23-07-2016, 09:31 AM
I'm pleased to say that I've not met the CD-rot phenomena myself, and I've got a lot of CDs. Reports at work are extremely rare as well - even in Archives (though they mostly deal with copying CDRs before they fail, along with DAT tapes and any other obscure, obsolete formats you can imagine).
I wonder if defects in the thin top layer are a factor, so if you've handled the discs carefully, perhaps that reduces the odds of it happening. Occasionally you can see pinholes in the aluminium layer, but these are usually well below the size that the ECC can cope with, so a non-issue.
I also like MD. Had CDRs not emerged when they did, MD would have been even more successful. Naturally, commercially pressed MDs were produced in the same was as CD, so aluminium corrosion might well have been a problem for them - but if my careless handling theory holds any water, then the plastic case will obviously help. But if the rot is caused by manufacturing problems, then yes, MD and CD would be comparable. Back in the day, pre-recorded MDs were relatively rare, and I don't recall them being any cheaper than CDs, so I just kept buying CDs... The only pre-recorded MDs I have came free with my in-car player - a compilation and a Jamiroquai album...
MD was popular in broadcast for a while. Not the most reliable, sadly. Expensive "pro" machines were only slightly better than domestic decks in our experience (ignoring the well-known problems with the JE500/510 mechs). If you knocked an MD machine when recording, that would send the laser off in the wrong direction, and if the TOC failed to write, that would trash the entire disc. These days, flash recorders and computers rule.
I don't miss VHS. Tape based, with all the problems of access and wear/tear/damage, plus a poorly conceived format to begin with. The quality might've been good enough for the majority, but the minority were short-changed (as usual). Some machines did an OK job - I was always impressed with the pictures from the various Philips machines (though the less said about the mechanisms the better!). Panasonic had some good moments too - I love the FS-88 machines with their wonderfully engineered die-cast G-deck and S-VHS abilities (I've never had a moments trouble from a G deck, but I know that some hated them!). Still have a couple here. S-VHS just upped the luminance bandwidth, but did nothing to improve on the terrible chroma performance, unfortunately. Today, if I plug up the machine, it'll most likely be to enjoy some vintage teletext!
Unfortunately, as soon as you get to play with a pro format (Betacam SP in my case), domestic machines just look silly by comparison. Although Sony pro mechanisms weren't much better than their domestic equivalents. I soon learnt that while Sony can get a lot of things right, tape handling - any format at any price - was not their forte
I wonder if defects in the thin top layer are a factor, so if you've handled the discs carefully, perhaps that reduces the odds of it happening. Occasionally you can see pinholes in the aluminium layer, but these are usually well below the size that the ECC can cope with, so a non-issue.
I also like MD. Had CDRs not emerged when they did, MD would have been even more successful. Naturally, commercially pressed MDs were produced in the same was as CD, so aluminium corrosion might well have been a problem for them - but if my careless handling theory holds any water, then the plastic case will obviously help. But if the rot is caused by manufacturing problems, then yes, MD and CD would be comparable. Back in the day, pre-recorded MDs were relatively rare, and I don't recall them being any cheaper than CDs, so I just kept buying CDs... The only pre-recorded MDs I have came free with my in-car player - a compilation and a Jamiroquai album...
MD was popular in broadcast for a while. Not the most reliable, sadly. Expensive "pro" machines were only slightly better than domestic decks in our experience (ignoring the well-known problems with the JE500/510 mechs). If you knocked an MD machine when recording, that would send the laser off in the wrong direction, and if the TOC failed to write, that would trash the entire disc. These days, flash recorders and computers rule.
I don't miss VHS. Tape based, with all the problems of access and wear/tear/damage, plus a poorly conceived format to begin with. The quality might've been good enough for the majority, but the minority were short-changed (as usual). Some machines did an OK job - I was always impressed with the pictures from the various Philips machines (though the less said about the mechanisms the better!). Panasonic had some good moments too - I love the FS-88 machines with their wonderfully engineered die-cast G-deck and S-VHS abilities (I've never had a moments trouble from a G deck, but I know that some hated them!). Still have a couple here. S-VHS just upped the luminance bandwidth, but did nothing to improve on the terrible chroma performance, unfortunately. Today, if I plug up the machine, it'll most likely be to enjoy some vintage teletext!
Unfortunately, as soon as you get to play with a pro format (Betacam SP in my case), domestic machines just look silly by comparison. Although Sony pro mechanisms weren't much better than their domestic equivalents. I soon learnt that while Sony can get a lot of things right, tape handling - any format at any price - was not their forte
