Ask The Wizard

Dear Wizard of 'OZ',

I heard that when you pause a dvd, the laser can burn a hole through it. Is that true? Does it hurt the dvd or player to remain paused for long periods of time?.


Signed,

Burnt

Dear Burnt,

I scoured the best of the internet on this one:

This rumor is pretty much bunk. The laser that reads DVD's (Digital Versatile Disc) is not powerful enough to damage plastic discs. If it was, DVD players themselves could get too easily damaged.

Besides, as discs do not stop when movies are not played (paused). The players' internal memory remembers the position and halts the playback program while the disc keeps spinning. That and the fact that most newer players will automatically tun off while on extended pause to prevent overheating.

For your perusal I've included a cool graphic demonstrating the types of lasers and what they see:


So there ya go.

Hope this helps.

Yrs,

The Wizard

posted on ubuntu Linux