don't have much time before work, but i'll try to answer as much as possible...
1. data life depends on quality of medi, environmentla condition they're stored in, etc etc...some might last a few years, some might last 50 yrs...the better the brand of media, the longer it should "live"
2. without a doubt, Taiyo Yuden are the best brand of both DVDR & CDR...these will give you the most reliable quality and data life...period
3. if yer on a Mac, use xACT
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21952
on a PC. use TLH
http://thor.prohosting.com/roh0205/
4. not very common...there has been some discussion in various circles as to how "lossless" it truly is...i've never run across a show in ALAC yet, though i'm sure here are a few out theres
5. same answer as #5, xACT [Mac] or TLH [PC]
6. i'm in the midst of rearchiving my collection from CDR to DVDRs, and its taken 6 months to get part way...well worth it in the long run tho...and once i've backed up the CDRs to my harddrive, i usually just offer em up as Freebies to friends, or you can set up a B&P, etc
hope that helps
if you have any more ?s, let us know or PM me
cheers!
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