Burning CDs and DVDs is the easy part. your data will be there when you go back to it days, months, or even years later--well, that"s a bit harder. Not all discs are created equal, as Fred Byers, information technology specialist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, can attest. Byers is part of a team heading up an independent study of DVD media quality. Based on the first wave of testing results, the situation is murky at best.
"We"ve found the quality varies, depending upon the type of dye used to make the write-once discs and [on the] the manufacturer," reports Byers. Even discs from the same manufacturer, with the same brand, can test differently, Byers adds. "But there was more of a significant difference when you compared discs between manufacturers," he explains.