Solved Is DVD-R a good form of data storage?

Hi i want to know that are dvds good form of data storage?
How long does data remains safe if i keep it clean in dvd pack?

Hi Vexxum. As long as the DVD is not exposed to sunlight or submerged in water for long periods, it will last indefinitely. With the cost of large volume flash drives going down, many people are migrating to them.

A personal choice really. If the 4.7GB capacity is enough for you then it's a pretty safe storage medium.

Oh yea, much better than the old tape/floppy days.

There's also the DVD+R/DL disc that holds about 8GB, many late-model multi-format drives can use them. Haven't heard enough about the 25GB Blu-Ray burners yet.

Original DVD (and CD) disks are different than ones made for recording. Substrate on which actual recording is done on recordable disks is made out of organic materials and isn't as long lasting as "printed" CD/DVD media. Even with careful storage (dark, dry and cool place) I had few going bad after 5 years or so. About 10% I would say. It helps if recording is done at slow speeds, maximum speeds don't give as good results. I have some factory recorded CDs 20+ year old and they are still usable but almost none of CDs I recorded at that time are operational.
So, no, they are not eternal or forever.

Like any storage media, DVDs have their advantages and disadvantages. Which media is best depends a great deal on the specifics of your situation. "data storage" is a generic term with many possible meanings.

Todays DVD-R are not so good as they used to be, they are temporary, 20 years old work just fine.
Modern have thinner layers and high storage are denser, so high probability of damage sectors.

I never meant to insinuate that they would last forever. Twenty years is a long tome to save data though without re-saving it. Most hard copy photos won't stay good that long without special treatment.

I guess the real question should be, how long to you plan on saving it?

Thanks everyone