Though CDs and DVDs are still among the most commonly used media types, more and more computer manufacturers are choosing to leave optical drives out of their new models. If you still use these media types, or even newer optical media types such as Blu-ray discs or M-Discs, you may find yourself in the position of needing to buy a separate optical drive, and there are several things to consider.

Unlike traditional optical discs, which use dyes that break down over time, data stored on an M DISC is engraved on a patented inorganic write layer – it will not fade or deteriorate. This unique engraving process renders these archival grade discs practically impervious to environmental exposure, including light, temperature and humidity. ISO/IEC 16963 longevity tests have proven the durability of M DISC technology, and it withstood rigorous testing by the US Department of Defense. Based on this testing, M DISC media has a projected lifetime of several hundred years. Designed for widely distributed large data such as scientific images and video, Verbatim M DISC media has storage capacities up to 100GB. M DISC BD-R media is compatible with the latest Blu-ray hardware from leading manufacturers – no special drives required for recording or playback. However, if you want to use M DISC DVD for archiving, you need to select a drive that is M DISC compatible.