $500, and combination drives were the standard rather than the exception.

In early 2002, the DVD+RW Alliance released the DVD+R (DVD+recordable) format to compete directly with the DVD-R format. As the year progressed, the majority of new drives Alliance members released were combination DVD+R/RW recorders that also supported CD-R/RW.

By the end of 2002, five DVD recording standards were available: DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD+R, and DVD+RW. The field narrows to four if you drop DVD-RAM from consideration because it's a data storage system most DVD-ROM drives and DVD players can't read. The remaining four formats fall into DVD-R/RW on one side and DVD+R/RW on the other."

http://www.smartcomputing.com/editor...id=15826&guid=
Old 03-21-07, 04:24 AM
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Originally Posted by Wannabe
No offense, but you are completely full of shit...
Old 03-21-07, 08:31 AM
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The field narrows to four if you drop DVD-RAM from consideration because it's a data storage system most DVD-ROM drives and DVD players can't read
Most newer HP/Compaq laptops comes with drives that are DVD-RAM compatible. I don't know about their desktops, though. LG also sells compatible drives, I've been shopping around for one. Panasonic DVRs use them. A bit more costly but DVD-RAM are the most reliable in terms of archival purposes, from what I've read, simply because they were designed as data storage medium.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-RAM
Old 03-21-07, 08:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Wannabe
No offense, but you are completely full of shit - both on the price and the year.
Not full of shit, just mistaken as to format. I meant CDR, not DVDR, and I retract. But the point remains that DVDR has been around for the better part of a decade with no real issues.

And there are better ways of you bringing that up instead of being a total jerk. No offense.

Last edited by DVD Josh; 03-21-07 at 09:07 AM.

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