Verbatim and IO Data have reaffirmed their commitment to producing and distributing high-quality optical disc recording media in Japan. CD-R, DVD-R, BD-R, and BD-R XL discs will continue to be made by Verbatim Japan, and IO Data will be the sole distributor of these discs in Japan. Various distributors continue to sell Verbatim optical media worldwide.
This announcement comes after recent announcements from various major manufacturers and retailers exiting the optical disc market. In 2024, Best Buy was the first major retailer to stop selling movies and TV shows on optical discs, and LG stopped manufacturing Blu-ray players. This year, Sony announced it will stop producing Blu-ray, MiniDisc, and MD Data optical recording media.
Readers wondering how to store their precious baby photos and important digital documents for the long-term can rest assured that archival optical storage media will continue to be available for years to come thanks to Verbatim and IO Data.
Family archivists can buy a Pioneer Blu-ray burner (sold here on Amazon) and burn their pictures and data to Verbatim M-Disc BD-R XL discs (sold here on Amazon). Government and businesses that require even stricter quality control can buy the Pioneer DM (Defect Management) for Archive-compatible Blu-Ray burner (sold here on Amazon) and DM for Archive-compatible BD-R discs (sold here on Amazon).
Keep in mind that hard drives use spinning platters and moving read heads that will encounter a mechanical failure, and all flash memory devices are subject to electron migration bit failures that are accelerated by high temperatures, so these will likely fail before M-Disc BD-R discs, even in controlled storage environments. Always make several backups of important photos and files, then store them in different locations to ensure survivability in case of fire, theft, or other disasters.
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Verbatim Japan and IO DATA will continue to provide Blu-ray, DVD and CD media
Verbatim Japan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Takayuki Sekiyama, hereinafter referred to as "Verbatim Japan") and IO Data Equipment Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Representative Director: Akio Hosono, hereinafter referred to as "IO Data") will respond to the trust of customers through the stable supply and continuous sales of optical discs in the Japan market.
■Current status of the optical disc market and efforts of both companies
The domestic optical disc market is currently undergoing a major turning point, and there are signs that the supply system is shrinking, with some manufacturers withdrawing from the manufacturing and sales business. Under these circumstances, Verbatim Japan continues to work closely with IO DATA to provide high-quality optical discs to the Japan market, with a stable supply as a top priority.
■System for providing high-quality optical discs
Verbatim has built a manufacturing system that incorporates advanced technologies established in Japan and conducts thorough quality control to develop high-quality optical disc products on a global scale. In the Japan market, IO DATA, as the sole distributor in Japan, has established a stable supply system for optical disc products with reliable quality.
Through the strong collaboration between the two companies, we will continue to deliver highly reliable products to our customers.
■Future prospects
Verbatim Japan and IO DATA will continue to play an important role in supporting the supply of optical discs in the Japan market through "thorough quality control" and "stable production system" of products. In addition, we will continue to meet the needs of our customers by providing highly reliable recording media for data storage, and contribute to the development of the recording media market as a whole.
Verbatim Japan won the top prize in three categories in the recording media category of the BCN AWARD 2025: BD Media Category, DVD Media Category, and CD Media Category
▶https://www.verbatim.jp/topic/topic_20250129.html
* The "BCN AWARD" is an award that honors the achievements of the vendor who ranks first in sales volume of PC-related and digital home appliance-related products per year (January ~ December) based on the "BCN Ranking," which collects and aggregates POS data from mass retailers nationwide on a daily basis. For more information, please visit the official BCN website.
What is Verbatim?
A global brand sold in more than 120 countries around the world. Verbatim was born in 1969 as a data storage technology brand in California, USA. Since then, we have continued to provide reliable recording media for more than 50 years. Verbatim is a word that originated from Latin, and means "word for word" and contains the idea of accurately recording data. We offer a wide range of product lineups, mainly CD, DVD, and Blu-ray discs.