Do Blu-rays have the same picture and sound quality forever?

[Disney Duster]

I once read here that someone wore out their DVD of The little Memraid because they watched it so much. Can the same happen to Blu-rays? How long can Blu-ray picture and sound last? Will there ever be some home video format that lasts forever?

[Jules]

While I cannot really see how a CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc can possibly be worn out by a feeble laser beam, I must remind you, Duster, that nothing lasts forever,

Ashes to ashes ... dust to dust ... I suppose that counts even for our beloved rainbow-tinted, shiny silver discs.

It will take a pretty long time before they become dust, though ...

[MeerkatKombat]

I imagine it will take a long time and many many repeat viewings to ruin a disc. I don't believe they will last forever but I do remember (I don't know where) reading something like 25 to 35 years being an estimate for DVDs so blurays might be longer. I agree with Jules, I can't see how a laser can do that much damage.

DVDs and blurays can suffer disc rot. I think it is more common in the very early dvds but later produced ones can still develop it if the manufacturing wasn't done properly or due to bad care, contamination and oxidation (keep them babies in their cases).

My own small fear of disc death is a reason for me to own these films too many times. I like to rotate the discs occasionally so the discs don't get overused. At least, this is what I like to tell myself.

They should last longer than the good old VHS.

Hope this was semi helpful.

[Disney Duster]

Thank you both! Both of you were helpful! And I welcome anyone else to come in and help.

I thought if I bought a bunch of DVD's they wouldn't get worn out, so I bought two Cinderella Diamond Edition DVDs. And I still own the Platinum one. So I guess I'll be good for 35 years, though I will undoubtedly be buying new Blu-rays and DVDs of Cinderella before 35 years have passed.

I only fear I won't get to buy any newer discs of Disney's live-action Cinderella than its first home video release. I just don't know if they'll re-release that or any of their live-action versions of the Disney Animated Classics more than once. So I hope buying like two or three blu-rays of it will cover the rest of my life of watching them.

[blackcauldron85]

I imagine it will take a long time and many many repeat viewings to ruin a disc. I don't believe they will last forever but I do remember (I don't know where) reading something like 25 to 35 years being an estimate for DVDs so blurays might be longer.

Oh...I had no idea. I thought that if you take good care of your discs, that they would last forever... So electronically backing up movies is probably the best way to keep our movies forever, huh??

[Disney Duster]

Uh oh. You're right Amy. I didn't want to digitally back up my films with digital copies and downloads but now it seems that's a good idea.

[Kyle]

Everything degrades over time. They're till going to last longer than vhs or dvds. And generally if a disc works, it works. If it does work, it should look identical to the first time it worked. Its not like vhs where sound and audio gradually get worse and worse. If a disc degrades it just wont wont play or freeze at certain parts.

If discs lasted forever people who archive data at Disney would just burn things to a bunch of discs and call it a day.

[gamer51]

Discs last quite a while like everybody else said but the poster in the other forum probably did not see to the care of the disc. Many DVDs for kids get scratched, scuffed or outright broken because of kid handling and lack of proper care.

[blackcauldron85]

I have a related question. A few weeks ago, I watched my 2003 Sleeping Beauty DVD on an XBOX One Blu-ray player. Nothing at all wrong with it. Last night, I tried watching my 2002 The Great Mouse Detective DVD, and the sound-to-animation sync was ever-so-slightly off. Is this an issue when playing older DVDs on Blu-ray players?

[milojthatch]

I imagine it will take a long time and many many repeat viewings to ruin a disc. I don't believe they will last forever but I do remember (I don't know where) reading something like 25 to 35 years being an estimate for DVDs so blurays might be longer.

Oh...I had no idea. I thought that if you take good care of your discs, that they would last forever... So electronically backing up movies is probably the best way to keep our movies forever, huh??

Sorry to break it to you, but even hard drives fail sooner or later. Your best bet is convert everything to M-Discs. They won't last forever either, but they do have about 1,000 years of life apparently. More then enough time for your favorite films and shows to stay in good shape during your life time.

[Disney Duster]

Thanks milojthatch, that's actually really helpful. Apparently there is little known information about M-discs, though. So who knows. But the more I find out about them, the more I may consider using them to hold my favorite or treasured or needed stuff.

[milojthatch]

Thanks milojthatch, that's actually really helpful. Apparently there is little known information about M-discs, though. So who knows. But the more I find out about them, the more I may consider using them to hold my favorite or treasured or needed stuff.

I have not used one yet as they are still a bit costly, but I have a friend who has used them and they work great for him. As the cost drops (it is already starting too), I expect these to become more common place then they are right now.

[The_Iceflash]

Don't forget that when someone says they "wore out" a DVD, they may not mean it literally wore out but that it got well used/scratched up and now doesn't work.

[Disney Duster]

Maybe that's what they meant. I can't find the thread where the person said it, but the way they said it sounded like they really wore the actual film out. Maybe they just wore the DVD itself out by like scratches like you said, but I don't think anyone here would handle there films in such a way they ever scratched them, lol.