Optical Archive Group for Archiving BD-R and DVD-R discs

Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co. Ltd. (Verbatim), Pioneer Corporation and Victor Advanced Media Co., Ltd. (JVC) have established the Optical Archive Group (OPARG) to promote the use of BD-R and DVD-R discs for archival data storage.

In recent times, there has been increasing interest in digital archiving (where information is digitized to be stored) for the long-term storage of public documents, or original materials for public and private organizations. The total volume of digital data is expected to increase dramatically in the future. Digital archiving with optical discs is appreciated for its lower maintenance and energy costs compared to other archival techniques, and for its high reliability, boasting a high recalling rate of records which are damaged by natural disasters such as floods.

Mitsubishi Kagaku Media, Pioneer and Victor Advanced Media will work together as the Optical Archive Group to build a framework for digital archiving, which are compliant with the JIIMA guidelines, that integrates high quality optical discs (BD-R and DVD-R), optical drives for recording, devices associated with disc verification and other related issues, in order to raise the quality and reliability of archiving with optical disc as well as raising compatibility by achieving advanced quality management for optical discs. The group will also work to promote the benefits of optical disc archiving and encourage their widespread adoption by proposing solutions for long-term storage systems.

Main activities of OPARG

• Proposing solutions for long-term storage systems that are compliant with the JIIMA guidelines (revision JIS Z 6017)
• Conducting tests to raise compatibility and adopting an uniform logo symbol
• Promotional activities for optical disc archives (such as participating in events)
• Lobbying various relevant organizations with a view to acquiring certification, and expanding overseas

Companies that have announced their endorsement:
The following companies have already announced their endorsement of the OPARG, and will work to promote the adoption of optical disc archiving by proposing comprehensive solutions (covering specifications, system configurations, and application environments) in accordance with the framework for digital archiving that will be created by the Group: Asaca, Epson, Incom Storage, Netzon, PDO Europe, PoINT Software & Systems, Rimage, Bifröstec, Digital Streams and Unitex.