Good Blank DVDs, CDs, tapes
 

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Which discs/tapes are best?
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DVD:
The definitive source for understanding blank DVD media and what to buy is located at http://www.nomorecoasters.com and is worth the 10-minute read.

CD:
This is very similar to DVD media.
GOOD: Taiyo Yuden, MCC ... Verbatim, Fuji brands
BAD: CMC ... TDK and house-name brands

VHS:
GOOD: JVC, TDK, Maxell
BAD: RCA, Memorex, no-name junk

Super VHS:
GOOD: Fuji, JVC, Panasonic
BAD: Maxell

I use svp alot. They are reliable and so are the media codes.
They do sell some rubbish media amongst the good. So you need to see whats good and not. Check the link LS provided especially for your burner. Not all burners play nice with all media.

Join the newsletter. They often do special offers. Also check fairly regularly as they do tend to shift different stock in and out. So if you get a favourite disc, buy in bulk!

Don't buy the TUFFDISC discs. They are overprints=poo. This also means the media code could be anything.

Current good media sold in stores in the USA:

Sony brand DVD+R (made in Japan) = YUDEN media
Sony brand DVD+R (made in Taiwan) = SONY media
Sony brand DVD-R (made in Japan) = TY or SONY media
Fuji brand DVD+R (made in Japan) = YUDEN media
Fuji brand DVD-R (made in Japan) = TY media
Verbatim brand DVD-R (made in Taiwan) = MCC media
Verbatim brand DVD+R (made in Taiwan) = MCC media
Maxell brand DVD-R (made in Japan) = MXL media
Maxell brand DVD+R (made in Japan) = MAXELL media
TDK brand DVD-R (made in Taiwain) = TDK media

Pick one. Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot, Walmart, Fry's and OfficeMax are all fine places to pick up some of these discs. About $15-20 per 50 pack on sale. New sale each week it seems.

LS, what criteria do you use to decide if media is good or bad?

Good media will give you a good burn, will player on the most players, and yield the smallest number of coasters. While individual experiences can range, the overall "big picture" of good/bad media has been outlined over www.nomorecoasters.com

Good media is tested in several ways:
1- Play fine in several players, no skips, no pixel issues, no stops.
2- Passes a scandisc
3- Passes PI/PIE tests with decent scores
4- Passes a read speed test
5- Visibly appears flawless in the dye.

SOME TIP FOR UK MEDIA BUYERS:

In the USA, we pay $15-20 per 50 pack, in general. That is about £9-12. We'll use this as a guide on a "good price" but know the USA gets better prices on media. Another thing to remember is, in bulk, DVD-R generally cost 10-20% less than DVD+R, when there are sales available. In a store, they cost the same (DVD-R is a bit more, and DVD+R is a bit less).

- MCC and YUDEN probably the best choices,
- I'd burn everything at either 4x or 8x for best results,
- and I'd avoid buying any OVERPRINT discs, not good

Here are a few candidates for UK buyers to consider getting, from SVP.CO.UK:

Datasafe Printable (8x) DVD-R
ADVDInfo: TTG02
Spindle tub of 50
Product Code: 3311
IN STOCK
£8.99 inc. VAT

Datawrite Titanium Branded (8x) DVD+R
ADVDInfo: PRODISC R03
Spindle tub of 100
Product Code: 3313
IN STOCK
£19.99 inc VAT

Plextor (16x) DVD+R <<< EASILY one of the best discs, use for masters
ADVDInfo: YUDEN000T03
Spindle tub of 50
Product Code: 3356
IN STOCK
£15.50 inc. VAT

Ridisc Xtreme Branded (16x) DVD+R
ADVDInfo: RICOHJPNR03
Spindle tub of 25
Product Code: 3284
IN STOCK
£6.29 inc. VAT

Verbatim 'Silver Top' (16x) DVD+R
ADVDInfo: MCC 004!
Spindle tub of 25
Product Code: 3229
IN STOCK
£5.99 inc. VAT

Verbatim (Taiyo Yuden) Silver-Topped (16x) DVD+R
ADVDInfo: YUDEN000T03
Spindle tub of 50
Product Code: 3408
IN STOCK
£15.99 inc. VAT

Datawrite Grey F02 (16x) DVD-R
ADVDInfo: Prodisc F02/MCC 03RG20
Spindle tub of 50
Product Code: 3285
IN STOCK
£10.99 inc. VAT

Datawrite Grey F01 (8x) DVD-R
ADVDInfo: Prodisc F01
Spindle tub of 100
Product Code: 3257
IN STOCK
£18.79 inc. VAT

Datawrite Red Mach4 (16x) DVD-R
ADVDInfo: TTH02
Spindle tub of 50
Product Code: 3373
IN STOCK
£6.49 inc. VAT

Philips Branded (16x) DVD-R
ADVDInfo: MCC 03RG20
Spindle tub of 50
Product Code: 3224
IN STOCK
£12.49 inc. VAT

Ricoh Silver Edition (8x) DVD-R
ADVDInfo: Fujifilm03
Spindle tub of 50
Product Code: 3352
IN STOCK
£9.49 inc. VAT

Verbatim 'Silver Top' (16x) DVD-R <<<<<<< another excellent choice
ADVDInfo: MCC 03RG20
Spindle tub of 50
Product Code: 3398
IN STOCK
£11.99 inc. VAT

A lot of the other stuff on that site is either fakes or crap. Lots of crap.
All that CMC, RITEK and OPTODISC stuff, just not that good a choice.

Hey Guys, I just got a trade on TDK discs. I don't think this trader realized that TDK is still using CMC Mag. I got them converted over, but I have never been happy with TDK.

www.supermediastore.com is offering 200 pk of Taiyo Yuden (Valueline) 8X -R discs for $53.99 shipped.

OfficeMax is offering 50 pk Verbatim 16X -R & +R discs for $12.99.

So are TDK, Sony and Memorex (which I use) are bad for to trade with outside of the UK?:([?]

Sony is excellent, TDK is usually fine, Memorex is not suggested.

Wow, when did Verbatim start have their CDs made by Moser Baer-India??

MBI, CMC and Prodisc property houses Mitsubishi manufacturing lines. It seems that renting space is cheaper than owning your own facility. That's how they cut costs (unlike other media makers, who cut costs by making crap).

Some Verbatim-branded CD-R is rebadged media from others. DVD is getting the top billing these days, CD-R are being more or less shuffled to the side.

So are Verbatim DVD discs still a good deal now that they are being made in India?

Yes, the India-made Verbatims are fine.

I just saw a 100 pk of Sony -R discs at Costco for $30.00, but the thing that surprised me is that they were made in Mexico.

Is TDK made in Taiwan still good? Circuit City has them for $10.99 a 50 PK.

TDK consumer-branded media is like 99% CMC discs now, so it makes for a poor quality choice. The CMC burn quality has improved in years past, but it's still a far cry from a "good" discs. Only the TDK Professional line tends to use better media, including its own TDK 8x ID, but some of the 16x discs have been things like Prodisc.

You're still best to stick with:
1. Taiyo Yuden from a legitimate store (supermediastore.com, rima.com, gotmedia.com, meritline.com)
2. Verbatim from Taiwan or India, both should be MCC/MKM coded discs
3. Verbatim DVD+R DL if using DL media, either from Singapore or India
4. Sony made in Taiwan, never the Malaysian crap

Two of my older burners prefer DVD+R discs, and the burn quality on TY DVD+R and Verbatim DVD+R tends to excel over its DVD-R brethren, in terms of analytical response data. For that reason, I most often use Verbatim DVD+R for duplicating.