DiamonDiscs are Your Data’s Best Friend

Somewhere, I’ve got files from the first computer I ever brought for myself on a few CD-RW discs. At this point I’m pretty sure they’ve been rendered unreadable due to time’s cruel march. CDs and DVDs just like cassette tapes and floppy disks before them degrade over time if not stored properly. I’ve since moved all my old data onto my new comp and am currently shopping around for an external hard drive to call my own, but this new product from Utah-based startup Millenniata might be another option.

According to eCoustics.com, some smart cookies over at Bingham Young University have created the only DVD that promises “1,000 Year Permanent Data Storage”. Called Cranberry DiamonDiscs (the Cranberry part comes from the company licensed to bring the product to the consumer market), these DVDs are totally transparent lacking the adhesive, dye or reflective layer that are known to deteriorate over time. The old school method of using gold or silver has been tossed as well in favor of using a high-intensity laser to physically etch your files onto the disc. It’s a high tech version of ancient etching techniques found in tribal rock art. So like DiamonDisc’s taglines says, your information is literally “etched in high tech stone”.

Eliminating all the fail points in standard DVDs has created a format that can virtual last forever. I do wonder, though, how it holds up against scratching. Aside from that, Cranberry makes a pretty good argument on why we should be checking out its shiny new tech. According to their site, data loss is still possible through online storage options, USB drives are flimsy at best and memory cards are just as fleeting. And who hasn’t gone through the agony of having a hard drive crash?

So where can you purchase a DiamonDisc burner? Here’s the caveat. The burner is a wallet-walloping $4995. Since this is still extremely new technology, you’re going to pay extremely new tech prices. But never fear, you can still get your files backed up without have to sign over your firstborn and sell various body parts. Just send Cranberry your files and they’ll do the work for you. You can purchase a few discs online and either upload all your precious files or go the snail mail route and send your stuff in. The discs are still a little steep - $34.95 for a 4.7GB disc or $29.95 each for two or more discs. Keep in mind that 4.7GB can hold a lot of info, up to 2,000 photos, 1,200 songs, and 3 hours of video.

The company also provides vault service for up to 25 discs for $89. Most people will probably ignore this option after shelling out so much cheddar for a disc. But for people that like to back up their backups this might be a good choice. Basically, once you create your DiamonDisc, Cranberry creates another and stores it safely away in case of theft or fire. And you’ve got to respect the candidness of the third reason you should invest in the vault service:

We need your money. How’s that for transparency? The technology behind the DiamonDisc is so expensive that we cannot make much money selling you the DVD. We need you to subscribe to the DVD vault service so that we can pay the bills.

Cranberry and Millenniata may have stumbled onto a gold mine in diamond form. Let’s hope the technology is adapted into mainstream so the price can come down and we can make sure our digital legacies last forever.

What are your thoughts on the tech behind DiamonDiscs? Share your thoughts in the comments section.