Originally posted by: Warbler
disk rot? that's a new one to me. Care to describe?

Basically, disks decompose over time, just like VHS tapes, although they dont get worn out due to use (they DO however get scratched, and thus are just as fragile, if not moreso). Also copying disks leads to generational loss just like VHS does, although not nearly on the same scale.

So while disks are better than tapes in many respects they are still fraught with the same problems. The only way to overcome these is to have the actual data files but then this opens up a whole new set of problems.