The unique materials used in the M-DISC requires a new disc drive technology to engrave data permanently. The M-DISC Duplicator have been designed and optimized to work with M-DISC as one to etch data into the permanent synthetic stone layers within the M-DISC. Archival-quality DVDs are known to randomly fail leading to permanent data loss. The major failure mechanism is rooted within the data layer, the very core of recordable DVD technology. This layer consists of organic dyes that are chemically altered when data is written. Information is "burned" into the disc by creating light or bleached spots. The data is the contrast between light and dark spots. However, the dark spots fade over time, nullifying the burning process. This is why natural processes corrupt the data on the DVD in just a few short years. The National Archives warns that the shelf life of a regular DVD is only 2-5 years The M-DISC is constructed of inorganic, synthetic materials that preserve data forever. These materials cannot be overwritten, erased, or corrupted by natural processes. It is as if data were etched in "stone." In addition to preserving data permanently, the M-DISC is designed to be backward compatible with standard DVD players. Once data is store on the M-DISC it is readily accessible using a common DVD players.
