The French National Center for Scientific Research is stating that saving data like home videos and pictures on DVD or CD could do more harm than good. Surprisingly the discs that should be lasting a lifetime are only lasting no more than ten years and sometimes only five. The Center tested how long the media would last and has concluded in severe cases the data only lasted a year or less. Scientist from France calculated a disc’s life by aging it with light, heat, and water vapor.

The video and audio tapes wear out after long playing time by using contact. A laser is used to read the discs with no physical contact. There are seven miles of recorded data on the surface of each disc and is degrading over time. The findings conclude even if people paid for a higher quality brand, the results were the same across the board.

The brand did not make a difference for the quality of the disc. That is because brands used had different manufacturers. How long the disc lasted and the quality was not the same. The manufacturers using their logos by branding them on the disc also could make them corrupted or vulnerable to damage.

That being said, you should always have a back up plan for everything and just not trust one source. Always keep backing everything up and keep checking every year to see if the discs need to be replaced.

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