Media Choices

[Charlie]

There has been a few inquiries on what is suggested to use for making backups with little to no issues and quality media. Most of us here have been there done that. There is a few other brands that have iffy results meaning that you can get a good burn for some but not all, however this is what we will always suggest so take this advise and use it. Now just because link 1 is the first doesn't mean we recommend this over all as all these links are the best media.

Media Choice Link 1 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2010100071+1087708130&Submit=ENE&description=verbatim&Subcategory=71&Ntk=all)

Media Choice Link 2 (http://www.rima.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=R&Category_Code=TAIYOYUDEN)

Media Choice Link 3 (http://www.supermediastore.com/taiyo-yuden-dvd-r-media.html)

Media Choice Link 4 (http://www.meritline.com/taiyo-yuden-dvd-media.html)

[sunshine451]

The media links are helpful and I thankyou for posting them... Up here in Canada we have to pay with loonies, toonies and usually thru the nose as our 30 pk of Verbatim lightscribe dvd's will run you about $45. Cdn. at local Staples outlets. You can buy for less online but after factoring in shipping costs.... well... its up in the air then... But a couple of things came to mind when looking at the features of my computer. It can burn what appears to be
+/- media and so that begs the question. Is there an advantage to burning with one or the other? The second question relates again to media type when combining with hardware. You know how they say, if you own GM/Ford put original parts back on your car for best results... well.... if you use HP media with your HP computer (realizing most hardware is of other brands really anyway) is that specific hardware then designed to work better in conjunction with their product/media? HP media lightscribe is cheaper to be sure which in itself could relate to quailty, quality burns 'or' perhaps they can sell cheapier because of volume sales???? If you tell me to stick to your suggestions in relation to your posting, enough said, I'll read between the lines. :agree:
HP Paviilion Media Center
AMD 64 X2 4400+ 2.4 GHz 2x512KB L2, 1GB PC2-4200 DDR2, 300GB 7200 SATA, LightScribe 16x DVD +/-R/RW DL, 16x DVD-ROM, 9-in-one card reader,
TV/FM Tuner, 10/100 NIC, Win XP Media Center

Thankyou...

[Charlie]

I don't know the ratio from dollars to canadian but you can go to newegg.com and get a 50 pack of lightscribe media for 22.99 if I remember right.

[McstylisT]

Here are some links to DVD neXT COPY SUPPORT FORUMS recommended media , but for our fellow UK based members.



VERBATIM 16X MCC004 @ SVP (http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=249)

TY 16X DVD-R TYG03 @ SVP (http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=181)

EVEN BETTER DVD+R 16X VERBATIM MIJ TY YUDENT003 (http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=1523)

SVP is a highly recommended and trusted UK based site that can supply all your media needs. Also stock computer components but for this there are better suppliers. But for media SVP ROCK !!! :speak_cool::speak_cool::speak_cool:

[Charlie]

Great maybe 4hams can post reply for the Canadian country folks.

[zebadee]

Hi :)
Most HP media is CMC Mag. In fact all the HP media I've come across in the UK has been CMC (MIT).

[Charlie]

Great maybe 4hams can post reply for the Canadian country folks.

Only the Country folk or should we include the City Slickers too...

Personally I use blankmedia.ca (http://www.blankmedia.ca/index.asp) to purchase my Taiyo Yuden disc's.

I cannot comment on their web service as I have never used it due to the fact that I live about 50 minutes from their office which they run out of their house. They also have a warehouse about 25 minutes from me in Dundas, Ontario which I have recently become aware of and do my pickup at this location now.

Don't be fooled by a company which is run out of someone's home as they boast that they have the largest Supply of blank media in Canada.


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="95%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=arial14 vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=14>http://www.blankmedia.ca/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD class=blueheaders>Company Information</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=9 width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=center width="100%">About Us:
BITS N PCS Computer was founded in July of 2002. Primarily selling computer hardware on ebay under user ID "tricher", we gained a reputation of offering great service at great prices and to this day have a spotless record there.
We also sell toys and learning aids for children with Autism and learning disabilities under Ebay's user ID "richer4". This will soon have a new home at www.spectrumtoys.com (http://www.spectrumtoys.com)
In Dec 2005, we incorporated both companies under Burn N Learn Inc. In early 2004, we chose to concentrate our efforts in the blank media market. We have the largest selection available in Canada, an excellent reputation for personal customer service, the most options for paying, a liberal RMA policy and very competitve prices.
We are driven to ensure you receive the best customer service and the best quality products for the best price. We are honest and true because WE are YOU.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Some may feel the media to be expensive but media is damn expensive here in Canada. They are the only place I have found untill about 2 weeks ago to purchase Taiyo Yuden media in Ontario without having to purchase online.

One of our other members Afterburner also purchases his blankmedia through them and has been quite happy with their service.

I have been bugging the Manager of my local Canada Computers (http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowHome) store for a year to start selling Taiyo Yuden media and they started about 2 weeks ago. Found out the day after buying 200 at blankmedia.ca. So I am ok for a few weeks...

As for Verbatim media I get it at FutureShop or Staples as it is always on sale about every 4 weeks or so. $29.99-$39.99 for a 100 pc spindle. Regular price is about $62.00.

Sometimes I can find Sony Branded Taiyo Yuden at WallMart but they have been scarce for about six months now...

[sunshine451]

Thanks for the tips & links... I'm alot more country than city. Lived the city and the country. In the city its all about adrenalin (not to say that's bad :speak_cool: ) and in the country it can be more like "sit down a spell and relax...and try not to fall asleep driving some of those back roads...yawn:thinking: Love both... just gettin a little older I guess...
Technology is moving so fast and in some ways unless its apart of your business or lifestyle its hard to keep up. In fact I once heard that what our eyes see in one day is more than an individual 150 years ago saw in a lifetime! When does it all give? Maybe when we can't afford to put gas in our cars......:frown:
To further the question about media.... Why is there an apparent life cycle to these discs.... It seems to me that the older film type products (cassettes, VHS etc) and even vinyl have almost a lifetime expectancy if cared for properly and yet CD's, dvd's which you can almost play fresbie with seem to degrade over time. What makes them break down and how can one slow down that process some how if at all? How true "nothing lasts forever".

[Charlie]

Hey sunshine, my wife and I try to get up to cottage Country (Huntsville) as often as possible with the kids... Life is very fast paced you are correct...

As for media I believe that Verbatim and Taiyo Yuden are supposed to have a 100 year life span but as of yet we will have to wait and see if this is true or not.

I suggest only using these brands as most other are very cheap quality.

[McstylisT]

Here are some links to DVD neXT COPY SUPPORT FORUMS recommended media , but for our fellow UK based members.



VERBATIM 16X MCC004 @ SVP (http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=249)

TY 16X DVD-R TYG03 @ SVP (http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=181)

EVEN BETTER DVD+R 16X VERBATIM MIJ TY YUDENT003 (http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=1523)

SVP is a highly recommended and trusted UK based site that can supply all your media needs. Also stock computer components but for this there are better suppliers. But for media SVP ROCK !!! :speak_cool::speak_cool::speak_cool:


Just a slight update for some great media sites in the UK.

I have recently since used another site that has the widest range of blank media i have seen in the country.

DVDSHOPONLINE MEDIA (http://www.dvdshoponline.co.uk/16x_DVD__R_Blank_Media.html)

I ordered 3x25 tubs if Verbatim 16x MCC004 , 1 Infiniti 16x MCC004 , and 100 tub of the very hard to fine original un-branded Taiyo Yuden 8x +R YudenT02 media. All for £52 with delivery next day.

I now recommend this company as they are swift and honest, and best of all the media was first class. Top quality and good batches. :wink:

[WCROSBY9]

Playo From Staples Is Made By Verbatim ACCORDING TO NERO 6 PROGRAM

[bcsherwood]

I googled playo and they are made by a firm called
Abcron
they have had mixed reviews on the pages I visited and I do not think they are made by Verbatim
The “Disc Info” feature of Nero’s CD-DVD Speed provides some information about the discs. The code of “TYG02” would indicate Tayo Yuiden, which are Japanese, and highly regarded as some of the finest media. However, some manufacturers just put that code on their discs, so it may not really indicate such high quality.
I got this off of Jeremy Toeman’s LIVEdigitally (http://www.livedigitally.com/2005/12...ble-dvd-discs/)
Brad
Many other reviews were not so kind
They are inexpensive but you get what you pay for

[bcsherwood]

This was the review.
Playo Recordable DVD Discs
26th December 2005 by Jonas, Review Editor

Introduction

In order to store data on a disc, there are two essential ingredients: the optical drive, and the optical media. Many reviews focus on the optical drive, and how it performs writing a variety of media. We now have the opportunity to focus on the other component, the recordable disc. Playo products, manufactured by the Abcron Corporation have recently introduced their Playo line of discs. They include CDR, DVDR, and DVDRW (plus and minus) varieties. In this review we will focus on the DVD+R and DVD-R discs which are two of the popular discs that users feed their DVD rewritable drives. Other Playo products include flash media cards, flash card readers, and cases.

Methodology

Here at LIVEdigitally we have access to three of the current crop of DVD rewritable drives: the LiteOn 1693S, the Plextor 740A, and the Samsung WriteMaster. All are 16x burners that can write to both “plus” and “minus” discs. A good test of the media would be to see how each of the drives can write to it. The write time of each disc will be monitored. Each of the discs will be scanned in Nero’s CD-DVD Speed on my LiteOn 852S drive at 4x, which I’ve used for scanning duties on all my previous optical drive reviews. This will give us an idea of the write quality of the media with the drive. In addition, we will test that the discs play in a Sharp DV-S1U stand alone DVD player.

In the spirit of fairness, LiteOn’s (KS0B) and Samsung’s (TS10) firmwares were upgraded to the latest as of early December; Plextor (1.01) has not released a new firmware for their 740A drive since testing. On the Playo website they provide a compatibility list of drives by manufacturer and firmware with expected burn speeds. The Samsung WriteMaster is not listed as a supported drive, but the LiteOn 1693S and the Plextor 740A both support an 8x burn speed.

Both the DVD+R and DVD-R discs are tested from the Playo optical media line. Often, finding a good media for a given drive can be a frustrating experience for the average end user. When buying a box of media from a company, it is nice to know that the discs will work well with your drive, before you own a whole stack of media that your drive doesn’t want to work with. Also, it is difficult to return a 50 pack of media after you have burnt three disc coasters. Perhaps manufacturers should sell “trial size” packages of media; until they do, a review such as this can be very helpful at eliminating some of the trial and error guesswork.

DVD-R

Playo’s DVD-R discs here are seen in a 25 pack, other sizes are available including a “price club warehouse” 100 pack. The discs have a silver metallic coating, the appropriate logos, and plenty of space to write on with your Sharpie marker. The discs are labeled for the 8x speed.

The “Disc Info” feature of Nero’s CD-DVD Speed provides some information about the discs. The code of “TYG02” would indicate Tayo Yuiden, which are Japanese, and highly regarded as some of the finest media. However, some manufacturers just put that code on their discs, so it may not really indicate such high quality.

Here, we can see how the Plextor 740A drive did with Playo’s DVD-R discs. The burn was completed at the 8x speed in 8:45. Overall, it is a good quality write. The PI Errors are at a maximum of 48, and average 15.7 (recall that less than 280 is within spec). Also, the more important PI Failures have a maximum of 3, and average 0.18 (recall that less than 4 is within spec). This disc played fine on the Sharp DV-S1U player.

We similarly had a nice burn from the LiteOn 1693S writer. It was also burnt at 8x, in a time of 9:16 (the longest burn of the test, but only by a little bit). The PI Errors maxed out at 36, and averaged 10.6 which is very good. The PI Failures were also low with a solitary spike of 22 (which is allowed in the specs), and an average of 0.17. The disc played fine in the Sharp DV-S1U player. In my mind, both of these burns are of similar high quality.

The Samsung WriteMaster did not like these discs. Despite the latest firmware update, the drive could not complete a write cycle despite several attempts at 8x. This was disappointing as the Samsung drive is generally very strong at writing “minus” DVD discs. If you own a Samsung drive, consider yourself warned. The Playo website did provide accurate information about Samsung’s compatibility.


DVD+R
The Playo line also includes DVD+R discs. This is currently the most common variety of DVD recordable media sold. I appreciate that Playo puts the media in a different color labeling to differentiate it. The media is also 8x speed. The disc itself is similar to its minus counterpart. It has the same silver coating on top, logos, and plenty of space for labeling.



The disc info on Nero’s CD-DVD Speed shows that the DVD+R disc supports 2.4x, 4x, 6x, and 8x speeds. The manufacturer is listed as “unknown” leading me to believe that this disc is really new, and not just a relabel of someone else’s disc.



The Plextor 740A wrote the disc in 8:16, set to the 8x speed (the fastest write of the test). Overall, it is a good quality write. The PI Errors have two spikes, the taller one being 65, with an average of 2.5 which is low. The PI Failures have a max of 4, and an average of 0.1 which is also low. I was pleased with this write, and it played fine in the Sharp DV-S1U player.



The Playo DVD+R disc was also cooked in the LiteOn 1693S drive. This was done at 8x, in a time of 8:55. The PI Errors had a spike of 33, and an average of 4.8 which is very good. The PI Failures had a spike of 23, and an average of 0.24 and a few spots above the cut off of 4 (seen in yellow in the graph). This puts it just over specs, but it should still play in most machines. The disc played fine in the Sharp DV-S1U player.

I also attempted to write the DVD+R disc on the Samsung WriteMaster drive. The write could not be completed even after several attempts using the latest firmware. This was disappointing that the Samsung experienced trouble on these discs. Consider yourself doubly warned!

Mini DVD

As a bonus, the Playo included some samples of their newest mini DVD media. While standard optical discs are 12 cm, these are a smaller 8 cm. These discs fit into the inner tray of players and burners. Trust me, it’s there, you probably just never noticed it. The discs are seen in the opening image, in the two smaller cake boxes on top. These discs hold 1.4 GB of data. These are not currently for sale, and are prototypes. I eagerly fed them into CD info on Nero’s CD DVD Speed program.



Apparently, Nero doesn’t know much about these discs either as the manufacturer is “unknown.” The capacity comes up as 1463 MB, and it is a DVD-R disc (minus, as opposed to plus. The write speed is listed at a pokey 2x, although that wasn’t an issue. I cooked the disc in the Plextor 740A drive, and performed the following scan.



The quality of the scan was above average. The PI Errors maxed out at 21, and the PI Failures hit a maximum of 5 in one spot, the average was 0.51. Especially for a prototype disc, this was very good, and it’s likely that in the final product the scan would even look better. The disc was burnt at the 8x speed, in a time of 6:17. While that is somewhat long, remember that on any disc, the inner tracks take longer to burn than the outer tracks because they move past the laser at a lower speed for a constant rotation. Also remember that a mini DVD, such as this, essentially has only inner tracks and no outer ones. Thus, it takes a while to burn such a disc.

The bulk of mini DVD’s will likely be used for the newer digital camcorders that drop tape and write directly to disc. These mini DVD’s can also be used for projects that are too small to fit on a CDR, but too large for a full size DVDR. Also, they definitely have a “gee whiz” and out of the ordinary appearance to them. (In a mini case, a photo slideshow of your latest trip would make a great stocking stuffer on one of these discs to a loved one.)

Who should buy these discs?

Users of the Plextor or LiteOn drives looking for a quality DVD recordable media would do well to choose this media for their everyday writing duties. Both the plus and minus varieties performed as expected, and consistently across both drives, and in a variety of readers. The mini DVD’s are a niche product, but have uses for projects that exceed the capacity of a CDR.

Strengths & Weaknesses
Burnproof…
- attractive styling
- good burn quality
- discs played on stand alone DVD players with no issues
- plenty of room for labeling the discs with Sharpies

Coaster!
- useless for Samsung WriteMaster drive owners
- 8x speeds are not fastest speeds currently available

Conclusion

The plus, minus and mini varieties of Playo’s discs performed quite well in testing. Both the LiteOn and Plextor drives were able to complete their write on both discs at the 8x speed, with a quality scan that was within specs. The Plextor was able to write to the mini DVD-R with a reasonable scan. Users looking to choose a routine disc for their DVDRW drive would do well to choose these discs for their burning tasks. Hopefully, Samsung will include support for these discs in their next firmware update. These discs are “LD Approved” for all digital tasks. Look for them to be included in further optical drive testing.

Suggested Links
LiteOn 1693S review
Plextor 740A Review
Samsung WriteMaster Review

Special thanks to Abcron Corporation for providing their product for review.

Related stories:

Video iPod Copycat
New Plextor Drives Announced
Just A Little Faster


This entry was posted on Monday, December 26th, 2005 at 5:31 pm and is filed under General. You can:
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[Charlie]

I have been seeing a lot of users having issues with burning and when I find out the blank media they are using I can see why. Blank media uses a dye on the disc these dyes vary from brand to brand. Let me repeat what we would not use to make a DVD backup.

Single Layer Media

1. Memorex - These people are great at making blank DVD's and making them cheap. However there is a inconsistency on complete successful burns and playability.

2. Sony - These guys aren't any better but is a OK decent media to use but I won't recommend it. About the same as Memorex.

3. TDK - These folks used to put out great media to burn movies onto but they since then have went to a different dye so the ability to have a great burn isn't there anymore.

4. Imitation - This is as bad if not worse than Memorex.

5. Ricoh - Again this media was great and can still be only if you look at the packaging label and see if it was Made In Japan.

6. Verbatim - This is the most widely used single layer blank media and is recommended but be warned that they too are starting to show on the packaging label that they are Made in Indonesia, so look on the packaging and ensure that these discs are Made In Taiwan. These discs are suggested as the playback and compatibility are great.

7. TY's or aka Taiyo Yuden's - These are the same as verbatims but a bit better.

8. Fuji Film - These are usually OK to use but remember Made in Japan will be your best bet.

Double Layer Media

1. Verbatims are the highest recommendation on Double Layer media as long as they are made in Singapore. Anything less you are asking for headaches and issues. Taiyo Yuden doesn't make a DL blank media. Ricoh has rare DL media that is made in Japan so those are good but the Ricoh's falls are the fact the made in Japan media are usually 2.4x speed to 4x only so time is a bit longer to burn.

When burning DL media backups it is recommended to burn at 4x due to write errors can happen more often and make the backup fail to play right. The backup can be burnt at the highest 8x and burn completely without any burn errors but that don't mean they don't exist and I can guarantee you that there is errors indeed burning over 4x speed on DL media.

I hope this explains the reasons we here at the forum always state this and that repetitively as we rather you do a backup and be happy than to go through the loops. All that poor blank media doesn't need to go to waste as they can still provide data backup or MP3's, pictures and such and be just fine. So when blank media shopping look at the label and ensure it is made in Taiwan for verbs and sony & ricoh's are made in Japan for quality backups and less headaches.

We here will never steer you in the wrong direction and most of us here have been on the same road and got these crappy media and found out the hard way and all we want to do is make this information available to you so you can bypass the headaches we encountered. Media recommendations are due to our experience and we want to save you the users the trouble we had to go through. I went through my collection just a few months ago and found some old memorex dvd's that I used and they wouldn't play these were only a few years old I spent about 2 days redoing the movies on those discs too.

[bretth]

speaking of media, I was wondering if anyone can tell me how to use the "light scribe" feature on my samsung drive? Ive never had light scribe and just wanted to know how to use.
Thanks

[Charlie]

speaking of media, I was wondering if anyone can tell me how to use the "light scribe" feature on my samsung drive? Ive never had light scribe and just wanted to know how to use.
Thanks

Light Scribe Tutorial - DVD neXt COPY Support Forum (http://www.dvdnextcopysupportforum.com/showthread.php?t=1097)

[GJ]

Here's a link for Canada where I buy all my Blank media from
blankmedia.ca (http://www.blankmedia.ca/)
I buy the cheap media also for everyday use and not long term storage. for long term storage I use Only Taiyo Yuden and sometimes Verbatim

[Jet Li]

Here's a link for Canada where I buy all my Blank media from
blankmedia.ca (http://www.blankmedia.ca/)
I buy the cheap media also for everyday use and not long term storage. for long term storage I use Only Taiyo Yuden and sometimes Verbatim

Taiyo Yuden only here I buy crap media only for test burns and then I nuke them and chuck them out.:)

[GJ]

Taiyo Yuden only here I buy crap media only for test burns and then I nuke them and chuck them out.:)

Yup that what I meant for everyday use