CD duration

[my_name_is_link]

Sometimes we have to choose between different prints of a cd (Chrono Trigger OSV and Secret of Mana + for me just now), or we are about to buy a very old cd (F-Zero for me).
Now, I think that knowing how many years a cd lasts can help to choose the older or the newer version.
First prints have more prestige, but since data supports have a duration even if not used (sealed), maybe it's better to get the newer edition.
Someone told me cds last about 99 years, of course I took it as a joke, but ave no idea about the real time they keep their data intact.

[KyleJCrb]

Since CDs are still a relatively new technology, most of them should working and continue working for some time to come (barring physical damage or manufacturing defects). I did a little Googling, and found this article (http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=2131) that discusses CD lifespan. I'm not sure if these numbers take into account a number of times a disc may be read or played, or if this is just the lifetime of a CD sitting on a shelf somewhere, but it is interesting:

According to the technical pages of several CD manufacturers and trade associations, estimates vary widely as to the expected longevity of the media:

* CD-ROMs are estimated to last anywhere from 30 to 200 years.
* CD-Rs, before they are recorded, have an estimated shelf life of five to ten years.
* CD-Rs, after recording, are estimated to last between 70 and 200 years.
* CD-RWs are expected to last at least 30 years.

Because CD technology is only about twenty years old (and recordable technology is younger than that), these expected life spans are estimates based on accelerated aging tests. As the testers at Kodak put it, chances are that if there is a significant error, the disc won’t work. Either it works or it doesn’t.

[Foxhack]

I have a twenty year old CD (not a video game one) that is degrading: Cris Loiter and The Hangouts - Red Radio (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cris_loiter_and_the_hangouts/red_radio/). It actually worked fine when I bought it, but holes started to appear in the shiny data side a year later. I ripped it to FLAC, even in that state, because the album itself is incredibly rare.

I don't buy the whole 99 years claim. Not after this.

[KyleJCrb]

It depends on the disc, and when and how it was made. The article I linked to particularly states the earlier manufacturing techniques weren't perfected when CDs were a new technology, so there may be problems with the materials in older CDs. Oxidization due to the lacquer used not covering the disc entirely can occur, or the inks used for labeling react with the aluminum and cause degradation. I'm not surprised to find some 20 year old discs are degrading now, but I doubt we'll be seeing CDs released today degrading as much in 20 years.

[Myrkul]

This is an interesting question.

Even if i am not an expert, it's definitely not 100 years, that's just a marketing arguement.

I think no one knows exactly how long can be a lifespan of a CD.. they'r not "old" enough to have been tested naturally.
Of course it have been tested with accelerated aging tests.. and seems like it vary a lot .. depending on the quality of the CD, the media & much more things..

Something is important though, burnable CD-R & DVD-R have a considerably shorter lifespan... it can vary beetween 2 & 10 years (someone will tell they have cds for longer than that..) but again it depends on too much factors.

I think you should not fear to buy commercial CD, i have not yet seen any real visible degradation on my oldest CDs (89), so they are quite durable.

[Zorbfish]

Worry more about how the disc is stored. Keep it in a cool, dark, and dry place with low humidity. Do that and you'll have less to worry about. I have CD-Rs that are going on 10+yrs now that still play/read like I burned them yesterday.

[my_name_is_link]

I also think that to keep the cd sealed in a jewel case (cd surface touchin nothing) is better than keep it in an envelope (with cd surface toughing something). Moreover, when you take it from a damn slim case, seems it may broke. Damn slim cases.

[LiquidAcid]

The CD surface will always "touch something", in your case air. Well, you could put it into a vaccum, but that would be highly inconvenient.

[Anders]

A CD, if manufactured and stored properly, will outlive you. Sure, they haven't tested a CD for hundred years, of course, but the tests and resulting estimates they have done are reliable enough to say that.

CD-rot/ bronzing etc is a result of poor manufacturing. For example, the worldwide pressing plants of PDO (now Universal or EDC or whatever they're called today) manufactured CDs using a bad technique (not quite sure what they did wrong) over a long time in the early nineties or late eighties, and a lot of CDs started to degrade shortly after they were pressed.

There were other problems in the early days of the CD. Early ink printed on the discs would degrade them, and even an early type of ink used to print the inserts would catch on to the disc, even just slightly, and completely ruin it.

[Secret Squirrel]

CD-rot/ bronzing etc is a result of poor manufacturing. For example, the worldwide pressing plants of PDO (now Universal or EDC or whatever they're called today) manufactured CDs using a bad technique (not quite sure what they did wrong) over a long time in the early nineties or late eighties, and a lot of CDs started to degrade shortly after they were pressed.
The funniest part about that is that they were manufactured in Blackburn, Lancashire.

[my_name_is_link]

You are right, but I guess air is better than another solid surface. Those flat envelopes (http://vgmdb.net/album/12650; http://vgmdb.net/search?q=game+sound+museum+famicom+edition)... I hate them.

The CD surface will always "touch something", in your case air. Well, you could put it into a vaccum, but that would be highly inconvenient.

[my_name_is_link]

Good news.
I purchased 2 sealed cds, 1 manufactured in 1990 and 1 in 1977, and they perfectly work.

[Secret Squirrel]

Is that some kind of manufacturer promo? CDs weren't sold commercially until 1982.

[my_name_is_link]

Don't know. Maybe they were sold yet in 1977 in Italy. Don't know but it's original, originally sealed, and it says 1977.

[Secret Squirrel]

Well, 1977 is probably the copyright on the music content, not the manufacture date.

[Lackadaisical]

There are a lot of out of print soundtracks that you can only find used which will probably never see another physical re-print again, so some music could be lost with time.

That's a sad thought, but hopefully I will be long dead before I see the beginning of many expiration dates on CDs.

[Another Soundscape]

I do hope that people will realize this and maybe state cultural preservation groups or museums start archiving projects in lossless. This is already true for most countries with physical copies actually but the digitalizing process is slow and albums that haven't gone through the proper release and registration aren't stored (at least here in Sweden).

Fan projects collecting disc images or lossless rips (or even games), while legally in a gray zone, will be an amazing resource in 100-200 years and I'm gonna spend my life fighting to make stuff like that an international interest and cooperation.

E-mail your senator? :)

[Datschge]

I do hope that people will realize this and maybe state cultural preservation groups or museums start archiving projects in lossless.

With all the copy protecting, legal hedging and fee encashing pursued by the "creative" industries the ratio of what's actually preserved is actually dropping there. And there are already plenty mixed medias (like games are) which are barely covered. Official CD releases should do comparatively well though...

[Lackadaisical]

After re-reading this topic, are the estimates on the life span and the suggested durability of an audio CD dependent on the audio CD being in "like new" condition?

Curious to see if anyone has an older release with several scratches, but no degradation of the audio files stored on the disc.

[Anders]

After re-reading this topic, are the estimates on the life span and the suggested durability of an audio CD dependent on the audio CD being in "like new" condition?

It doesn't have to be "like new". Surface scratches on the play side doesn't effect the lifespan of data. Slight scratches on the label side can be fatal. Basically, shit starts to go bad when the metal layer is exposed to air.