A bright idea: A DVD to store photos for centuries
An outfit called Cranberry DiamonDisc is claiming its DVDs have a shelf life of 1,000 years. Your photos could optimistically live 10 times longer than you do.
But good luck verifying that one.
Though many people still back their irreplaceable digital photos to CDs or DVDs, they’re really not a long-term solution. The dyes and reflective layers of conventional recordable CDs and DVDs can deteriorate in two to five years depending on environmental factors. A new long-lasting DVD technology aims to dramatically increase that lifespan by using physical etchings on a rock-like substance to record data.
If Cranberry DiamonDisc can cure that problem it might be on to something. I'd be happy to take a disc that can last 50 years (assuming it doesn't get lost in the meantime of course).
The price is steep. A 4.7GB DVD will run you $34. You upload files to Cranberry and they'll mail them back to you. Want a burner? That'll cost you $4,995 for a Disc Writer and 150 discs.
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com