Gold Archive CDs & DVDs

Why use a gold DVD or CD? Gold CDs and DVDs deliver a much longer life than standard CDs which have a silver reflective layer. Using gold as the reflective layer stops the metal from oxidizing over time. By using the gold reflective layer a CD can have a shelf life of over 300 years and a DVD can last over 100.

Of course the gold is just part of the equation. Using the right recording dye is just as important, as the dye must resist reacting to office and sun light, but react well to the light on the laser. A recordable disc uses an organic dye to create the pits to hold the data, where a normal CD-ROM has the pits pressed during the manufacturing process. A quality dye will create pits very similar to a pressed pit, making the disc more readable in more drives in the field.

The plastic, or polycarbonate, plays a key role as well. On CD the size of the disc must be standardized in order to fit in the most drives. On a DVD, the bonding agent between the discs must be resistant to breakdown from humidity changes and impact.