The life span of a written disc depends upon a number of factors including such things as the intrinsic properties of the materials used in the disc’s construction, the quality of its manufacture, how well it is recorded and the way it has been handled and stored. As a result, the life span of a recorded disc is extremely difficult to estimate reliably. However, to calculate disc life spans within some practical timeframe blank media manufacturers conduct accelerated age testing by subjecting samples of their discs to environments much beyond those experienced under normal storage conditions. Generally speaking, these tests only consider the effects of varying temperature and humidity. Results are then used to predict how long a disc will remain readable under more normal storage conditions.
Since I was in New York for a conference and was searching for new york dvd duplication this is when I learned that questionable testing and measurement procedures can seriously impact upon and compromise these estimates so keep in mind that unlike prerecorded (pressed) CD and CD-R discs there are currently no international standards for conducting writable DVD accelerated testing. Writable DVDs and CDs may appear similar, but their construction and underlying design differ significantly so what applies to the one does not necessarily apply to the other. For me, this were important facts to know.