The ABC’s of DVDs
A basic guide to archiving
your irreplaceable videos on DVD
Editor’s Note: Although this article focuses on DVD media
storage, most of the same concepts apply to CD media, as well.
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Factoids: The first DVD players were
introduced in Japan in November 1996. DVD players were first made available in
the United States in March 1997. It has taken DVD players less than half the
time it took VCRs to reach critical mass with U.S. consumers. Price drops for
DVD players in 1999-2000 kick-started sales. By 2002, China had become the
largest producer of DVD players, making 30 million players – over 70% of the
world output.
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It seems as though the DVD (Digital Versatile
Disc or Digital Video Disc) has been around forever! But in truth, it wasn’t
until the turn-of-the-century in 2000 that DVD players had gained a presence in
half of the homes in the US.
In recent years, the DVD has definitely earned
its place as the archive media standard to which we entrust our most precious
recorded memories. Today, when you attend a graduation, wedding or bridal
shower, religious celebration, sporting event, music recital or a party – would
you be more likely to record it on VHS or DVD? Yes, I thought so – DVD wins!
So now that you’re trusting special events to DVD
– and perhaps even transferring cherished old VHS videos onto shiny new DVDs –
can you really be sure they’re safely preserved for future generations to
enjoy?
Well, that depends.
Like most technology purchases today, you get
what you pay for when buying DVDs. Although you would never know just by
looking at them, there are vast differences in the quality of DVD materials and
construction and, thus, dependability. These differences are startling: the
cheapest discs may only yield 3-5 years of service compared to 100 years or
more for a high-quality DVD. And some manufacturers are touting archival DVDs
that will last 300 years! Gulp. This
creates a new “time capsule” challenge: Will your relatives centuries in the
future really want to watch the memories you save today?
I guess a reality check is in order. It’s
doubtful the DVDs we burn today will still be lovingly looked at three or four
generations from now – or that anyone will even save them that long. It’s even
more doubtful that DVD players won’t have evolved into something quite
different by then. But it’s good to know the technology has become so stable
that your DVDs could be viewable that far down the road. All you really
need is for your DVDs to be viable when some unknown descendant decides to
transfer your humble 2000-something video onto their own next-generation media.
I believe this could happen within the next century.
The bottom line is that you should never shop for
archival DVDs based on price. To avoid boring you with too much technical
detail, here are the five main reasons for DVD failure:
- Damage
to or failure of the clear plastic seal
- Fading
of the reflective layer
- Substandard
organic dye
- Shoddy
manufacturing
- Improper storage
In a nutshell, here is what this all means to
you.
In order for a DVD to work properly, the silver
and aluminum alloys (shiny part) within the DVD must remain highly reflective.
Contact with air will oxidize and rust the shiny part, making the disk
unreadable. That makes the clear plastic seal surrounding this layer so
important, and why gold archival DVDs
are growing in popularity – since gold does not oxidize. Many gold
archival quality DVDs also have an extra layer of scratch protection that helps
ensure longevity.
Assuming that the protective seal and shiny layer
are manufactured and sealed correctly, the next possible source of failure is
the organic dye. When a DVD is burned, this is the layer that is actually
manipulated by the laser, allowing only some parts to stay reflective.
Basically, organic dyes are not all created equal and will fail much sooner on
cheaper DVD media.
Where these elements all depend on the integrity
of the DVD manufacturer and your willingness to pay more for quality, there is
one factor that only you can control: storage.
Here is my best advice regarding storage:
- Store DVDs in a cool, dark, dry place – always
out of direct sunlight
- Avoid the possibility of large temperature swings
where DVDs are stored
- Store DVDs in plastic jewel cases, positioned
vertically on-edge (not flat)
Some people in-the-know say these storage
best-practices can increase the life of your DVDs by 200 – 300%.
The final factors to consider are the brands and
types of DVD media on the market today.
On websites that continually rate DVD and CD
quality, brand names like Taiyo Yuden, Maxell, TDK, and Verbatim keep emerging near the top. Most
video industry professionals would agree, however, that Taiyo Yuden makes the most reliable recording media today.
When it comes to media type, there is some
debate on whether DVD-R or DVD+R works better overall. The key
advantage of –R is better compatibility with older DVD players. The +R variety
is newer to the marketplace. Definitely stay away from DVD-RW or DVD+RW for
archiving, since these formats are designed to be altered or edited after
burning.
Many customers ask me how Blu-ray discs fit into the
media equation. Until Blu-ray costs come down, there is probably no strong
reason to consider them unless you’re archiving such huge amounts of data that
standard DVDs are no longer practical. Blu-ray probably will make more sense in
the not too distant future, but we’ll leave that discussion for another day.
I welcome your questions on DVDs, since there are
so many factors to consider before purchasing. Email, call or stop by and we’ll
talk!
