Disc Storage Not Dead Yet

Though many desktops and laptops no longer come with CD/DVD/Blu-ray drives, the concept of using optical discs for archiving data hasn’t disappeared.  Discs still exhibit positive properties that tend to help them withstand many environmental factors such as dust, water, temperature, and humidity better than most other electronic storage media.  At present, capacity has been the one of the primary limiting factors for using optical discs for file archive, but a collaboration between Sony and Panasonic has created a new “Archival Disc” standard that will remove some of the barriers.  Initial capacity will be 300GB, followed by 500GB and 1TB, making long-term storage of large image files much more practical.  Expect to see the first of these new discs summer-2015.