Re: OT but possibly important: shelf life of CD's


Peter Lacey wrote:
> Kurt Gerecke, a storage expert at IBM Deutschland Gmbh, is quoted in the
> January 20 issue of Computerworld Canada as stating that burned CD's,
> unlike pressed original CD's, have a shelf life of 2-3 years, and
> recommending that for long-term storage magnetic tape should be used.
> He would seem to be a plausible source! Is there anything else current
> in the news about this? (I don't get many of the trade mags). If it's
> true - what are the implications for cold storage? Or are CD's not used
> all that much? (I'm asking because it's something I've never had to
> worry about. I have 30-year-old 800bpi tapes that are still readable!)
>
> PL

When audio cds first came out, the quality of the audio was said (by
hi-fi buffs) to be substantially improved by keeping them in freezers.
I think the idea is that the 'bits' shrink slightly and therefore
appear to represent more correctly (I know the English is bad) the
digitised signal. However, by cooling an object and then warming it
back up to room temperature can only do damage to the media (I would
suspect condensation would cause layer separation and the repeated
changes in temperature would cause erosion to the foil and hazing to
the carbonate surface).

I would suggest making two copies; use one and store the other one away
from sources of heat, UV, moisture, dust and children.

.