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There has been some discussion lately about the fear of losing valuable music and video files due to less than ideal media storage devices.
There is a number of manufacturers that claim to make CDR's, DVDR's and even Bluray discs that have very long lives.
The best and of course most expensive of these is M-DISC. This is their claim from their website:
"M-DISC is an archival-quality storage solution that preserves photos, videos, music, and documents for 1,000 years or more. Unlike hard drives, flash drives, and other writable media, that can lose data, M-DISC has been designed to protect your information from degradation and loss for centuries"
M-DISC only makes DVDR and Bluray discs unfortunately. http://www.mdisc.com/ http://www.mdisc.com/
Falcon Media (FTI) claims their archival discs will protect content for extended periods. their DVDR.s should last at least 100 years while their CDR's can last for a whopping 300 years. From their website:
"Falcon Media Century offers the most reliable long-term storage solution for historical or sensitive data. Falcon Media Century is certified archival grade blank media which provides the user with a safe, long term storage solution. Century blank DVD–R & CD-R media incorporates a special dye layer which provides maximum resistance against environmental degradation, and is manufactured with premium original OEM Japanese materials and technology to ensure superior archival-quality. The stability of both reflective and recording layers are the determining factors which ensure longevity of media and its data content. For extended and safe day-to-day use, Falcon Media Century is available with a UHC (Ultra Hard Coat) option – a protective layer that ensures up to 50x more scratch and smudge resistance compared to normal media.
All Falcon Media Century products have been tested and qualified for archival applications by the reputable French National Laboratory, Laboratoire National de Métrologie ET d’Essais (LNE)."
Falcon also makes a lower priced CDR which has an expected lifespan of 50 years as well as the new Mediline series:
"For data and image storage applications in the medical field, don't compromise by using standard media. Use FalconMedia MediLine blank media for storing medical records. FalconMedia specially manufacturers these certified medical grade CD-Rs to meet the strict standards of healthcare professionals. Compatible with PACS image recording systems, as well as other imaging systems, modalities, and publishers, MediLine CD-Rs are reliable, high-quality, DICOM compliant discs, that provide extended data storage life of over 50 years. Medical imaging centers, hospitals, doctors' offices, and other healthcare providers choose FalconMedia MediLine CDs for storing patient data and medical images.
These MediDisc CD-Rs have a white inkjet printable top surface that is printable to the center hub, and will work with automated inkjet disc printers and publishers, as well as desktop inkjet printers that support direct-to-disc printing. FalconMedia's SmartWhite inkjet layer is consistent across the entire disc, so there is no inner-radius shading near the hub, and features high ink absorption with quick drying times, resulting in superb, vibrant, full-color prints with crisp, clear details. Each CD will store up to 700mb of data, and burns at speeds up to 52x."
http://falconrak.net/#products http://falconrak.net/#products
Of course most of us have heard of and used the Taiyo Yuden CDR and DVDR brand.
From Musician's Friend website:
"Taiyo Yuden CDRs give you the assurance that your CD media will provide high performance, compatibility, and long-term data integrity. Taiyo Yuden, Inc., is a leader in CD-R manufacturing. Taiyo Yuden's long history of development and manufacturing, combined with their zero-tolerance for substandard products, makes their media one of the best choices for your requirements. In fact, Taiyo Yuden invented CD Recordable media technology!
Whether you are going to release your latest recording to the world, deliver a client presentation, distribute a software upgrade, or archive materials over the long term, these are the CDRs from Taiyo Yuden are the ones to do it with.
Considered by many to be the best media for critical work!"
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/taiyo-yuden-80-minute-700mb-cdr-52x-white-inkjet-printable-100-disk-spindle http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/taiyo-yuden-80-minute-700mb-cdr-52x-white-inkjet-printable-100-disk-spindle
From Super Media Store:
"Voted the most trustworthy media brand by our customers and one of the original developers of the CD recordable http://www.supermediastore.com/category/u/blank-recordable-cd-r-rw-disc-discs-media disc format, the Taiyo Yuden brand currently sits as the pinnacle of recordable media http://www.supermediastore.com/category/u/blank-recordable-cd-dvd-blu-ray-media. Their high status is not without merit, Taiyo Yuden has a proven track record that is reinforced by positive feedback from professional and casual users. So ulimiately for care-free, no hassle, no worries burning, you can't go wrong with Taiyo Yuden branded recordable media."
http://www.supermediastore.com/brand/show/taiyo+yuden http://www.supermediastore.com/brand/show/taiyo+yuden
I have been using Taiyo Yuden for years and have never been disappointed.
But watch out for fakes!
Taiyo has been bought by JVC but continues to make high quality CD and DVD recordable discs.
https://jvc-media.com/ https://jvc-media.com/
Last but not least is the Mitsui/MAM-A brand. I have used a few of these over the years and they are quite good also. Their archival gold CDR claims to have a 300 year lifetime. Whereas their regular discs have a 100 year claim.
From their site:
"Protects data from corrosion and chemical breakdown
300+ years Archive Longevity Best method for preserving valuable content for future technology transfers Make sure your photos, videos, and data remain intact for retrieval Permanent data storage on a physical disc that cannot be erased 700MB storage capacity * 52x Recording layer is resistant to UV and heat better than other discs." http://www.mam-a-store.com/goldcdr.html http://www.mam-a-store.com/goldcdr.html
Here's a very good article on CDR and DVDR longevity:
http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1439925171172 http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1439925171172
I hope everyone here can find some solace in the fact that our precious data can be safer than first feared if higher quality media is used instead of the cheaper variety. It's always a good idea to have multiple copies in different locations. Even if a disc lasts many years, a fire or flood is always a possibility. Keeping copies of files at a friend's or at work is a good plan.
I have started to rip a lot of my favorite music to multiple computers in FLAC format. I find JRiver to be a very fine program for this. I have at least three different hard drives containing close to two thousand albums at this time. I also keep a copy at a different location. While nothing is certain, there's ways to be much safer about our hard sourced data.
I would also like to thank Morgan for his tireless efforts in keeping the TD Tree alive on his site.
Regards to all on the list,
Robert Wear