One of the most interesting things to come from HP in the past few years is the advent of LightScribe technology. This is a laser-etching device that utilizes specially coated CD-Rs and DVD-Rs. You will be able to add text, graphics, and even photos directly onto the media. This opens up many creative possibilities.

When the technology was first introduced, the only color discs available were sepia. While you could still create some amazing effects with the media, many people longed for more colors. Today, you can find red, orange, blue, yellow, and green, which will give you even more options when you create a disc. In addition, the speed of the CD-Rs and DVD-Rs is greater than it was when they were first introduced.

One of the benefits of the LightScribe technology is that you no longer have to struggle with the stick-on labels. As most people can attest, one misstep with those old labels and you could ruin the CD-R or DVD-R and have to start over. A benefit over the inkjet printable media is that you don’t have to worry about letting the disc dry when the printing is complete.

The discs are easy to use. After you have added files to your disc, you will then remove the disc from the drive and turn it over so that the label side is now facing the laser. Create the design that you want for your CD and then “print”. The laser will take care of everything else.

You will need to have a disc writer that is compatible with this technology, as well as the special CD-Rs and DVD-Rs. While you might not want to spend money on getting a new drive, consider some of the benefits that the LightScribe printing technology brings.

First, you don’t have to struggle with ink or labels anymore, and you don’t have to worry about the label causing a problem when you put the CD-R or DVD-R into a drive.

You will be able to use the LightScribe discs to label everything and keep organized. Label your photo discs, your music discs, and everything else that you have.

The technology is great for bands that sell their products at their shows, artists, and more. They can simply burn the discs with their logo and track list and then sell them. They look great and they are easy to use. They also make a better looking gift than a CD-R with a hastily scrawled title in black marker.

If you are interested in Lightscribe DVD-R or CD-R check out our lightScribe section

Whether you are a small business owner looking to back-up company files, an art teacher who wants to pass on interesting curios to your class, or an audiophile who is transferring your LP records and want a copy that will last for many years. Despite advances in CD and DVD-R technology, data breaks down and degrades occur over time. The dye on a disc which stores the data can corrode causing data errors during playback or reading the disc. The reflective layer can also oxidize and prematurely cause data degradation and loss of quality or even complete loss of data.

Archive DVD-R, Gold Layer

Many recordable DVD and CD discs use silver as a reflective surface. Special “archive grade” CD-R and DVD-R however, use a more resistant 24 carat gold reflective layer. MAM-A boasts that their gold CD-R can last 300 years and Gold DVD-R 100 years.

To test longevity claims, manufactures submit their archive grade CDs to a special “rapid aging” gauntlet. Discs are placed in an environmental chamber and exposed to varying levels of heat and humidity. Silver layer reflective DVD-R discs tend to fail after spending 500 hours or so in such a chamber. MAM gold discs, on the other hand, retain their efficacy for far longer. (The ISO guidelines for such environmental stress tests have been well established and search for disc errors at intervals of around 500 hours.)

Why might archiving data be important to your home, office or firm? Here are some examples of when you might need this technology:

•    You want to keep important tax information or business accounting records on hand for years to protect your business.

•    You live in a climate that has a lot of humidity and other climate factors that might cause non-archival grade discs to degrade relatively rapidly.

•    You’ve discovered from experience that standard recording technologies are not long term enough for your data protection.

•    You need to create a “master” audio CD that will archive music recordings that can’t be replaced if lost.

•    You want to keep copies of camcorders movies for generations.

If you need help choosing an Archive DVD-R or CD-R, visit our Gold DVD-R section or the Gold CD-R section at Gotmedia.com

DVD recorders for use in Home Theater are on the rise, many people are using DVD recorders to replace the “traditional” VHS VCR. I have been using this DVD Recorder since 2005 and I absolutely love it. I mostly keep personal archive copies of UFC fights on DVD. The amount of physical storage space that a DVD saves as compared a VHS tape is astonishing. I know it is common sense, but when I look back over my collection I see 15 UFC fights that stack up to be less than 4 inches! That is 2 years of fights in less than 4 inches. If this was still VHS days, 4 inches would be 4 fights. I store my DVD copies in Slim Jewel Cases instead of DVD cases. I got my DVD recorder before Couture vs Liddell II and I have never been happier. However recently I went to view that UFC 52 fight on an older JVC DVD player and I was frustrated to experience “freezing”, this is where the DVD player gets confused and the picture freezes. Actually it is the laser that is having a hard time reading the data on the DVD that causes this. I recorded this fight on a Gigastorage DVD-R. Fortunately I only had 1 sample of this brand DVD-R because all of my subsequent recordings were on Verbatim DVD-R. I say fortunate because I viewed those subsequent recording and sure enough they played flawlessly in that same JVC player.
So……if you are new to DVD recording brand is probably the most important thing to consider when you are shopping for a blank DVD-R. A quality brand will almost always be the best choice for any application whether it be archiving, master recording, duplicating or just burning a DVD to watch on your TV. Quality brands are made to perform better, last longer and have the most universal compatibility across various DVD players. If you want your burned DVD to play in 95+% of DVD players without “freezing” then you should stick with brands known for quality. Verbatim, Taiyo Yuden and MAM-A have been known to produce the highest quality DVD-R media.