@ save2600:
You obviously know more about these things so I'm not gonna try and argue with you 
I'm not sure we're on the same page though - so this is: digital on tape x digital on optical media? I wasn't commenting/objecting on that, but okay.
Btw, you mentioned that your burned CDRs from the late 90s haven't survived, which seems plausible, but do you have similar experience with pressed CDs?
No, I was merely pointing out the various formats that have come and gone. Especially ones that combined the technologies: digital recording onto magnetic or analogue media. I felt those were the best of both worlds for their various purposes. Today, I'd love to see magnetic tape digitally storing my computer data and files. For audio, I did like DCC when it was out and I had a couple of decks. AFAIK, they (in a very unorthodox move for Philips, completely ditched that format and do not make blank tapes any longer!). VERY weird for them and I would have continued to purchase tapes had they not ditched it so quickly. They were not the greatest at playing back analogue though and their internal design (a drawer that sucked the tape in) was totally undesirable as I like to properly maintain my decks.
It is my long experienced opinion that recordable optical media sucks. Mostly for audio, but since it's so poor with audio, I'd expect computer data to suffer similarly. I have not experienced as many defective CD-R's or DVD-R's when using them for data storage however, but my experience between the two hobbies are damn near polar opposite. Within the past few years though, I have "burned" several DVD's for people and myself. Only time will tell how well they hold up. No way am I going to throw out my childhood 8mm film videos thinking my DVD's are going to last
lmao!!
My pressed CD's seem to be fine, no matter how old they are - but I am aware of the phenomenon called 'bit rot'. I have one CD where the aluminum from the spindle to its outer edge *is* rotting though, but it does not affect the sound yet and that disc was made in Germany and from the early 80's. I have lots from the early-mid 80's still - but I believe they need to be treated in order to sound or look (if we're talking DVD) their best (same as brand new CD's, SACD's, DVD's, etc.) by a device that collapses the static or electro-magnetic field that surrounds them as a byproduct of the manufacturing process. It's not the aluminum that holds the static, it's the polycarbonate substrate that does. Think about it. You purchase a brand new CD that hasn't has it's magnetic field collapsed. I forget the exact specs, but that same statically charged CD spins at revolutions of something like 200rpm to 900rpm. Static field is enough to screw with the optical pickup since it's focusing beam is comprised of a coil that allows the lens to move up and down vertically. When (not if) that lens is not projecting a highly refined and focus beam, the optical part that reads the pits is not reading them accurately. Now, this is when the error correcting circuitry comes into play. Do you think any man made mathematical algorithm can possible fill in the blanks to the missing data/music/pits? No way Jose and that's why there's been so many different error correcting "filters" throughout the years. Best solution is to have the least amount of errors so that the error correcting circuitry doesn't have to kick in as much. Another reason why, as an audiophile, you don't want to be purchasing used CD's from careless people
Scratches aside, the absolutely best product I've ever used and continue to use to collapse the static field (and this field naturally recharges itself after so many plays - so you need to re-treat every so often) of a CD/DVD/SACD is called the Bedini Clarifyer. They have both a handheld unit and an "ultra" unit that has twice as much EM circuitry I believe. I have the handheld unit and I swear by it's effects both audibly and visually. On top of it enhancing the audio, it does wonders with video too. I've noticed the clarity more especially with newer films that have different mastering techniques (compressed digitally).
http://www.bedini.com/ ...these can be found at your better audio salons and are one of a handful of 'tweaks' that truly work. I had a friend recently purchase a used Rush CD the other day. It was a gold disc Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab CD, but it refused to play in any of his machines and the disk looked mint! Knowing I might have a solution, he brought his disc over for me to try. Before treating it with the clarifier, I plopped it into one of my machines. It refused to boot its table of contents! Treated both side of the CD and re-inserted. Voila! Damn thing played. lol I was shocked that this device could/would provide such a drastic demonstration, but it did. Since then, I have been using it to treat any CD-R's I might make, just in case that was part of the problem with my discs from the 90's, etc. So far, so good. And no, I never bought the cheapest of the cheap of blank media. In fact, with a Harman Kardon & Pioneer CD recorder I once had, I was forced to purchase those expensive CD-Audio CD-R's. Regular CD-R's for use in a computer would not work with 'em
