Will leaving a CD-R out in the sun erase it?

If you left a CD-R outside with direct sunlight shining on it for like a week do you think it would erase it? Sorry I searched but couldn't find any information on this.

 

I have read that it can but can't say for sure as I certainly not tested this.

 

It might not erase it, per se, but it might well corrupt it. Depends on the stability of the dye in the recording layer and the overall seal to ward off oxidation. I've had indirect sunlight shine through a window onto some CDs for some months (till I realized it), and the ones that got kind of "rainbow" looking and gold-toned on the label side were all of the phthalo-cyanine variety (the yellowish-silver looking dye). Some still played, some did not.

But my Taiyo Yuden cyanine CD-Rs (the blue dye) exhibited absolutely no ill-effects.

 

Nothing short of an acid bath can erase a CD-R (not talking CD-RW here). Exposure to heat and sunlight can only damage it and make it unreadable.

 

I've got one that has been acting as a makeshift bird scare device on our balcony table for the last two summers (it's surprisingly efficient at that, I have to say). However, I'm not sure whether I can be persuaded to test its playability - it didn't look too inviting the last time I looked at it.

 

try it and see ? Leave it in a car, on the dash, and it will more than likely warp, so it would be unreadable.

 

I've had CD-r's lay out in the car in the sun, heat and cold for a few years, still play, no skipping unless they get a bad scratch. I never bother to put them in any case, disposable media for me that has surprised me with their robust ability to keep playing.

 

Some do, some don't corrupt - depends on dye used IME.

 

Thanks guys for the replies, much appreciated!!

 

Will make the music sound brighter....