Best method to store DVD's

[Intimidator]

I am searching for the best method to store DVD's to preserve longevity?

I have seen some actual standard DVD holders that will touch the bottom surface of a DVD. You can tell by slightly pressing the edge of the DVD while in the DVD case and see that there is no give.

I use black, slim jewel cases that have a small outer ring that rests against the hub to keep that surface off the plastic.

But why store vertically? If the disc is not touching the plastic then why would that make a difference? I can see why CD Wallets are bad for burned media but not for pressed media. I have used CD Wallets for the last 15 years for pressed CD's and burned CD's and never had a problem. Not sure why this would make a difference for DVD's?

I would appreciate any feedback on this issue.

[hoxlund]

i store all my movies in slim cases, print on label, stored vertically in a 6 foot tall storage cabinet with doors

so no light gets in and its in a cool place

[Intimidator]

hoxlund....are you storing these is SLIM CD or DVD jewel cases?

I store mine in SLIM CD cases. The DVD is suspended at the hub by an outer ring. The hub is not super tight and the DVD and spin around the hub itself with a little resistance. DVD cases allow the DVD to freely spin around the hub. The freely spinning DVD vs slight spinning really should not make a huge difference. Don't you agree?

I have read that cases that hold a DVD too tightly and allow really no spinning is not good.

[Intimidator]

hoxlund....do you ever travel with some of your collection? If so how do you transport them and remain vertical?

[hoxlund]

slim cd cases

no i don't travel with them

if I need to bring a movie somewhere ill just burn a copy

[RJW]

Things are much more complicated as you think.
Trust me.
I have seen reports about jewelcases being very destructive for media.

Hmm will try to find the link back to that report.
My initial idea was no way. However it's much more complex.
Let me say this you can have very bad situations with jewelcases and cd-wallets however it still needs one additional key factor when it comes to there influence. Yes the media itself. Depending on the manufactureing quality you will get different behaviour.
In other words bad media in bad conditions =early death (we're talking about a few months here.)
However good media in bad conditions = might be harmfull to media still it will survive much longer. At least some old Philips (TY) survive at least up to 6 years and is still not showeing problems.(infact errorlevels are as good as new TY still.)

[Intimidator]

RJW....I would like to see that report if you can find it. There are many styles of jewel cases some better and others. The problem with those lies more around the hub area from what I have read.

There is also the factor on how many times the DVD is played and the overall effect of the laser on recording layer.

There is also a factor of getting a bad spindle of quality media as well. I have read several articles ragarding that. The majority of TY media is great but there can always be the one bad spindle. This can apply to any brand, really.

I have read posts of people using wallets for 15+ years and never had a problem storing low to high grade media. I have use wallets for almost 15 years myself and not a single issue so far. These are your oridinary wallets and not these high priced fancy wallets, either.

So really the quality of media vs the elements vs handling vs storage is a relative probability to the survival of your media. Just like a car that can stop at any time, any place no matter if it is the most trusting car made.

[RJW]

Here you go. Most of his interpretations are correct except on a few occasions(1 or 2) the person jumpsto conclusions which he actually didn't proof. 1 was about philips and the paper.(He seems that he didn't take into account that the low quality paper also could have been a souce of chemicals which also leech in at the sides.(under and above)

http://www.conservation-by-design.co.uk ... report.pdf

[Halc]

RJW is right.

Plasticisers used with some jewel cases bring down the acidity of the micro climate inside a jewel case.

This can speed up corrosion significantly.

Also, the inlet paper (if any) can also be possibly hazardous.

If you want, you can also invest in copper impregnated corrosion resistant materials for inlet cards (see the link RJW gave you).

There is further research on humidity, temperature, noxious gases and EM radiation (mainly UV) that suggest you should protect your discs from exposure to these. Also in the case of temps/humidity, it's not just protecting from absolute numbers, but relative changes (i.e. temp/relative humidity delta).

best regards,
Halcyon

[RJW]

Well it seems that rewritables don't like quick/large temperature changes.

[MediumRare]

Plasticisers used with some jewel cases bring down the acidity of the micro climate inside a jewel case.

A bit of nitpicking here- but you probably mean bring up the acidity or down the pH.

Thanks for the information, also to RJW- that was an interesting read. You may be aware of the NIST study just released (and discussed in the last c't): Stability Study of Optical Discs (pdf).

G