DVDs affected by heat?

beachlovingmom wrote:
I am the original poster. Showing my age here, but how does one make copies of DVDs for movies or television series? I know my laptop has a DVD burner, but isn't the DVD "protected" to avoid piracy?

I hope this is not a stupid question...... :h

Many commercial (store bought) DVDs are "protected", but there ARE tools available which all you to make a "backup" copy which is fully functional (technically you are supposed to be allowed to make one backup copy under fair use rules but copy protection tends to make that hard to execute.

DVD FAB-DECRYPTER is a tool you can use which takes care of that pesky protection.

The program is "freeware" for the one portion which allows the copy but has other additional features which are trialware. The freeware portion will continue to work even after the trial period expires.

I am the original poster. Showing my age here, but how does one make copies of DVDs for movies or television series? I know my laptop has a DVD burner, but isn't the DVD "protected" to avoid piracy?

I hope this is not a stupid question...... :h

Gdetrailer wrote:
Honestly, if you TREASURE your original DVDs and CDs make copies of them and then leave the copies in the trailer or vehicle.

Good advice right there!

Honestly, if you TREASURE your original DVDs and CDs make copies of them and then leave the copies in the trailer or vehicle.

Pressed (as in store bought) DVDs and CDs typically do not degrade data wise however they DO get brittle in a critical area, the CENTER of the disc.

If the disc cracks for any reason in the center area the player will not be able get a firm grip on the disc and often the disc doesn't play or if it plays will skip or freeze.

Burned copies have the same issue as pressed when it comes to the center but also have the additional issue of heat and UV fading of the dye layer and over time can become unreliable. But the best part of this is if you have your original disc you simply make another CHEAP copy.

BOTH pressed and burned DVDs and CDs CAN be damaged via scratches and or haze on the data surface.

Its your money to spend so if you want to leave say 50 DVDs (or CDs)for a value of $750 laying around with large temperature changes and or the possibility of theft that is your choice.

I don't.

Yes, I have kept CDs in a vehicle for short times, several weeks but I cycled them through playing them a couple of times then exchanging them with other discs. This reduces the time spent in extreme temps and allowed me to enjoy my collection while driving.

Now days however I have stereos which play MP3 files from USB drives, I rip my music to the USB drives and no longer have CDs in my vehicle.

You can do the same thing with DVDs, rip them to video files, then use a portable media player (these are standalone players which play many different audio and video file types). These players can have internal HDs and or play from USB drives. Non HD media players can be had for as low as $30, HD Media players can be has for as low as $60.

If I was wanting to leave my collection in a trailer I would go with the media player route or at least make backup copies of the original discs.

I have converted all my favorite tunes to MP3 and have them all on a single CD. There are copies in the TV and car that are never removed. Check my location, eh? That means over 100F to -40F. They work just fine all the time.


Stu

ZeeLet50 wrote:
Think about it people leave DVDs in cars all the time and gets much hotter than travel trailers I think you should be okay

Take a very close look at the ones stored in a vehicle. You may see cloudy edges or spots. I used to keep some in the truck. I now make copies of my favorite CD's for the truck and put them in a holder stored out of sunlight.

I have over a hundred DVD's in their original boxes in my TT kept in plastic storage tubs. Haven't seen any ill effects yet.

Most importantly, keep out of direct sunlight and store FLAT.

Melting and warping are the enemy. Warping (slight bending that causes wobble in the player) is more likely and occurs more easily than actual melting (severe warping)

That being said, our Polka DVDs live quite happily in the camper year round ;)

I too have been leaving DVD's in the camper year round without "ever" having any issues.. I think you should be ok to leave them there when your unit is in storage.

Think about it people leave DVDs in cars all the time and gets much hotter than travel trailers I think you should be okay

I've been leaving DVDs in the trailer all season for many years now and never had a problem. The only time I think it would cause a problem is if they were exposed to direct sunlight.