Interesting question.
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Originally Posted by redbolter
he monthly price of renting the cable company's dvr would double my bill, so it has always made more financial sense for me to buy my own dvd/hdd recorder and record right to dvds for time-shift viewing, or transfer stuff off the hdd I haven't watched yet to dvds when the hdd gets full.
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I just want to archive/keep it, in case it's never shown on TV again. That happens.
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Of course, the 'financial sense' part only applies because I use the cheapest blank dvds I can find, buying in bulk, on sale.
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Yeah, that's no good. I bet many are marginal or bad burns. See:
http://www.digitalFAQ.com/reviews/dvd-media.htm
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I use the envelopes from junk mail.
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That's probably not good, either. Most DVD sleeves are using a type of paper that won't scratch discs. 100 sleeves is about $4-5, online and even offline (Walmart, Frys, Microcenter). Many also release lots of dust.
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Remember, I'm not going for longevity of the dvds, only frugality.
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I don't see the point if being too frugal wastes time on making something that won't work.
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And part of the frugality is not gumming up the dvd recorder with dusty dvds.
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Dust is terrible for optical electronics.
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I feel like I probably BLOW on about half the dvds going in the recorder
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Canned air (duster) = good. Spit-laden blowing = bad.
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Am I wrong to think these dvds have gotten a static charge which attracts dust to them?
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Perhaps. But most dust is just being dust. Static or not, it's going to be there. The biggest issue is location and cheap storage. Some places are just dustier than others, too.
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Am I wrong to think that the static charge itself, not just the dust, is bad for the dvd recorder?
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It is. This is what kills most DVD players and DVD recorders. Same for CD and Blu-ray. People always worry about disc longevity, but the real worry is actual reader/player longevity. What's the use of a 100-year burn if nothing can read it?
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Is there a good way to clear the charge from the dvd? From the recorder itself? Is the charge so minuscule that it's insignificant to the electronics?
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It is tiny. The best defense is the canned air, in moderation, without spewing the liquid propellant.
FYI: The same issue affects digital cameras. Those are optical electronics as well.