When it comes to optical media, specifically CDs and DVDs, not all discs are created equal. From the day CDs arrived, I just thought that a CD was a CD and a DVD was a DVD. I also assumed that it either worked or it didn't. In addition, I also thought "that if it did work, it would probably last forever (or at least for my lifetime)."

That was what I thought for years until someone educated me to the fact that there really is a difference in the quality of discs available.

If you think of a grading scale like in high school, an excellent grade would be A+ (A plus) being the highest score or grade you could achieve. Receiving an F would be a failing grade, being the lowest score you could receive.

With optical media (Recordable CDs and DVDs) the grading scale can be confusing when you get into all of the parameters and intricate details related to grading an optical disc.

Until recent years, I didn't even know there was a grading scale for CDs and DVDs. For the purposes of this discussion, we'll only cover a basic structure of the grading scale used to grade or score CDs and DVDs.

If we equate the number 1 (one) as being the highest score or the absolute best you could achieve on this grading scale and the number 5 (five) as being the lowest acceptable score, then we could logically assume that the number 3 (three) would be average or just okay.

1	2	3	4	5
Excellent	Very Good	Good / Average	Fair to Poor	Very Poor

Based on experience from our educational institutions in America, we could presume that 1 (one), being the highest score, should be an A or an A+ (A plus).

When it comes to optical media, the highest grade possible (as close to perfection as humanly and optically possible) is Triple A or referred to in the industry as A++ (A plus plus).

Instead of A+ (A plus) being the highest level, the engineers took it a step further and decided that a Triple A (A++) rating would be the highest level on their grade scale.

Now, let's look at our table again, adding the Triple A rating or grade into the equation.

1	2	3	4	5
Excellent	Very Good	Good / Average	Fair to Poor	Very Poor
AAA or A++	AA or A+	A	B	C

It would be easy to find the right grade of discs for specific applications if they desginated what grade of discs are in the packaging. But, they don't.

The reason it's not easy to find out what grade a disc is, is this. There is no grade designation on the packaging of CDs or DVDs you and I purchase. Until now, nobody put the grade designation of the discs on the labels, packaging, or anywhere else where you or I can find it.

You may be wondering 'Why don't they put a grade designation on the packaging?'
My thoughts exactly.

When I first started researching optical media, I had no idea there was such a difference between equipment, the manufacturing processes, the countries they're made in, the materials used, and even major differences between companies who make this media. There are so many differences that I won't even begin to address them right now.

Unless you are some sort of pro who already knows what to look for concerning excellent or great media, or read about it somewhere (like cdfreaks website), you probably didn't know that you were buying a mixture of discs when you purchased them.

Whether it be 25, 50, or even 100 of these "cheap" discs, you're getting what you paid for. Years ago, manufacturers began giving away CDs when someone purchased a new computer with a CD burner/player in it. This is one of the reasons CDs began to be perceived as "cheap."

Before they knew it, the CD had caught on and almost everyone began using them over floppy discs, small Zip and tape drives, and there seemed to be an immediate demand for these shiny new silver discs.

In order to keep the manufacturing, shipping, and even retail costs as low as possible, so we would buy more of these discs, they had to mix the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, so to speak.

Which means, you get a mixed batch of A grade, B grade and even C grade discs when you buy a retail package, whether online or in the store.

1	2	3	4	5
Excellent	Very Good	Good / Average	Fair to Poor	Very Poor
AAA or A++	AA or A+	A	B	C

So, where did the triple A and double A rated discs go? Why didn't they mix them in too?

First off, the precision on the master stamper die (the press) was designed for mass production, not really designed for the highest quality in those days. They only needed these stampers to press out as many discs as possible per manufacturing run. The key was to make them "just good enough" and as fast as possible.

Secondly, they decided to keep the most excellent discs to sell to different markets. They encased some of these finer discs (A++) in cartridges and sold them as industry specific discs. Others they sold as "Medical Grade" (A+) discs.

Needless to say, you and I were not worthy of "those discs" since they thought we were not willing to pay top dollar for them and they were probably right.

This was not designed to be an outright rip off by the major players in this industry (at least not in the beginning). This "mixed-disc" strategy was simply designed to cut costs and make it possible for everyone involved to make a profit and to keep discs affordable for the masses.

You know it has to be pennies on the dollar when you can go out and buy a package of 100 CDs or DVDs for less than $20.00 at almost any store down the street, and even cheaper online (not counting the shipping and handling, unless that's included with your purchase too).

Until newer research began showing that these "average" discs weren't going to last much more than a decade (if that), there wasn't enough data or concern to make better media available to the general public. Now, after years of learning about "Disk Rot" and other problems associated with ordinary CDs and DVDs, the demand for a better, longer lasting, more precise media has evolved.

The Library of Congress estimates the average lifespan of a decent (A grade), standard silver CD or DVD to be between 2 - 14 years. That's if you get a really good one to begin with.

One of the problems is, you can't tell by just looking at an ordinary disc what grade it is. That's where we still take our chances, and that's why we started to shy away from using ordinary CDs and DVDs as much as possible. The majority of us realized that CDs were just not as reliable as we originally thought. I'm not trying to be like KFC, but it's time to think again.

Brand Name	Archival Grade	Gold & Silver Layer	Printable & Scratch Resistant	Inkjet & Thermal Printable	Average Unit Price
Archival Century DVD-R	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	$2.89
Archival Century CD-R	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	$2.29
Verbatim Archival DVD-R	Yes	Yes	No	No	$3.00
Verbatim Archival CD-R	Yes	Yes	No	No	$2.60
MAM-A Archival Gold DVD-R	Yes	No	No	No	$3.05
MAM-A Archival Gold CD-R	Yes	No	No	No	$2.99
Delkin Archival Gold DVD-R	Yes	No	No	No	$5.30
Delkin Archival Gold CD-R	Yes	No	No	No	$3.85
Ordinary Brand CDs and DVDs	No	No	No	No	N/A

Besides Blu-ray, there are newer, more reliable, and longer-lasting media now available to the average person as well as the professional. Of course they come with a premium price, but we've already been getting what we've been willing to pay for all along.

When your recordings depend on the best media you can find, I highly suggest using the Century Disc, available exclusively from RMGProducts.com

Until next time, I'm Carl Glassford wishing you the best in life, including your media.

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