Hello everyone, I would greatly appreciate your input on this matter:
For my bachelor thesis, I aim to explore the topic of long-term storage/archiving with a focus on optical storage media. I have spent the past few months conducting research on this subject and am convinced that Blu-ray Discs offer a meaningful solution. I am aware that this is a controversial statement, as many people harbor a strong aversion to optical media, but that is not my primary concern. What I need help with is the following issue:
Several scientific publications claim that the original burn quality has a certain impact on the medium’s subsequent lifespan. I want to investigate this assumption by examining the burn quality of blank discs available today. The inspiration for this thought experiment comes from a study on cdrinfo.com, titled “Blu-ray Writing Quality Tests Vol 2.” However, since this test took place in 2009, I believe it is appropriate to conduct a similar updated version. Test results from 2009 cannot be directly extrapolated to 2023, given the advancements in both drives and media.
Currently, I envision the following setup:
- Two identical drives will be used to burn the discs. The only difference between the drives will be their operating hours – one drive will be brand new, while the other will have accumulated several hundred, if not thousand, operating hours.
- Optical media from two different manufacturers will be examined.
- The optical drives will be connected to a PC dedicated solely to the burning and analysis of discs. Resources will be maximized for these tasks, and interference from other programs (mail, office, browser, etc.) will be minimized.
- The study will encompass not only Blu-rays but also CD-Rs and DVD-Rs.
- Various types of media will be tested, including consumer-grade, professional-grade, and “Archival-Discs.” Each type of disc will be represented by multiple samples to prevent statistical outliers (e.g., 5 discs/type).
- Tools such as ImgBurn, Nero Disc Speed, and DVDInfoPro will be utilized.
Through this setup, numerous aspects can be examined, such as differences between manufacturers, disc generations (CD vs. DVD vs. BD), and potential variations between drives. For instance, there might be more write errors on the drive with many operating hours, requiring subsequent correction.
I have created a sketch to illustrate my idea; hopefully, it is comprehensible.
What are your thoughts on these ideas? Is it all complete nonsense? Have I overlooked something fundamental? I truly rely on your experience and expertise, as I currently lack an external perspective.
I am at a point where I might either a) give up and look for another topic or b) delve deeper into the rabbit hole. I am in the very early stages of my research, and if the experiment proves sensible and relevant, it would be conducted no earlier than spring 2024. Additionally, I would need to check if I can secure the necessary funding – another potential obstacle.
P.S., this is not only my first post on r/datahoarder but also on Reddit as a whole. :3
This looks like a great study! While there is less interest, optical storage is absolutely not dead.
You should quantify “used many hours”. It’s unlikely you will get meaningful results if you test a brand new drive, versus one used for 10 hours. However, brand new vs 1000 hours; now that would be meaningful.
How will you be storing the disks, and simulating accelerated aging? Poor quality burns or materials might degrade quicker, but not be different initially.
If there is an easy way for individuals like me to contribute funding, I’d happy chuck in a couple hundred bucks to support.