So to sum up the data, it sounds like:

• WD seems to have the most reliable drives of those tested, with Toshiba being a relatively close second
• Some models of drives are significantly more likely to fail than others, with some having a ~6% annual failure rate vs another model from the same company at 1%
• Seagate had a rough year when it comes to reliability
• It’s hard to tell if capacity affects drive life as the drives being tested have been in use for different lengths of time

Verbatim is doing more than just keeping the formats on life support – it also unveiled new hardware at CES 2025. Its Slimline Blu-ray Writer lets you back up 4K video to Ultra HD Blu-ray and even comes bundled with antiquated Nero disc burning software.

This is the important part imo, given that LG and Sony both pulled out of the USB Blu-ray reader-writer market

https://www.verbatim-europe.com/en/blu-ray-writers/products/external-slimline-blu-ray-writer-43890

Means we’ll be able to rip Blu-ray’s into the future. At least, that’s what I hope. Need to check there are cracks for these writers.

EDIT: Won’t link to it here, but many Verbatim writers, UHD and otherwise, use Pioneer hardware internally and are therefore crackable.

Janet Petro—the first woman to hold the position since its founding 67 years ago—wrote that diversity programs “divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination,”

In 2021, when she was the director of Kennedy Space Center, she spoke at length in an interview about the value of diversity, saying “our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility has been paramount to mission success.”

The turnaround is giving me whiplash.

There’s no begrudging following of the rules, it’s wholeheartedly embracing the new regime.