CDs, DVDs And VHS Cassettes
Why does my DVD pixilate, freeze or skip?
Your DVD may pixelate if your DVD player is failing, or if there was a bad connection made between the DVD player and the TV set. The question we always ask our clients when that occurs is “Does it occur with a particular DVD or does it occur with all your DVDs? Is it something that's occurred since it was set up or is it something that just cropped up?” By going through that checklist we're able to troubleshoot and generally figure out what's causing the problem. Your DVD will stop or skip when you have a bad DVD that has scratches in it, or if the DVD player itself is dirty or has some malfunction going on with it. The best way to determine that is to see if it occurs with just one DVD or if it occurs with other DVDs, so try playing a couple and if it's a consistent problem then you may need to go and repair or replace your DVD player.
Why doesn't my VHS tape play anymore?
Your old VHS tape may not play anymore because over time it degrades, especially if your VHS tape has been stored improperly. In other words, sitting in the sun, in the back of a car, some place where it gets exposure to heat or magnets; speaker systems; your kid playing with a magnet, whatever. That can destroy the integrity of a VHS tape. Over time it will decompose and at some point it will stop functioning. You won't be able to play it in your VCR anymore.
Will my CDs and DVDs last forever?
Any physical medium, whether it's a DVD or a CD or a VHS, will degrade over time. VHS tapes last less time than a DVD or CD but the other part that will make things challenging in the future, if you are storing things on DVD or CD, is that the standards change for how these things are played back. The fact that the disk works on equipment from 2007, doesn't mean that that same disk will play on the equipment in 2020 or 2025. So it is a challenge. We see it happening with some of our oldest stuff that is out there. It will be interesting to see what sort of solutions come up over the next five, six years.
How do I tell the difference between a CD and a DVD?
You can flip it over and look at the back and a DVD will have a purple sheen to it and a CD will have like a silvery sheen to it but that's a guideline. It's not a rule of thumb because on the newer DVDs, the double layer DVDs, when you flip them over, you actually have a blue sheen and you may have a silver sheen on some of the types. It depends on how they were manufactured. So, there is no way to effectively differentiate between a DVD or CD other than looking at the labels because typically they will be clearly labeled DVD or CD, especially if you are using them to burn and also the amount of content that is stored on it. A DVD holds approximately ten times the amount of content or more than a CD.
How do I clean my CDs and DVDs?
Clean your CDs and DVDs with soap and water. You should use a mild soap; dishwashing soup, and a soft cloth. Don't use anything abrasive, don't use any chemicals or harsh cleaning ammonia which will eat away at the surface of that plastic. You can also invest in a commercial de-scratcher, which is essentially a device in which you put your CD or DVD, and it buffs the surface of that CD or DVD to remove light surface scratches to improve its ability to play in a player.