TDK Armor-Plated DVD Media Takes Tough Abuse

Garden City, N.Y.— A DVD-R said to be 100 times more scratch resistant than standard DVDs is called virtually unscratchable for everyday use by its maker, TDK Electronics.

Called the Armor Plated DVD, TDK's premium-quality recordable media offers a hard coating that is resistant to scratches, dirt, fingerprints and other contaminants. One TDK test showed that even a steel wool pad rubbed on the disc didn't leave a mark.

TDK, which says the discs are the most damage-resistant recordable DVDs available, incorporates a next-generation hard-coating technology to attain this protection. Its dirt resistance makes it easier to wipe off accidental food and beverage spills, as well as permanent ink marker writing. The coating is also antistatic, which repels dust accumulation.

Because the TDK Armor Plated treatment protects the recording layer, it can prevent write/read errors, jitter or even dropouts in recording and playback, the company said.

Availability of the discs was scheduled for the middle of this month. Suggested retail would come in at a premium of $1.50 above that of a standard single DVD-R. Discs will be offered in both the +R and –R formats at speeds of 2x and 4x.