A discussion of errors in archival CD audio collection. A case study on how to mass transfer archival audio CDs. A look into the future of CD-DA preservation.

2. This is who I am.

5. Our worries have been confirmed by
studies
NIST/Library of Congress
(LC) Optical Disc Longevity
study. 2007.

6. 30 - 45 years

9. Pulse-code modulation
Figure 3. The pulse-code modulation stream to digital signal to analog signal chain. An Introduction to Optical Media Preservation,
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/9581

10. The CD-DA

14. YES – 44.1/16 WAV

15. YES – 44.1/16 WAV
MediaInfo XML > PBCORE XML
PBCoreXML>BEXTCHUNK/DAVIDDBX

16. YES – 44.1/16 WAV
MediaInfo XML > PBCORE XML
YES – 44.1/16 WAV
NO
PBCoreXML>BEXTCHUNK/DAVIDDBX

17. YES – 44.1/16 WAV
MediaInfo XML > PBCORE XML
YES – 44.1/16 WAV
NO
NO
PBCoreXML>BEXTCHUNK/DAVIDDBX

19. BLER - It represents correctable random error and is
generally not used as an indicator of failure or lost
information.
E22 - The second tier of error correction. Correctable errors
but require more robust methods of correction.
E32 - Uncorrectable errors that are present after C2 error
correction. cannot be played at all because they contain
data that cannot be recovered.

20. Plextools
The results of the tests
may differ from system
to system, and should
always be viewed in
context, like test
environment, used
hardware, software,
media, etc.

21. IASA TC-04
Fig 1. Section 8.1: Accumulated errors in a CD-R over time
8.1.11.6.1 There are a number
of downloadable testers
available online which use a
computer’s inbuilt CD/DVD drive
to measure error in written CD
and DVDs. However, due to the
limitations of the software and
inaccuracy of the drives, most, if
not all, are unsuitable for
archival purposes.

22. IASA TC-04
8.1.9 Errors, Life Expectancy and Testing and Analysis
BLER average < 10
BLER peak < 220
E 22 (correctable errors) 0
E 32 (uncorrectable errors 0

23. ● 2398 silver Mitsui Silver CD-Rs ripped (CDs
were created from 2001 - 2003)
● Tested 20% of the silver CDs randomly using
Plextools, measuring for BLER, E22, E32
errors

31. No discs passed the IASAs specifications for errors, even
though the test results varied widely.

34. The Good

35. The Good The Bad

36. The Good The Bad The Ugly

37. TAKEAWAYS
1. CD-DA don’t last long, maybe less long that we thought.
2. It is really hard to know why CD-DAs go bad.
3. Accelerating aging tests only tell a part of the story, but there
does seem to general trend of decay over time.
4. New solutions for comprehensive testing and ripping of CD-
DAs into archives.

38. QC Tools for CD-DA
$30,000 - $50,000
● Audio Development
● DaTARIUS
● Expert Magnetic Corporation
$3,000 - $8,000
● Clover Systems
$0 - $25.00
● Plextools PlexUtilities
● QPxTools/Qscan
● OptiDrive Control
● Nero
● PXScan/PXView