The Hidden Phenomenon That Could Ruin Your Old Discs

[humble3d]

The Hidden Phenomenon That Could Ruin Your Old Discs

CDs and DVDs were sold to consumers as these virtually indestructible platters, but the truth, as exemplified by the “disc rot” phenomenon, is more complicated.

Executive summary: The problem that many users have been ignoring for many years is that some discs, mainly the late 80s CDs, are "rotting".

There's a phenomenon by the name of "disc rot" that causes the disc to rot by natural causes.

It can happen for many reasons, but what you need to know is that it's NOT because mishandle or bad care.

It's NOT your fault.

It's a physical or chemical damage in some layers of the disc, and generally it happens just by the contact with the environment

Often, it looks like a coffee stain—a noticeable discoloration that for whatever reason you can't get rid of.

Sometimes, it looks like tiny pin pricks on the surface of a compact disc.

And there are other times when the whole thing changes color.

In any case, when you run into what's known as disc rot, you're out a great album or an interesting movie.

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/the-hidden-phenomenon-that-could-ruin-your-old-discs

 

[lurch234]

But you can still play shellac resin records from over 80 years old

[jamesbond]

i bought my first audio CD's in the mid 80ies and they all play well.

[Agent 86]

1 hour ago, lurch234 said:

But you can still play shellac resin records from over 80 years old

if you can find a turntable

[lurch234]

1 hour ago, jamesbond said:

i bought my first audio CD's in the mid 80ies and they all play well.

 

The only media on disc that I lost to "disc rot" was a movie on DVD

[jtmulc]

12 hours ago, lurch234 said:

But you can still play shellac resin records from over 80 years old

 

10 hours ago, Agent 86 said:

if you can find a turntable

 

As there are enough vinyl enthusiasts in the U.S. for some bands to still release records, there is still a market for turntables.  You'd be surprised what old tech hangs on.  I worked at an electronics store in the 90s and we were still selling brand new Sony Betamax recorders and tapes.  You couldn't buy prerecorded movies for it, but for recording off TV it supposedly had better picture quality than 4-head VHS tapes.

[funkyy]

11 hours ago, jtmulc said:

 

 

As there are enough vinyl enthusiasts in the U.S. for some bands to still release records, there is still a market for turntables.  You'd be surprised what old tech hangs on.  I worked at an electronics store in the 90s and we were still selling brand new Sony Betamax recorders and tapes.  You couldn't buy prerecorded movies for it, but for recording off TV it supposedly had better picture quality than 4-head VHS tapes.

That's right jtmulc, Betamax had superior playback quality...the problem back then was that VHS had got in first to sign contracts with the Hollywood studios for the vast majority of movie output and that's why when you entered a video rental shop the Betamax section was smaller than the VHS section...and it grew smaller and smaller until Betamax movies virtually disappeared.