Someone recently told me that if a DVD is put on PAUSE and left that way for a long time, the laser will damage that part of the DVD. I dont think that is true, but I'm not sure.
I know if a VCR is left on pause the spinning head will wear the tape at that spot. (which is why a VCR will shut itself off is left on pause for too long). But I dont think the laser keeps reading the DVD when it's paused. I'm thinking the laser is turned off, and whatever picture is paused on the screen is just stored in memory. From my recollection of what I have heard, any optical disc (CD, DVD or Data disc) is read by the laser and "READ AHEAD", whereas the digital code is put into memory ahead of what you are actually seeing or hearing. This I was told is why a movie wont start playing immediately when it's inserted. I know the computer discs (which are usually slower to load), always spin up and read the disc before a menu pops up on the screen. This delay is real noticable when installing Windows or any operating system.
Anyone know the truth about this?