Optical Media

Latest about Optical Media

Original Sony PlayStation 2 security chip ‘broken wide open’ after 26 years

By Mark Tyson Published

The ‘magic security chip’ inside the original PlayStation 2 has been successfully reverse engineered and dumped after four years of effort.

PlayStation
Sales of CD and vinyl music sees strong resurgence amid physical media backlash

By Mark Tyson Published

Music industry physical revenues jumped by 25.9% in H1 2026, 'powered by 17.7% vinyl growth and a 58.6% increase in CDs,' reported the RIAA.

Streaming
Physical media nostalgia sees fundraisers flock to Blu-Ray Kickstarter

By Mark Tyson Published

A 'grand piano style' Blu-ray drive and USB dock has got tech fans excited over on Kickstarter.

Docking Stations and Hubs
Portable USB DVD writer with SATA dock deal
This portable, external CD/DVD drive comes with a 2.5-inch SATA and SD Card slot for just $26

By Hassam Nasir Published

Deals Plug-and-play convenience matches utility.

Deals
Catastrophic optical disc shattering blamed on cleaning chemicals and packing foam

By Mark Tyson Published

Bitrot isn't the only worry, CDs and DVDs are also susceptible to damage caused by cleaning or foam off-gassing chemicals.

Storage
Boutique DIY Hi-Fi solution lets you repurpose your old IDE optical drives as a standalone audio player

By Mark Tyson Published

A stylish new product encourages the repurposing of old IDE optical drives as standalone audio players.

Enclosures
GitHub thumbs nose at Sony's controversial end to physical media with its introduction of Repo CDs

By Mark Tyson Published

GitHub has announced that it will be giving developers a way to obtain their public repo on a CD-ROM. Context is provided by Sony's recent decision to abandon game discs.

Storage
Hardcore SpongeBob speedrunners smudged Xbox optical disks with sweat and grease to exploit 'lag clip' trick

By Mark Tyson Published

A grease smear-induced optical disc reading quirk can save speedrunners lots of time in SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom on Xbox.

Console Gaming
Another major Japanese electronics firm exits the Blu-ray market

By Mark Tyson Published

Japanese PC peripherals and accessories stalwart Elecom has announced that it is pulling out of the Blu-ray drive market.

Storage
Microscopes can clearly see the video on the surface of a CED 'LaserDisc,' discovers Techtuber

By Mark Tyson Published

Images representing the contents can clearly be seen when studying the surface of a CED ‘LaserDisc’ under a microscope.

Storage
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