Do DVDs wear out ?

[lcsavik_85]

This may sound ignorant but....I'm worried that I'll put one of my most used dvd workouts in one day and it won't work from over use. I've had that happen to a vhs that was like 5 years old. Is this possible dvds?

Thank you,
~Reece Out~

 

[Kit_]

Nope, the only way your DVD won't work one day is if you scratch it, and you now can repair the scratches, so they are just like the old time records, the ones that are not scratch still play today after 30 - 40 years, and being played how ever many times. It's onlyt the VHS that wear out because of the tape constantly re=winding and playing. A lot of stress on that little thin piece of flim. The actually workout or movie that is recored on that DVD, is never actually touched, you know how shiny and mirror like the bottom side of you DVD is? Well that's because to read a DVD you DVD player has this little tiny thin light it shines on the DVD, and in certain places it is brighter then others, this tells the DVD player the information it's based on 1 and 0 and when you a lot of them together they form images. And I'll stop getting techical now, as I'll lose almost everyone if I start babbling about the ones and 1s and 0s and how everything is encoded. So you may have to worry about the little light going out in your DVD player, but you'll never have to worry about playing your DVD over and over and over again. As long as you don't drop and scratch it, it will keep on going. Basically like the engerizer bunny, it will never stop.

Also you want to keep the DVD away from heat, IE don't leave it in your car on a hot summer day, and if it gets warm be very very careful when you pick it up and the put it on a clean white paper towel and let it cool, and then pray. As if you got it hot enough you erased it, then you have to buy a new one. But heat, cold and scratches are DVD's may death.

Kit

 

[dlavie]

Apparently, you've never heard of cd-rot or dvd-rot.

Try "google-ing" the topics, it will become controversial.

The metal particles that are in the plastic substrates of a disc can oxidize, the disc can also delaminate. Nothing is forever.

But you can not wear one out.

Dave

 

[Bobbi]

Thanks, Dave, I think! No controversey but contradiction, yes.

I googled and found an article describing DVD rot:
http://hometheater.about.com/cs/dvdlaserdisc/a/aadvdrota.htm
But, I also found one debunking DVD rot:
http://www.enterprisenetworksandservers.com/monthly/art.php/867

???

Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Maturity is the ability to do a job whether or not you are supervised, to carry money without spending it, and to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.

-Ann Landers

 

[Kit_]

DVD rot is very controverial, it's basically if you believe in it, then you believe in it, if you don't well that's fine too, as there is no true proof, that it happens to a high quality DVD. In my physics class we actually got to try and make it happen by various means, the only time we actually succeded was to damage the top few layers coating on the DVD. DVD rot is actually a poorly manufactured disc that didn't get sealed properly, so after a while the protective coating pulls away, lifts up, or deterates, and it causes clouds and the DVD isn't so shiny, also this can happen from deep scratches as well as that actually breaks threw the coating. So as long as you got a good disc, haven't poured anything on it, haven't scratched it, haven't cooked it, or froze it. It should last for a pretty long time. In our experiment, we did a virual test where we put the DVD threw endless wear, that was eqivent to about 30 years, and the dvds that were not scratch were still going strong and playing great, the ones that had a scratch, it really depended as to where the scratch was, if it grew from stress of handling, or processing etc, if it ever had a run in with a liquid. Even good old tap water can over time ruin a cds surfaces with the calicum and minerals that are in the water.

But a disc that is very well taken care of, should far out last a VCR tape and will never actually wear out, but other things can damage it to where it won't play.

Kit

 

[lcsavik_85]

Thank you for that imformative material. I have a Tracie Long Productions workout (Core Strength) that has only been veiwed 3x. It is now freezing and skipping. Several people had problems with those DVDs and the replacements were no better! It must be that they weren't sealed correctly by the manufacturer.
I'm glad I don't have to worry about my Cathe DVDs. If, in the future, I do end up with some scratches, how would I go about getting them fixed?

~Reece Out~

 

[dlavie]

You can buy a device called the Skip doctor, it also goes by the name cd-dr or dvd-dr. Pretty much the same thing. A lot of video stores offer refinishing.

Basically the disc is polished so the scratch is non existent.

Dave

 

[kathryn]

The TLP DVD's are DVD-R, which some DVD players have trouble with.

For scratches, there are "CD/DVD scratch repair kits" you can buy in almost any store that sells CD's/DVD's. I have one that has a creamy liquid that you spread on the CD/DVD, and once it dries, you polish the surface. It can also be used to clean the CD/DVD when you use a small amount.

Repairs only work when the scratches are on the playing surface, not on the label side. If you can see light through a DVD, then the scratch cannot be fixed.

I find it best to avoid scratches altogether (and fingerprints) by always handling the CD/DVD by the edges and putting it back in the case immediately when it's not in the player.

 

[Kit_]

I agree wit Dave, get the skipDoctor or something close to it, just get the automatic one, the hand one where you crank it and spin the disk yourself, isn't all that well built and it sometimes slips which will cause skid marks on the disc. Well they aren't exactly skid marks but that's what the remind me of. You won't be able to buff those out no mater how much hand work you put into it, I've tried, several times. Though I haven't seen anyone have problems with skid marks yet but the ones I caused were really small, but they look weird on the disk and if they are big I have the feeling that they would screw up a disk, as the line it's not so reflective. I have both now, but at first I thought, I'd just buy the hand held one, and have tiny arm workout, while getting scratches off my disc, well I got the arm workout a bit more the what I expected, and the scratches were gone, the disk plays wonderful again, just I got skid marks on my disc where the dumb thing slipped while I was cranking on it. Not to mention I have yet to find a good body position to crank it. The handle and crank are just in a very odd place for me it's not all that comfortable to crank on the darn thing for 3 to 5 minutes straight in a very awakward position. But then again that might just be me, on the odd position thing. But all the hand crank SpinDoctors do skid or skip, and if it's a Cathe DVD, get the automatic one, who would want their Cathe DVD to have skid marks on it, from the dumb thing slipping it's own gears. Espcially if you just tried to get all the scratch marks out, I myself kind of found that frusterating when I tried to fix a DVD, it wasn't a Cathe, but it was one I loved, I got the scratch out only to put skid marks on it.

But I'm sure we'll never have a DVD with disc rot from Cathe.com, her workouts are just too good to be put a cheap disc, and discs that they usually come on, are very high quality, at least from the few tale-tell signs I pick up in Physics class, from playing and destorying DVD and Cds, if that means anything.

And yes you are correct it is best to avoid finger prints and scratches all together, especally if it happens to be just after your workout and your hands are a little sweaty and you touch the bottom of the DVD, you can touch anywhere on the clear plastic rim, but the bottom that is where the data is, and sweaty fingerprints can be corsive depending on your bodies chemestry. And they always leave prints which is actually oil from your body. Which if your a DVD, it means your ditry. It's just like finger prints on a nice clean window or mirror that part that was touched isn't as clear or reflective as the nice clean part. And when your depending on reflection so your workout will play, you may not be happy to find out, it was your own fingers that stopped your workout. That was another fun experiment I did in Physics, how many finger prints and where will mess up the dvd playing ability.

Kit