What studio? Paramount had more rigid standards back in the day, using stronger data on their discs, so they are likely to last longer than other studio releases.

Frankly, I'd be more concerned about the centrifugal force the DVD player exerts upon the disc. If you look closely at your well-played discs, you will see a build-up of information around the outer rings as the data accumulates there. Don't worry, it's held in place by the plastic layer so it can't escape the disc -- unless you unfortunately suffer from disc rot.

Most of your high-end players can deal with this piled up data, resulting in a cleaner and crisper picture than your low-end WalMart players. And of course, you should be using Monster® Cables as the nanode-filters will force-correction on the analog data string to help further increase clarity.

Glad you brought that up, Fanboy! I totally forgot about this aspect, and how I tinkered around in my current DVD Player - Toshiba SD-1700. I managed to engineer it so that it spins in reverse every other use, this way data stays properly balanced. A wonky fix, I know, but it works for me.

You're all starting to sound like Best Buy employees trying to sell us service plans.

Whoa whoa whoa, why *wouldn't* you buy a service plan? It's win-win. And don't forget to let us install that DVD for you.

Mine are stored, in their respective cases, standing up next to each other in my bookcase. I can't see storing them any other way, they're neat, and I can see everything I own. I store my LPs vertically, standing next to each other as well, but that's for a very good reason: temperature variations aren't as likely to affect LPs stored vertically, stacked next to each other, as they would be if they were laying flat, and they would be more susceptable to scratches, scuffs, and warping as well. These same susceptabilities aren't inherent in DVDs stored in their cases but I still feel more comfortable storing them vertically as opposed to horizontally. It just looks better, and they're more accessible that way. Having said that, I really don't think it matters as long as DVDs are stored in their respective cases. Some even remove them from their cases and store them in organizers, more than likely stored flat (don't see how they can keep their DVDs scuff free, but that's not a question for me to answer). Who the hell knows what's best for DVDs, I just know how I store mine. -kd5-

Because they "float" in the case. I'm sure you have heard your DVD rattle in it's case before. That's because the disc is only touching the case on the inside of the hole where it touches the center hub. So yes, the best way to store your DVDs is in a DVD case. As for upright or lying flat? Not sure what difference that would make. But if you are stacking them pretty high the weight could possibly press the discs on the bottom into the case.

All 4669 of my titles? Wow... Better quit my job.

In other words, don't forget to rewind your DVDs! We all remember the "Be kind, please rewind" stickers on rental DVDs.

There is another problem with scratched DVDs. The spinning of the player can cause the bits to escape through the cracks and go flying all over your house!

Oh no! I have never rewound any of my DVD's! Now my weekend is shot, as I'll have to go through the library to find the ones that need rewinding. Is there an easy way to tell? Will all the 1's and 0's be in one place on the disc? Why don't the disc manufacturers make it easy for us to know? They put little windows on the VHS tapes for this reason.

My wife is going to be so mad.........

--John

This thread is... an Epic Win.

I cannot stop laughing.

For the record, I store my DVD's standing upright. My books, however... some are stored stacked. I have storage issues. So will the ink on the pages start to bleed into each other that way? Oh, Crap!

^

I kept my comic collections in a stack, with the Calvin & Hobbes on the bottom and the Family Circus and Hagar the Horrible on the top. Over time I found that the books on top seem to have lost their humour.

This may or may not have anything to do with the forces discussed in this thread.

Just in case the OP actually was hoping for some helpful advice:

http://www.itl.nist.gov/iad/894.05/p...dlingGuide.pdf

Note item #4 on page vi:
4. Store discs upright (book style) in plastic cases specified for CDs and DVDs.

You're all either kidding or completely crazy. I can't quite tell.

If there is a reality, I think kd5 is living in it. If I had to guess, storing DVDs upright is simply a weird extension of the above rule for LPs. And I suppose if you had all your DVDs in tyvek sleeves and stored them in a huge stack they probably would be susceptible to the same problems as with LPs.

Since I do often store DVD screeners in a stack, I find it helpful to keep them really hot all the time so they actually don't warp, since they're so soft. It helps them keep their shape ...

what is this nonsense about 1's becoming 2's? 2's literally don't even exist in a binary system. as soon as 2's exist that's trinary... and that's when the robots take over.

1 is the lonilest number....

To avoid losing data, make sure you use these disc protectors at
d-skin.com
(I don't have enough posts to provide a link, sorry)
These will help keep your dvds from getting any data corrupting viruses that your player may have gotten from rented dvds or borrowed dvds. If you are going to let people borrow your DVDs or if you take them to a friend's house, you definitely need to wrap them before sticking any disc in an unfamiliar player.
I make sure to wrap every disc I have to prevent this. You can't be too careful in this day and age.

If someone else wants to post a link to the site, please do so.

Over the years I have learned many valuable lessons in the care and upkeep for DVDs
1-When loaning to friends and family, make sure you use rubbers. DVDs can act very rambunctous in new environments and are prone to pick up venerial rot. Use rubber holders from the fine folks at Trojan Inc.
2-Don't mix DVDs and Drugs-I've been told by friends that they have used their DVDs as coasters for their drug stash. After awhile the DVD playback is noticably sluggish and speech is somewhat slurred.
3-Store DVDs in a north/south position-All this chatter about upright or flat is missing the point. The earth's electro-magnetic field travels between the north and south pole continuously. Aligning your DVD with this flow prevents the field from cutting across the data stored on the disc. The EM field has the capability to eventually corrupt the data if you store it perpendicular to its flow