Optical
discs are handy to have around as we can store a lot of data on an inexpensive
piece of plastic. However, plastic is easy to damage and then all of a sudden we
have a problem if we can't access the information. This is especially annoying
if you leave a CD or DVD in a car and vibration gets to it when not properly
stored. It would have been a good test here to try as well, leaving a
music DVD to roll around a vehicle for a week or two then wiping it off and
trying to play it. Here's some, (not all) test results that they did
provide though over at Oceana with the coated DVD+R media from Verbatim that had
a video file written to it.
 Test #1:
The Drop Test
PASSED
I held the disk five feet above an
outdoor brick patio, dropping it so it landed on its side. It bounced
once, then settled with the data side down. It was slightly scratched
while being picked up. I then successfully played back the disc.
Test #2: Steel Wool
PASSED
I thought I may have
been overzealous with this test. Using a regulation piece of steel wool, I
first rubbed four lines in a square encompassing the area where data was
burned. Each line was rubbed about five times with medium pressure. Then I
did about 10 rotations around the entire data side of the disc, again at
medium pressure. The disc didn't look so good afterwards, but it played
without a hitch.
Test #3: Diet Coke
PASSED
Next, I tried to drown
it. I filled a cereal bowl to a depth of three inches with Diet Coke, then
soaked the DVD for 10 minutes.
After letting it dry completely, I rubbed the filmy residue off with a
paper towel. Again, playback was flawless.
Test #4: Paper Clip
PASSED
Using a standard
metal paper clip, I scratched the suface of the DVD five times
around the data area, hard enough to leave distinct gouges. It played back
just fine. Dissatisfied, I went for another round, drawing about eight X
marks through the data area. No problemo on playback. Could nothing kill
this disc? |
Not bad! If you want to read the torture test result
when they "accidently" drove a car over the disc, then you have to visit the Oceana page.
Source: Oceana
