Blank Media Buying Guide

Blank media terminology

"Disk" v. "disc" is a small matter, but if you really want to do it right:

• Disk: Magnetic storage media -- they lived fast and died young. The first floppy disks were 8-inch diameter, 80KB disks; they increased to 1.5MB before being replaced by the 5.25-inch floppy (which went from 110KB to 1.2MB). The 3.5-inch, 1.44MB was next, and high capacity floppy disks (known as zip-disks) actually hit 750MB, though these needed their own floppy disk drive. Floppy disks and drives are still available, but more and more people are buying into higher capacity, more durable blank computer storage media formats.
• Disc: Optical storage media -- currently the most common portable media. The first were laser-discs for movies; each 10-inch disc held about 30 minutes of video. They were very popular very briefly -- until the VHS VCR beat out laserdisc and Betamax tape for the home movie market. CDs came next; good for music, but not enough capacity for video. DVDs solved that problem, they came ready to show full 2-hour movies. Two high definition disc formats are now coming to the market, with battle lines being drawn as they were between Beta and VHS twenty years ago.

"Burner" is the disc equivalent of a tape recorder. If a component can only read CDs or DVDs, it's generally called a drive; if it can read and record, it's most often called a burner, since it records with a laser beam.

Compact discs (CDs) are 12cm in diameter and hold about 700MB of data. This equates to about 75 minutes of audio. There is also a min-disc, which is 8cm, and specialty items like business card-sized discs. Current CD formats include:

• CD-ROM: The first audio blank CDs were "read only memory." The data was recorded by a 780nm laser as tiny indentations called pits on the aluminum-coated surface. Since this was a physical change in the disc, the disc could not be altered once recorded. These were first marketed as pre-recorded discs, since home computer disc writers did not yet exist.
• CD-R: The first CDs that could be written using home computer equipment. Instead of pitting the surface, the disc was coated with a dye that was altered by the laser beam, which the reading laser read as bits of data. Blank CD-Rs are write-once CDs, meaning once run through the CD burner, they could never be re-written; or, as in later versions, there could be multiple writings, as long as the total disc capacity had not been reached.
• CD-RW: Similar to CD-ROMs, blank CD-RWs have an alloy of silver and other metals instead of aluminum. The laser beam melts tiny portions of the surface the way the original CDs were pitted, but these annealed sections can be remelted, altering the data stored. They have an estimated 1,000 re-write service life.

Digital versatile discs (DVDs) are also 12cm diameter, but use a 650nm laser, making smaller data impressions and storing more data, 4.7GB per layer or up to 16 GB on a double-sided double-layer disc (that's a lot of DVD audio or video!).>

• DVD: Technically a DVD-ROM, these are preprogrammed discs with movies, music, video games and programs. Based on the popularity of blank CDs, blank DVD discs came to market very quickly.
• DVD-R and DVD+R: Like a CD, a blank DVD-R can be written to once by home users. There are two competing formats with little difference and most (but not all) DVD drives and writers are compatible with both.
• DVD-RW and DVD+RW: Like a rewritable CD, a blank DVD-RW uses a metal alloy surface layer which is altered by the laser to record data; they can be re-written an estimated 1,000 times. Like other DVDs, there are two competing formats; most players and writers are compatible with both.
• DVD-RAM: A DVD-random access memory, it has greater error control and a longer service life (estimated at 5,000 to 10,000 rewrites); it is more popular in camcorders than computers because of compatibility issues with DVD-RW and DVD+RW. Some blank DVDs are designated DL, meaning "double layered." These have approx. 8.5GB data storage capacity per side.

USB flash drives were first marketed as the "thumb drive" or "jump drive" (manufacturers' product names); USB flash memory sticks have caught on among users needing durable, portable data storage. "Flash drive" has become the most common moniker. Essentially, a USB flash drive is a chip in a housing with a USB connector. Some flash drives also have write-protect switches and LEDs showing when the drive is in use. Biometric and other security systems are also being introduced. Unlike other blank computer storage media, the housing can take almost any form, like toys or food, for example, or they can be integrated into other devices like watches, pens, etc. Compact flash memory capacities increase almost all the time; 64GB flash drives are already on the market (although they are really, really expensive).

This housing makes a USB flash drive almost impervious to scratches and dust (serious problems for discs), and they are estimated at 100,000 rewrite cycles or more. A flash drive has even survived total immersion in water (a washing machine!) and performed to spec after drying out before use.

Blank computer storage media buying tips

Buy more than you need. This is not a recommendation for conspicuous consumption; it's a simple fact of cyber-life. Regardless of what you think you need, a year or two down the road you'll need more.

Don't buy a new computer if you don't have to: Upgrades are available very reasonably priced (especially at Overstock.com). You can choose internal or external hardware: Internals are built-in to the extra space almost every computer has. This requires little knowledge of electronics beyond the ability to read and follow instructions, but since this qualifies as major surgery to your desktop computer or laptop computer, home users generally leave it to their favorite computer store. Externals are easy -- you just take it home, plug in the USB cord, install the driver and turn it on. Either way, you'll have a new CD burner or DVD burner.

Blank media care

Blank CDs and blank DVDs are vastly less delicate than floppy disks, but that doesn't mean you can abuse them. A few simple rules will lengthen your disc's service life to its maximum:

• Don't drop your flash drive in the washing machine -- just because it can survive does not mean it will, or that it should have to try.
• Keep the cap over the flash drive USB connector when not plugged into a computer. If that USB connector is damaged, it may cease to be a USB flash drive and become 1.6 ounces of scrap metal and plastic.
• Since a USB flash drive is only as big as your thumb, it is very easy to loose -- keep it on the keyring, lanyard or whatever. When you lend it to someone, keep the cap in your hand or the lanyard on your neck -- you're less likely to forget the drive when you leave.
• Store all discs in CD cases or DVD cases when not in use.
• Keep all CDs and DVDs away from heat sources, direct sunlight, etc.

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