TDK CD-Rs beginning to fail...

Rob Babcock · « **on:** 8 Apr 2005, 11:06 am »

Well, a ways back there was a discussion here about the longevity & quality of various brands of CD-Rs, so I thought I'd pass this along. I never used a lot of TDK discs, but all the ones I burned back in the late 90's are starting to crap out, despite being properly stored, never taken out of the house nor exposed to light, stored at/near 70 degrees F year round, etc.

I can't say whether this was a "bad batch" or not- all the discs are from the same couple packages, and as I said, I never used a lot of TDKs. But CD-R is a mature enough technology that most of us have discs that are getting on a decade or so old. Has anyone gone thru their oldest ones to see how many still work?

So far, my old Memorex haven't held up well at all, long term. Luckily none of my TDK or old Memorex discs have anything irreplaceable- well, actually I have one TDK that had some stuff that was pretty important, but fortunately while it had deteriorated to the point that my DVD and CD players didn't care for it, my computer's CD-ROM drive managed to extract the WAV.file just fine (thanks, EAC!).

zako · « **Reply #1 on:** 8 Apr 2005, 01:48 pm »

My TDK Rs have been holding up very well with no audible problems. Ive been using them from the beginning of TDK R introduction. One problem encountered on some playback machines is SLIPPAGE of disk. when this happens you can hear disk spin out of control & no audible music.

bubba966 · « **Reply #2 on:** 8 Apr 2005, 05:19 pm »

Rob,

Are these TDK's the Certified Plus versions, or just regular TDK's?

The Certified Plus TDK's were made in Japan and were much higher quality (and much higher priced), the regular TDK's were manufactured in Taiwan if I recall properly and weren't nearly up to the same quality level as the Japanese Certified Plus discs.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #3 on:** 8 Apr 2005, 05:22 pm »

Yeah, they have the little shield that says "Certified Plus" on them. Could just be a bad batch, or maybe those earlier discs simply won't last. A very high percentage of the Memorex discs my brother carried in his car have completely faded out now (prob high temp but never exposed to direct sunlight).

I'm curious to see how the Mitsui's hold up over time- the Pthalocyanine dye they use is supposedly drastically more resistant to fading the regular Cyanine or Azo dyes. Time will tell, I suppose.

bubba966 · « **Reply #4 on:** 8 Apr 2005, 05:39 pm »

Hmmm. I wonder if all of my PSX games are toast now?

I'd found out real quick that cheap CD-R's weren't worth the hassle, so I always used Certified Plus TDK's...

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #5 on:** 8 Apr 2005, 05:46 pm »

It's probably worth checking 'em over. But before I start a panic, bear in mind I only had a 5 pack of TDK's. It's possible I simply got a bad batch, or something happened to them unbeknownst to me. The Memorex, on the other hand, have proven to be crappola. I used to think they were good media, but time has definately proven me wrong on that score.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #6 on:** 8 Apr 2005, 05:55 pm »

I have a new DVD camcorder...it uses those little 3" DVD's that are out now.

I had a problem with my camera, was bummed, and called Hitachi customer service. They went thru a couple options with me...and it turned out it was the Memorex disc.

The agent told me they have lots of calls about bad Memorex discs...that they recommend Maxell, TDK and Panasonic for 3" DVD's. Hitachi ownsd Maxell, so that's no surprise, but they specifically pointed out Memorex as a problem disc maker. I think they guy was just passing on info - he didn't seem to have a specific axe to grind at Memorex.

Rob, surprised about problems noted with TDK, but not at all surprised to hear about bad Memorex discs after that phone call.

bubba966 · « **Reply #7 on:** 8 Apr 2005, 05:56 pm »

My experiences with Memorex CD-R's was terrible. They had an 80% failure rate straight out of the pack!

I probably went through 700 or so Certified Plus discs. Never had a bad one back then. Not sure how they are now.

Won't be able to check the 150 or so PSX games I've got until I get a new laser for one of my decks. Was pissed when both decks I have stopped reading CD-R's.

randytsuch · « **Reply #8 on:** 8 Apr 2005, 05:59 pm »

Do you know who made the bad disks?
I have read (and it makes sense) that it is more important which factory the disks came from, versus which company is selling them.

Randy

bubba966 · « **Reply #9 on:** 8 Apr 2005, 06:09 pm »

I thought TDK made their own discs so they're not re-brands like most CD-R's are.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #10 on:** 8 Apr 2005, 06:10 pm »

Yeah, I think TDK is one of the few that makes all their own discs. TY and Mitsui do, too, in addition to manufacturing some for other companies.

miklorsmith · « **Reply #11 on:** 8 Apr 2005, 07:16 pm »

I think your experience is more the rule than the exception. I personally haven't had any CD-R's fail, but they are generally considered temporary storage devices. This is why companies like Mitsui/MAM-A advertise "archival lifespans" and charge more for their product. Gary Koh says that some varieties of the Melody CD-R's he likes start to break down within a month.

My unscientific explanation is that most ink is not hard enough to last. Hey, a window left long enough will eventually be a puddle on the floor!