How to choose a good DVD disc

Hi.
I would like to buy some DVD disc.
But how can I choose a good DVD disc?

Which one should I buy: DVD-R/-RW or +R/+RW?
Which brand?
Dual-layer or single-layer? Which is better?
compatibility issue?
What storage (GB) should I buy?
Are the storage volume the same for all DVD media for the same type?

By the way, what's the difference between HDVD and Blu-ray?
What do you think about HDVD?
Better than Blu-ray, or worse?

 

Hi,

I have used the media test from the NEC ND 4550 DVD writer review to determine which media was most suited for this burner. They also review other burners and media. You can try to find your burner and the media they used. After reviewing the media I went to my favorite supplies shop http://www.opus.nl to look which media they offer at what prices. Dual Layer is very expensive so I settled for Verbatim DVD+R 16X, because it was almost the same price as 8X and I found some good reviews on them both on the internet and from a co-worker.

For DVD+RW I've used Philips 8X DVD+RW, because I always had very good experiences with Philips CD-R media.

 

I also like Dvd+r/rw over Dvd-r/rw or double layer. When Dl comes down in price I'll probably go for it then. I use Memorex Dvd+r discs and they seem to work very good and don't cost much. They are also very compatible with my stand alone dvd player hooked up to my tv. I've heard dvd+r/rw are more compatible with most home (stand alone) dvd players and are better quality too.

 

I've bought the cheapest, nastiest disks going for years and haven't had any problems and I burn a lot of music, movies and files.

 

Memorex is a "value" brand and is never the same disc (from lot to lot). They buy different generic discs and label them "Memorex"....just something to think about. Ridata from NewEgg.com is a really good brand consistently.

 

serious? ive always used memorex for my cd-r/rw and just recently bought some of their dvd-r. so far no problems but id buy a better brand if i knew of such.

@Wai_Wai - this link may help: Blank Media & Quality FAQ

 

That's why you can't believe everything you read on the internet.

 

I put a lot of pc programs on DVD and a lot of the programs will not work with DVD- disc's but they will all work with the DVD+ disc's. And I have had better luck doing movies with the + disc's and the Verbatim DVDs have always worked well.

 

checking my own link, it says "Companies like Memorex, Fuji and Imation all outsource to media vendors. When buying media online always be aware of fake media too (see the fakes guide)." the site shows that memorex uses various media some of which are rated better than others.

 

My vote goes to Verbatim, because it's also well-known for its LightScribe CD/DVD's.

 

Actually, DvdPlus above is correct. A good paper which has circulated around gives some good information on all of these brands.

He gives you the categories they all fall into and what each category actually means. For some brands, you must look for "Made in Japan" for the media to be good and if that brands disc "lot" doesn't have the "Made in Japan" label - skip it.

I confirms Ricoh for +R and Sony for best all-around disc. I have always read that and it explains why Sony isn't found real cheap like many of the other brands. I buy TDK and it's a quality disc according to this paper. It's worth the read. It's current too, as of 11-05.....
http://www.cdr-zone.com/articles/recordable_dvd_quality_page_1.html

 

Thanks for the link X, it was informative.

 

I always buy the 'store/no-name' brand (I always use the +R format) ... I get 200 8X DVD +R for $39. I've never had any issues with any of them and I've burnt thousands of them - I've never burnt a coaster. For CD media I also buy the 'store/no-name' brand - and never problem with any of these either.

When I first started burning stuff ... I bought the expensive discs ... but gradually migrated totally away from them, Truthfully I can't see the difference, I wouldn't suggest you waste the money for top quality brands of R media.

RW and RAM discs are another story, quality and reliability are important because of there reusable nature. Although there really isn't a need for these any more, as R media is so cheap now. I do use some of this media for business, I buy Verbatim in this case as I've had great experience with them.

My advice would be to never buy DL disc either, there isn't a need. If you're intent with these discs is backing up your DVD collection, just compress the files to fit DVD 5 - there's a lot of freeware available to do this - Don't waste your money.

Steve

 

See the following:
Memorex are known to use the following media makers for their outsourced discs:
Good: MCC003, MCC01, RITEKG05, RITEKR03, PRODISCS0x, RICOHJPN, INFODISC,
Bad: CMCMAG, MBI
Note:The above is the media ID of different disc makers. I have sorted them into good and bad category.

You can see, Memorex do not create their own discs. Instead they get discs from a lot of disc makers. Luckily most of them are from good-quality disc manufactures.

Thanks for the link.
Read and find it very useful.
The Memorex info is also from your good link.

 

Hold on.
Have you thought about other factors as well?

Not producing any coaster doesn't mean the DVDs are in high quality (or no problems!).
There're other ""hidden"" aspects you may overlook.

One aspect is longevity. Only time can tell. 2 discs can be burnt correctly and read properly. However the data is lost quickly in the cheap disc after 1-2 years. Another is not.
I have such an experience with my CD-RWs.

Also the quality can be a factor to consider. 2 succesfully-burnt video DVDs - the dearer one may retain (a bit) better quality. Anyway, I'm not sure the exact/real difference, be it subtle or noticeable.

Provided the fact that DVDs are such so cheap nowadays, spending a few dollars on quality DVDs is worthwhile to me. Let treat them as a small premium - to insure the data on my disc are retained in good quality and for a very long time.

It's just my 2 cents.
No offense!

I don't know if I'm right.
But I still don't think DVD-RAM is a viable option.
It seems DVD-RW (with packet writing) can do all DVD-RAM can do.

Yes, you are right.
DL is highly unavailable in my place.
Also it is much expensive + more unreliable + low compatility + burning prolbems!

DL is immature now.

 

The absolute Crem De La Crem of DVDR Disks are those from Tayo Yuden (hope that is spelt right). People on DVD burner forums rave about them non stop. They are also quite rare and expensive.

Second (very close to it) Best is Verbatim disks.

Avoid Ritek disks. They used to be very good but are not now.

From SVP.co.uk i get 100 DVD+R Verbatims for £28. its £22 for the Riteks. Why be bothered about £6 for the best?.

+R is better than -R in every aspect (they can be bitset into DVD-Roms to make them 100% compatible with every standalone drive ever created).

Hope this helps

 

Cheap discs = Cheap dye = MUCH lesser longevity.

They usually burn fine, but they begin to flake about 1000% (seriously) faster than discs by discmakers using high-quality dye.

Library of Congress and Smithsonian only use "A-Rated" discs. In other words, those with high-quality dye.

A couple of those lists have been posted in this thread.

Watch out for the cheap stuff. It doesn't last, like most cheap stuff.

 

By the way, I agree with Anthony above. I have a set-top DVD Recorder from Samsung that only records to -R discs. Plays back anything, but records only to -R. So, I buy cheap -R discs and if I want to save anything, I copy them to high-quality +R discs for more universal playback and longevity.

 

What's the writing speed for your Verbatim & Ritek?

 

The writing speed of both is 8x. I have saw professional tests (quite a few actually). Analysing the quality of burn compared to speed burned at (on a bunch of the current crop of 16x bunrers), and 8x was by far and away the sweet spot for best burn, (and it was by some margin). It produced better results than both burning faster and slower. So as with 16x you are only literally saving betweem 1-2 minutes, why bother running faster than 8x.

The worst speed by a long way was 12x. 16x was even better than 12x for some reason i do not know.

Hope this helps

 

I still have a batch of Mitsui CD-R discs, which I used for audio recordings on my Plextor PX-R412C. They were similar to Taiyo Yuden, but easier to get. I couldn't find them anymore when I was purchasing DVD discs. After a search I discovered they are rebranded to mam.

I found a media shop (shop.cdfreaks.com) that lists media identification. They sell Plextor discs which uses Taiyo Yuden. Good to know I can always purchase Taiyo Yuden if I'm not satisfied with my current batch of Verbatim.

 

Oh I see.
It is hard to realise 12x is worse than 16x and 8x.
Could anyone explain why?

By the way, so when I can choose between 16x and 8x disc?
Which one is better?
Which one sohudl I buy?

Thanks!

 

My vote goes for Verbatims, for quality and local availibility (from my local supermarket of all places !) , a mix of DVD+RW and DVD+Rs, things like windows XP backup and my data and photos. I use these for IMPORTANT backups, though I have a reel of whatever DVD+R's is cheapest at the time for less critical stuff, like burning music and backups of downloaded softwware which I have backups of.

On a side note my Father-in-Law bought a 25 reel of blank DVD+R's and every one burnt through on his liteon tv recorder, dunno if it was a dodgy batch, or that particular obscure unknown brand, but does go to proove that there is risk of lack of quality on cheap dvd's. He got refunded no probs tho as the staff member did'nt understand how you can burn through a dvd (you could see daylight through the foil where it had been burnt).

 

i am using 2 brands of different media IDs at the moment.

1. TDK "scratch proof" 8x max DVD-R
Media ID: Taiyo Yuden TYG02
Made in Japan
Burn speed used: 4x
Result: spool of 50 disc = 20 good, 0 bad

2. Spin-X 8x max DVD-R
Media ID: CMCMag. AE1
Made in Taiwan
Burn speed used: 4x
Result: spool of 50 disc = 40 good, 0 bad

Both types are burnt using NEC ND-2500A and CopyToDVD up to the 4.2GB max. I believe that there is no use wasting a whole disc than just 200MB of disc space.

I've had a bad experience using Ritek brand a month ago. Out of a spool of 50, I got more that 50% bad burns. I do not know if I just had a bad spool then.

 

From your experience, Ritek is really too bad.
The failure rate is just unacceptable.
Did you try to claim for a refund?