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When CDs first came out, the disc makers bragged that they were indestructible. That may have been true compared to vinyl LPs, but as we all know, one good scratch can render a $50 video game unplayable.
Still, I was somewhat skeptical when I first saw d_skin's Protective Disc Skins, which are designed to slip over CDs or DVDs as a scratch-resistant protective cover. But at $5.99 for a 10-pack, at least it's a low-risk investment.
The Disc Skins come in a CD-size metal film cannister, with brief directions on how to snap them onto a disc. There really isn't much instruction needed. You put a Disc Skin on a flat surface, and lay a disc on top of it shiny (data) side down. The Disc Skin's edge, marked by a thin orange border, has eight tabs that snap around the disc. Then you can insert the disc into a player as usual.
To try it out, I grabbed The Lord of the Rings DVD from a shelf and snapped a Disc Skin on it. This disc has spent its fair share of time lying in a pile without a cover, thanks to our 17-year-old When I put it in the player, I half expected the disc to be ejected or become stuck. But the door closed normally and the disc began playing. There was no visible degradation of the picture quality -- which is to be expected. Digital signals are either on or off -- there's no in-between.
The Disc Skins are made from a laser-transparent material developed with micro-resin engineering techniques, according to d_skin. Not only does a laser read right through the skin for disc playback, but for disc burning as well.
This could be handy for a DVD-RW that you want to use now and add to later. I slipped another Protective Sleeve over a CD-RW and burned a 20MB file, ejected the disc, then reinserted it and burned another file, with no problems on burning or playback.
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| Disk layers, with d_skin protector at bottom. |
Laser discs actually have a clear plastic layer designed to prevent damage. The laser travels through this, reads the information on a data layer, bounces off a reflective layer and goes back out to the disc player for conversion to sound and picture.
What the Disc Skins do is double that protection. They can be scratched as well, although it's not easy to do. And chances are that even if the skin is scratched, the disc will not be.
I wouldn't put these on all my discs, but there are certain important ones that need protection. Computer program discs are a good candidate, for instance, as well as favorite movies, CDs and games that would be expensive to replace -- especially ones that kids use often.
Disc Skins are available at major consumer electronics and computer retailers. For more information, go to http://www.d-skin.com.
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Related Sites: CEN - Consumer Electronics Net , CEN - DVD
Related Newsletter: DVD Viewpoint , CEN - Gadgets Newsletter , Review Seeker
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