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Electronic Information Media
How long will audio and video recordings last?
The life of a recording is difficult to predict, and opinions vary.
The oldest audio recordings stored in archives are still playable after 40-50 years; and the oldest video recordings stored in archives are still playable after 30 years.
This potential lifespan is reduced considerably if recordings are not made, stored or used with preservation in mind.
In extreme humidity, deterioration can occur in a few years.
Remember that, even when tapes remain playable, the equipment to play them on may no longer exist.
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| For more information on the adverse effects of fluctuations in and extremes of relative humidity and temperature, please see Damage and Decay. |
Keeping tapes playable
One way to keep tapes playable is gentle use on well-maintained equipment.
Gentle use:
helps avoid changes in the magnetic signal known as print-through; re-tensions—but does not over—tension-tapes; gives early warning of physical and chemical deterioration; and checks whether recordings and equipment are still working together.
Why don't audio and video recordings last forever?
Recordings are short-lived because of:
damage from inherent media instabilities; damage from various external conditions and events; inadvertent erasure; print-through effects, that is, changes in the magnetic signal, and wear that can render recorded signals unusable; physical damage from careless handling or improperly adjusted equipment; contaminants which can cause signal drop-outs; inappropriate storage environments, which cause significant chemical damage through hydrolytic degradation of binder materials; and equipment obsolescence because the usability of recordings on tape is dependent on complex technology.
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