Don’t be afraid to lose your archive: Blu-ray discs with a 100-year warranty are introduced

We all want our data and archives to be safe, but both HDDs and traditional Blu-ray discs are not enough for many years of protection. Most recordable Blu-ray discs, a popular standard for cold storage, are designed to last for several decades. On the other hand, the Electronic Books Protection Law in Japan mandates that some specific data be protected electronically for 100 years. So there is a need for longer-lasting solutions and it looks like Pioneer will fill that need.

Storage guaranteed for 100 years

Pioneer has recently launched the industry’s first “DM for Archive” labeled Blu-ray optical disc drive (ODD) to offer long-term storage. Pioneer also promises these Bd-R discs to last 100 years. Therefore, these drives promise much longer-term protection than traditional NAND memories, hard drives or optical discs.

Pioneer’s DM for Archive discs come in compliance with the JIS X6257 quality standard. This standard means that the drive offers 100 years of durability. In addition, Pioneer’s BDR-WX01DM Blu-ray recorder is the industry’s first optical disc drive to meet JIS X6257 requirements for disc quality and recording methods, thus bearing the DM for Archive mark. The drive connects to the host using the USB 3.0 Type-A port. Maximum write speeds are 12x for BD-R, 16x for DVD-R and 40x for CD-R media.

Prices are not very affordable

The most important feature of the product is that it can save data using an X6257 compatible method and this method is supported by the bundled DM Archiver application. This application not only writes data using a certified technique, but can also encrypt files and check the recording quality. However, storing data for 100 years is not a cheap method. The Pioneer BDR-WX01DM costs around $400. A pack of three 25GB IPS-BD11J03P BD-R discs costs around $16.

While these prices are high for the individual user, the costs are not intimidating given that both ODD and media are often used by government agencies and companies looking to store long-term data. However, DM for Archive discs need to be stored between 10°C and 25°C with 40 percent to 60 percent humidity.

Although BD-Rs, which are expected to last 100 years, represent a huge success, it remains to be seen whether someone will still manufacture optical disc drives and PCs that can still be connected to them 100 years from now.