I've searched for this on many forums, and only found some personal remarks, no hard data.
Does anyone know how long these drives are supposed to last? Now that writing speeds have reached a plateau, more or less, the rate limiting factor becomes the drive's lifespan. (In the beginning of this technology, you knew that you would probably replace the drive with a faster one before it dies). I know that the drives have some specification of how many hours they can work, some even have it written on them, or in the manual, but is there any study with real life usage?
I recently heard a rumor that Samnsung CDRW break down after about a year or so. Has anyone had that experience, or read something about it?
I'll be happy to read your opinions and experience, and mostly if you can post links to actual testing in the area.