# M-DISC Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/m-disc/ 24 people recommended M-DISC in Hacker News comments, 6 had mixed feelings and 23 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 12 months, in 14 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** People recommend M-DISC as archival optical media that lasts longer than ordinary discs and reads in standard drives. Main caveat: expensive, and critics doubt current discs match older ones. Summary written by Claude from 52 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 50 of those comments still count. ## Why people recommend it - Built to last for decades (8 comments in the sample): "designed, and tested for 100+ years of storage, can be read from a consumer dvd player and cost <$10 a disc" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47020277)) "It uses a mineral layer rather than the typical dyes and pigments to be more robust." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47083948)) "Masked ROMs and M-Discs are those two things which can really last a very long time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49586071)) - Reads in ordinary DVD and Blu-ray drives (3 comments in the sample): "M-disc lasts longer and doesn't require pro hardware to read." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46997976)) "M-disc is readable by a standard DVD-ROM/Blu-Ray drive." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47000883)) "These are cool as they play back n regular players too." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47012675)) - Preferred archival option over alternatives (2 comments in the sample): "Only sensible options were M-DISC and external hard disks." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49971705)) "The M-disc is a better option for most use cases" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49035673)) ## What people warn about - Current discs may not match old ones (5 comments in the sample): "currently produced mdisks are not the same as older ones. Requirements for media has been relaxed a while ago" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47067381)) "AFAIK there has never been good evidence that the BD-R M-DISCs have any special sauce" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49586677)) "M-Disc Blu-Ray discs are made with regular Blu-Ray manufacturing technology" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47017459)) - Expensive, especially for large archives (3 comments in the sample): "will probably cover most of the scenarios. It's still expensive, though." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46736743)) "Because of the cost of M-discs, they stop making sense after 1-2 TB" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47319596)) "I'm not sure m disc even makes cost-sense for smaller volumes." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47020375)) - Niche format with little mainstream use (3 comments in the sample): "The problem with M-disc was that it was always a sideshow on the mainstream optical disc market" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47021574)) "I’ve always been skeptical of niche archival formats, even ones as robust as this." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47022980)) "The relative obscurity of the format, the drama around Verbatim's acquisition" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49588445)) ## What people recommend instead - [CD-R](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cd-r/): 6 recommend, 1 mixed, 2 criticize ## The badge A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged. ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "M-DISC", https://hackerapproved.com/p/m-disc/ (24 recommend, 6 mixed, 23 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026). Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.