Abstract: Laser-optical recording material comprises:(a) an optically transparent and isotropic, homogeneous substrate which is free of orientation birefringence and(b) one or more amorphous, thermally alterable recording layers,wherein the substrate (a)(a.sub.1) has one or two structured surfaces, the structures being in the micrometer and/or submicrometer range, and is formed form a blend of poly-(2,6-dimethylphenylene ether) (PPE) with one or more styrene polymers, the content of PPE in this blend being about 25-45% by weight, based on the blend, and(a.sub.2) that part of the blend which is not PPE contains, based on this part (a.sub.2),(a.sub.21) from 0.1 to 8% by weight of cyanoethylene groups and/or(a.sub.22) from 1 to 60% by weight of 1-methyl-1-phenylethylene groups and/or(a.sub.23) from 1 to 60% by weight of 4'-methylphenylethylene groups and/or(a.sub.24) from 0.01 to 10% by weight of groups of the general formula I ##STR1## where R.sup.1 is hydrogen or methyl and R.sup.2 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 -alkyl, C.sub.