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CDs May be Less Immortal than We Thought

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the trusting-the-media dept.

Zordak writes "The near-immortality of CDs, sometimes used as an excuse by record companies as an argument for their high cost, may not be as eternal as touted. An article at CNN describes the problem of CD Rot rearing its head to deny you access to your music and data. The article also describes related problems with CD-Rs, CD-RWs and DVDs."

10 of 504 comments (clear)

  1. iTunes doesn't rot by ObviousGuy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    While it might suck having to pay a nickel for music off of iTunes, at least I know that my data can be backed up in a manner of my own choosing.

    --
    I have been pwned because my /. password was too easy to guess.
    1. Re:iTunes doesn't rot by pr0c · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ObviousGuy: While it might suck having to pay a nickel for music off of iTunes, at least I know that my data can be backed up in a manner of my own choosing.

      Not without circumventing the system such as burning those protected files to cd then converting them (ooop still a cd issue). Or illegally ripping the protection from them which is possible but a PITA. Last I checked it was much easier (and yes more expensive) to buy CDs and then to back them up ANY way you saw fit, in that respect a CD beats iTunes hands down not to mention the quality.

  2. WE KNOW. by thatguywhoiam · · Score: 4, Insightful

    We know CDs suck for longevity. This has been discussed on Slashdot more than JonKatz.

    --
    If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
  3. Re:old news by packeteer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Not only is it known about but there are ways around it. You can buy special archiving cd's that last much longer. Look for "gold" cd's to last longer. The problem is that organic ink just wont last forever but that doesn't mean you hafta use discs that die quickly.

    --
    unzip; strip; touch; finger; mount; fsck; more; yes; unmount; sleep
  4. Re:funny you say that by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That is how many times you can burn a static playlist. Don't ask me why.

    To make it inconvenient to mass-produce CD's from iTunes.

    --

    I write in my journal
  5. So which lasts longer... by dpilot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The CD or the copyright?

    One of the things that's bugged me is that AFAIK, CSS and the like have NO provisions whatsoever for copyright expiration. I guess the ??AA can use this as a reason for never having any.

    --
    The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
  6. Nah, we already have a system by Atario · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Consumers have adopted a system by which multiple redundant backups are constantly made and remade.

    It's called P2P.

    --
    "A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy." --Theodore Roosevelt
  7. Re:funny you say that by Smidge204 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But it's not iTunes' problem. Basically, all Apple cares about is making iTunes legit. By not facilitating mass production, they can claim they thier product doesn't contribute to piracy.

    Once the CD is made, it's the same problem they've always had with CD copying. ie: not Apple's problem.
    =Smidge=

  8. Re:The CDs are not the problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think we caught the RIAA/MPAA in a gaffe. If we are buying a single license for a movie or an album (as according to the RIAA and the MPAA), we should be able to go exchange our DVDs for whatever comes out next at no cost. After all, we paid for a license for that movie, notwithstanding the format. But, this will not happen in a million years. It seems they like to play both sides of the coin, as that is the most profitable. When we claim in a a physical product, they claim it is a license and when we claim it is a license, they say it is a physical product.

  9. The real problem. by MacFury · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I have no issue with CD longevity. CDs are extremely cheap now. Here's the big problem...data that comes on "anti-piracy" CDs; those pesky PC games that refuse to copy or the CD that can't be ripped.

    Sure, there are hacks and work arounds...but they aren't always readily available.

    For instance...I bought Battlefield 1942 and couldn't make a backup. My little sister destroyed the 2nd disc. Now I can't reinstall it. I couldn't make a backup because the original disc contained bit errors. When I contacted EA, they told me to go screw myself.