CD/DVD media questions

[boxofrocks]

1. What's the difference between a "data" writable CD and a "music" writable CD?

I ripped a few music CD's on regular "data" media that have become unplayable over time--why would a music CD be any different? I used to think that was just marketing, but....?

2. What would you say is the average life expectancy of a DVD (burned with images, in this case) stored in a cool, dry place such as a home?

Just curious if anyone know the answers to these Qs.

Thanks!

[zeroendless]

i think writing music is coverting music media format like mp3, wmv to wave format so you can play it in standard cd player. Using Data, the application doesn't covert music format to wav form.

I quited using cd/dvd for storage 3 or 4 years ago, only use them to reburn application imaging file for program installation. They are too slow, waste of time and doesn't lasts.

[kenw]

Music CDs typically hold a bit more bits/bytes. I have music CD-Rs that are many years old, but since they are kept indoors at the house, they are still playable. The ones I've used in the car are good for 2 years max. regardless of brand or supposed "quality", data or music type. Heat is the killer.

Most real experts say a CD-R will last at least 10 years in a cool, dark environment, probably longer.

The 5 year life BS rampant on the web (re: "CD fungus") is a gross worse case of damp, hot storage, like South American jungles......or Galveston....

[jamiewallace]

I don't believe there's a difference between a "music" CD-R and a "data" CD-R.

http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

http://adterrasperaspera.com/blog/20...rchival-media/

[boxofrocks]

Originally Posted by zeroendless

i think writing music is coverting music media format like mp3, wmv to wave format so you can play it in standard cd player. Using Data, the application doesn't covert music format to wav form.

Excuse my ignorance, but what does file conversion have to do with media? The audio CDs I made worked fine at first, just degraded (got static-y and some tracks no longer played at all) over time.

[Tapper]

Originally Posted by boxofrocks

1. What's the difference between a "data" writable CD and a "music" writable CD?

None. Writable CD formats are independent of the filesystem encoded upon them. CD - r, CD +R, CD-RW, etc. Music CD's are written in Redbook format, but this is just another filesystem. Most data CD's are written in an ISO 9660 format. But you can write a great many filesystems to the different media types.

Originally Posted by boxofrocks

I ripped a few music CD's on regular "data" media that have become unplayable over time--why would a music CD be any different? I used to think that was just marketing, but....?

Commercial music CDs are stamped, not burned. They tend to be a higher quality media, and their binary impression is much more robust than those created by consumer write drives.

Originally Posted by boxofrocks

2. What would you say is the average life expectancy of a DVD (burned with images, in this case) stored in a cool, dry place such as a home?

It varies a great deal. Some drives record poorly, some manufacturers produce crummy platters, some coatings degrade faster than others. Manufacturers all claim long long life, but real-world use shows 5 years is a typical lifespan for a disk recorded on a consumer drive.

[kenw]

Originally Posted by boxofrocks

Excuse my ignorance, but what does file conversion have to do with media? The audio CDs I made worked fine at first, just degraded (got static-y and some tracks no longer played at all) over time.

You are correct, file conversion or even file type has nothing to do with it.

the issue is the mechanical degradation of the media itself. It would have become unplayable in a audio CD player or unreadable in a data CD reader just the same. We usually don't see the problem with CDs with regular data on them because they aren't kept in the car.

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

The CD's being marketed as Music CD's may have a media that is a bit thicker and a bit more stable in high temp environments-ie hot cars-than the others but that is just an educated guess. Since 99% of my photo burned CD's are in a home/office environement they don't go through those extreme conditions and I don't spend the extra for the media.

One above poster is right about commercial Music CD's they are printed/stamped and not burned which gives them a higher tolerance to temp extremes.

[zeroendless]

Excuse my ignorance, but what does file conversion have to do with media? The audio CDs I made worked fine at first, just degraded (got static-y and some tracks no longer played at all) over time.

i misunderstood your question, i thought you're taking about application. When i first started burning music CD, i used all the recommendation and best media out there. Even burned them at 1x speed. All of them don't lasts longer than a year or 2, it's either skip or non-readable. That the junk CD i play in car, at home i only use SACD and master redbook CD.

[Terrancelee]

Actually, there is a difference (best I remember anyway). When I worked in radio, we had a cd burner that required the blank music cds. Reg data one's wouldn't work. I used to know why, but that was 10 years ago. At the time, the music ones cost 10+ bucks each.

[AndrewCCM]

They are the same physically. Since they are dye based medium and not stamped like the pro reproduction ones, the quality of the dye and media make a difference in longevity...in addition to environmentals mentioned above. You'll read a variety of things on the net about dye color, etc.. affecting it. All I can say, the gold media seem to last the longest for me. Blue, green, etc.. seem to die much quicker. And while on this subject, I used to be in the video biz and DVD media is the biggest pain in the buttocks...and one of many reasons I stopped doing it...Compatibility with various players (REGARDLESS IF THEY SAID COMPATIBLE DVD-R/DVD+R, etc...) and skipping, pixelation.. you name it was a huge headache for me and customers. The quality of the media made a HUGE difference. And my favorite (Verbatim DVD-R 2X) got discontinued...those by far were the best DVD media I found. With CDs, I haven't had many compatibility issues, but...differences in lifespan varied depending on media...(somewhat subjective though...since they keep changing media constantly).

BTW: Terry, are you sure it was a CD burner that required a specific media or was it a DVD Burner that required DVD for Authoring media (this was prior to the DVD-R, etc... standards)?

Rambling over.. LOL

[Terrancelee]

It was a pioneer cd burner. Not even sure if dvd's had been released at the time. And while, yeah, they are all made from the same stuff, there was a difference in something. The burner wouldn't read ones that you used in a computer cd. Like I said before, I can't remember why now. Too many years gone by. :) That, and we didn't use the machine for too long, since the computer end of things grew up fast.

[mike78628]

Hmm...

I'm not sure whether music or data is better, but I don't think it's only marketing related. I do remember that most music CD players can deal with some number of non-consecutive bad spots and the user won't notice where that would not be acceptable to someone with exacting data needs.

I'll try to track down some old buddies that used to do media certification in a prior life and see if they are still up on the standards and whether they have any recommendations.

[boxofrocks]

Thanks. The heat tolerance issue makes sense, but don't know if that's just a theory.