(Business 2.0) - One of the most frustrating things about CDs and DVDs is that one bad scratch can render them worthless. Now a Denver startup called Scratch-Less Disc is marketing a version that can be clawed at, dropped--even smeared with peanut butter--and still play like new. To protect their playing surfaces, the discs are made with aerodynamic bumpers around the edges and a clear 4-micron layer of a polymer developed by General Electric.

With nearly $1 million in funding, Scratch-Less is bringing its brand of CD-Rs and recordable DVDs to stores. It's also looking to license its technology to other disc makers, so consumers may eventually enjoy glitch-free prerecorded music and movies. Meanwhile, industry giants such as Toshiba are spending millions to develop their own scratch-proof media. With next-generation DVD formats HD-DVD and Blu-ray cramming more data onto discs, it will be more important than ever to protect them from peanut butter.

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