RE: [AV Media Matters] Kodak Gold on Gold CD-R

[Joseph Wrobel <joseph.wrobel@kodak.com>]

Some comments:

The cited NML letter (at
http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/Industry/news/letter-190298.html) does not
mention Kodak media at all.  In fact, when it mentions CD technology it is
referring to CD-ROM not CD-R:  "The NML chart shows that best quality
CD-ROM media would be suitable for storing information for 50 years, but
not for 100 years."

The official position on the lifetime of Kodak's Gold Ultima product is 100
years or more under normal storage conditions.  This prediction is based on
an extensive set of accelerated keeping tests done several years ago.  Such
a test has never been run on Kodak's Ultima product (the gold/silver
alloy).  However, we have observed that it lasts up to 6 times longer under
the accelerated condition of 80C/85%RH than competitors' media with pure
silver as the reflector.

I recently received a CD-R in the mail from the National Media Laboratory
(NML) bearing a report, dated August 2000, in two parts.  The report,
"prepared pursuant to a United States Government contract under the
National Technology Alliance (NTA) Program", is entitled "Data Storage
Technology Assessment 2000" and is authored by Koichi Sadashige (NML/3M).
The two parts are: Part I - Current State and Near-Term Projections for
Hardware Technology (145 pp.) and Part II - Storage Media Environmental
Durability and Stability (88 pp.).  The reports cover magnetic, optical and
solid state storage as well as "emerging" technologies such as holographic
and optical tape systems.

The first paragraph of the conclusion section of the Part II report (p. 77)
states:  "Magnetic and optical media life expectancy, when they are used
and stored in air-conditioned office conditions, can be considerably longer
than the 25-year cycle of production and active use life of the storage
devices and systems."  In a table on the following page entitled "Magnetic
and Optical Disk Media Life Expectancy Projections (In Years)", the entry
for WORM Optical Disk Media (which includes CD-R media) is 50+++ for
temperatures less than 25C and humidities less than 50%.

As Ed Zwaneveld informed us, to obtain a free CD-R copy of the complete
report, contact: George Sundem, National Media Laboratory (NML).  He can be
reached as follows: gesundem@mmm.com, or by phone: +1-651-736-1542.