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Turn The Damn CD Over

Genius or idiocy? I'm about to find out.
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I read somewhere (great reference, I know, but it was a reliable source) that the top side of a CD is in fact the most vulnerable side. There's a thick protective coating on the shiny side, and the top side, where the label usually goes, is the side that's read by the laser in your CD player.You should not write on the top side of a CD with an instrument such as a pencil or ballpoint.

So why not put the label on the side with the protective coating? Put another protective coating on the top, then put the CD in the player "upside down" as it were. No more writing on the delicate side of the CD.

Eugene, May 28 2004

CD Rot http://www.wired.co...,1282,63355,00.html
manufacuring flaws, improper handling ruin cd's [xclamp, Oct 04 2004]

postage stamp sized holographic data storage card http://neasia.nikke...r/asabt/news/290920
how are we ever gonna label these? [xclamp, Oct 04 2004]

Blu- ray http://www.blu-ray.com/info/
here ya go silverstormer. [etherman, Jan 28 2005]

[link]






       CDs would be twice as thick. Would they still work? By the way, the solvent in Sharpie pens can penetrate the label screen ink/coating and damage the data layer unless you use their ultra fine points and write lightly.   

       This I know from sad personal experience.
bristolz, May 28 2004
  

       //I read somewhere//   

       read the same article (link). cd's may be obsolete soon anyway (other link). i use one of those cd markers, haven't really had a problem.
xclamp, May 28 2004
  

       [bristolz] the double thick cds might cause a problem in tray mount players, but spindle type players shouldn't have a problem. i have stacked six or seven discs in the player when short of jewel cases without experiencing problems.
stilgar, May 29 2004
  

       I very much hope CDs as computer storage media are obsolete soon. Perhaps they could be replaced by a superior technology like 5-1/4 card board floppies.   

       I absolutely hate writing to a CD. It takes forever and you never know if you can still read it in 6 months.
</rant>
  

       [xclamp] That postage stamp would be great for OS distribution. Don't install any more, just plug in the stamp. Personal settings would still be stored on a HD, but it would be nice if you don't have to wait for "installing ..." any more.
kbecker, May 29 2004
  

       Oh, fuck, I'll have to buy all of my albums all over again.   

       Oh, yeah. I mean burn.
Eugene, May 29 2004
  

       DVD bakes this (have a look at the edge of a DVD if you don't believe me).   

       A DVD is made of two half-as-thick-as-a-CD discs, stuck together. Thus, the data is in the middle and nicely protected.. and the result isn't any thicker than a CD. Single-sided DVDs get a label stuck to the non-active side.   

       The prime reason for this construction was not protection but because a CD-thickness (1.2mm?) is too much plastic for the DVD's shorter wavelength laser to go though without excessive refraction or something. And a 0.6mm disc would be too thin and breakable. So - glue two together. Genius!
benjamin, May 29 2004
  

       And the reason we're not buying our White Stripes on DVD is...?
Eugene, May 29 2004
  

       Probably because record labels reckon that not enough people have dvd players, or dvd-capable hifi systems, yet. Most people are perfectly happy with a cd for music.   

       But DVD-audio is a standard and there are an increasing number of offerings out there.
benjamin, May 29 2004
  

       //the top side, where the label usually goes, is the side that's read by the laser//
No, actually. The laser is underneath the disc, pointing at the non-label side.
angel, May 29 2004
  

       DVD audio has been abvailable for a long time. It is generally only possible to get newly released music in this format though.

Anyone know if Blue-ray is going to ever make it out to the public?
silverstormer, May 29 2004
  

       //why not put the label on the side with the protective coating?//   

       Because that side is already protected, and you want to keep the disk as thin as possible.   

       A special label on the unprotected side would be best. Market it as a "CD Rot-Proofing system". Many existing labels provide excellent protection if the material won't warp or shrink, and the adhesive is stable.
Rough handling is probably the biggest CD killer -- damaging the "protected" side. Then there's heat and moisture, which affect most any storage medium.
Amos Kito, May 29 2004
  

       Blu- ray is likely to be rolled out in 2007. <linky>
etherman, Jan 28 2005
  
      
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