Have you heard about the “magical” M-Disc and the claim that they can last a thousand years? Well, if you haven’t, and they slipped under the radar, don’t worry. The company that developed them had a short and interesting journey before it went bankrupt in 2016. But, while it lasted, some of the claims made by the company, which appeared on their website, were very bold in my opinion.
For example:
“With our new 25GB Blu-ray M-Disc, you can now archive more easily with a larger capacity disc that is more widely compatible with drives in the market. Our new Blu-ray is based on the same 1,000-year standard for longevity and is certified by the Blu-ray Disc Association.”
Or this:
“The 4.7GB M-Disc DVD is the original M-Disc. Although it has a smaller capacity than the new Blu-ray, it still offers 1,000-year protection for the data you want to truly archive with confidence.”
So, a thousand years, huh? That is one seriously bold claim, and is there even a way to verify this claim at all? Well, in my books, to really say whether or not it is going to last a thousand years, you have to do the obvious – wait for a thousand years to pass and run a test. Seriously, there is no other way to prove that statement. This makes me wonder if maybe this is just a slick and interesting marketing gimmick.
Without going into a long history lesson about the company that developed the M-Disc, here is a short bio on it.
M-Disc, developed by Millenniata, is a type of optical disc designed for long-term data archiving. It does this by using a patented inorganic “write layer” that has more durability than the organic dyes used in traditional optical media. This method promises archival lifetimes of up to a thousand years, according to Millenniata. This technology was later licensed to Verbatim.
Other than that, I chose to dig a little further. I discovered that several associations wanted to test the durability and longevity claims. Well, to some extent, anyway.
The Longevity Tests
The US Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division and the French National Laboratory of Metrology and Testing conducted tests that simulated extreme conditions like high temperatures, humidity, and UV exposure. These tests indicated a potential lifespan of 1,000+ years under ideal storage conditions. Note: “ideal” storage conditions.
Durability Tests
M-Disc claims that their discs can survive extreme temperatures, humidity, and even a dip in liquid nitrogen followed by boiling. Reviews posted online show that M-Discs will survive burial in soil and harsh weather exposure and still retain the data stored on them.
The following quote is from one of the online reviews following tests conducted by the individual:
“Verdict: The M-Disc withstood the most extremes of outside weather without any data corruption. It was unaffected by being half-buried in ground soil. It was unaffected by below-freezing and above 80 degrees F (20C) weather. It was unaffected by hailstones, torrential rain, high winds, and days of constant sunlight. I don’t know about 1,000 years, but I can verify this is a great medium for storing your images and data for archival purposes.”
Now that I keep seeing tests like this, I am beginning to think that these discs may actually be quite durable. Although it is quite impossible at this point to conduct a legitimate longevity test, as far as durability is concerned, the M-Disc is not prone to extreme and harsh environments when compared to other members of the storage family (CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays).
More Questions
You know me. I want to know more. This leads to my next question: “Why didn’t it last?” Possibly you are wondering the same thing. Why didn’t someone use this tech in other storage devices, such as hard drives? Why did it slip under the radar and off the screen? While I admit these are solid questions, what has me very interested is finding one of the original M-Discs and putting it to the test on my own.
It turns out that you cannot buy the original M-Discs anymore. Plus, Verbatim, which bought up some of the company assets after it went under, no longer claims the 1,000-year lifespan. According to Verbatim and other sources, that timeline has been reduced to a few hundred years.
Some Reddit Shenanigans
Here is a snippet from a discussion found on Reddit:
“The previously available, now discontinued Verbatim M-Discs did not use MABL. Rumors are that they were made by Ritek. If you compare the old M-Disc (MILLEN/MR1) with the new one (VERBAT/IMe), you will notice a clear difference in the color of the recording side. Various anecdotes led me to believe that the old M-Disc has an edge in durability over regular MABL Blu-rays; however, there are no proper comparisons that I know of. Details are sparse on how the MABL M-Disc differs from regular MABL discs, but Verbatim Japan claims that all their M-Discs (SL/DL/TL) currently sold contain a titanium layer which helps with moisture and temperature resistance.”
Would you like to do some of your own homework on this? Here are a few links worth following to learn more:
Verbatim Japan Claims
Verbatim Germany – MDISC BDXL discs incorporate titanium for added longevity
And… here are a few reads related to third-party testing of M-Discs:
http://juri.su/lthhtl.htm
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artsep16/mol-mdisc-review.html
There are several claims on Reddit now that point to Verbatim currently loading M-Disc cases with their cheaper organic BD-Rs and still charging the standard M-Disc prices. While I admit it isn’t the most reliable source for information, there really isn’t very much online about the new Verbatim M-Discs, so sometimes you have to settle for whatever you can find.
That being said, the Millenniata website is still online but contains several dead links. If you ask me, they had a rather controversial piece of technology that slipped by many without much notice. If you were to do a casual street poll, chances are that the majority of people you asked would have no idea what you were talking about.
Another Of My Questions
Again, I have questions. This time, “Can you still buy Verbatim-branded M-Discs?”
A quick search on Amazon will produce various results, and this is one of them:
Are these real, original M-Discs? Probably not. However, I am ordering a pack, storing some data, and giving them a real workout to test their durability. Otherwise, I have little interest in them.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it. You now know the story about a piece of controversial technology that went mostly unnoticed. Sadly, there are far too many questions and not enough answers to fully satisfy my curiosity. I don’t doubt that I have added fuel to the fire for the average armchair quarterback or full-time conspiracy theorist. But to be brutally honest, I see the entire M-Disc situation as the result of a handful of bad business decisions mixed in with a number of missed opportunities. Sadly, that ship has sailed, and M-Discs will soon be nothing more than a footnote in tech history.
With that in mind, you can bet that I am on the lookout for original, unused Milleniatta M-Discs and will be purchasing Verbatim’s current Blu-rays. Will you?