This has now happened to me twice.

On both occasions I've posted a couple of DVD-RW disks to the UK, on arrival the diskes were found to be blank

YES, I checked the disks after I burned them, both were just fine. I actually copied one of them and the copy (that stayed in LoS is still fine).

DVD-R disks seem to get through unscathed. I'm assuming some sort of scanner is buggering up my data

Anyone else seeing this or is it just my bad luck

A bit odd indeed. The difference between the two is the material used in the layers. The DVD-R uses a dye and the DVD-RW uses an amorphous crystalline compound (phase changing material) that changes state depending on the temperature of the laser. High intensity (temperature) for writing and medium for erasing (converting it back to its' crystalline state).

I'm not sure of the effects x-rays, especially moderate levels that would be in scanners, would have on it. I wouldn't think much, especially for the short durations it would be exposed. It would take rather extreme changes in temperature to effect it also.

Once I get our accelerator operating I can stick one in the the high radiation field and see what happens. Come to think of it, we just obtained a new toy for purposes like this but still waiting to get it hooked up.

A bit odd indeed. The difference between the two is the material used in the layers. The DVD-R uses a dye and the DVD-RW uses an amorphous crystalline compound (phase changing material) that changes state depending on the temperature of the laser. High intensity (temperature) for writing and medium for erasing (converting it back to its' crystalline state).

I'm not sure of the effects x-rays, especially moderate levels that would be in scanners, would have on it. I wouldn't think much, especially for the short durations it would be exposed. It would take rather extreme changes in temperature to effect it also.

Once I get our accelerator operating I can stick one in the the high radiation field and see what happens. Come to think of it, we just obtained a new toy for purposes like this but still waiting to get it hooked up.

Wouldn't the foil backing be ripped off the disc?

This has now happened to me twice.

On both occasions I've posted a couple of DVD-RW disks to the UK, on arrival the diskes were found to be blank

YES, I checked the disks after I burned them, both were just fine. I actually copied one of them and the copy (that stayed in LoS is still fine).

DVD-R disks seem to get through unscathed. I'm assuming some sort of scanner is buggering up my data

Anyone else seeing this or is it just my bad luck

Any chance you're not finalising multisession disks?

On both occasions I've posted a couple of DVD-RW disks to the UK, on arrival the diskes were found to be blank

Have them send one back and see if it can still be read by your system because the problem could simply be at their end.

Any chance you're not finalising multisession disks?

Yup definately finalised, they were made from bootable ISO images, both disks worked for me.

Have them send one back and see if it can still be read by your system because the problem could simply be at their end.

Smart idea, I'll do just that

I have had this happen to me between two PC right at home.  Turns out the burner on one made media that would not play on the other but played on itself, but the other would burn media that plays on both.  It turns out the burner in one was tracking a little un standard.