The bad news is that 90% of the brands you'll find in the store are junk. From the Memorex's to the Maxells, the Sony's to the GQ's. The good news is there is hope, and there is a market for those who want to get what they pay for. The even Better news is quality blank media can cost the same or less then the junk you'll find on the shelves at the store because the prices are heavily marked up! Thanks to NewEgg and many other fine online dealers, you don't even have to leave the house or put any pants on to achieve this outcome. So lets get started!
No explanation needed - This is the company that started it all, they're the fine wine of dvd-r. If you have the money and the means, they'll make your every dream come true. Japanese born and bred, there's no higher quality then this. You will pay a very high price, but it will be worth it. I dont recommend their "Value Line" because the idea with buying TY brand is if you're in the market for the best.
VideoHelp.com Reference Link
Although now they're JVC Advanced, but still owned by TY
MKM/MCM Media Code. The upside with Verbatim is that they're readily available in stores and they use AZO dye, but the downside is that the good ones are getting harder to find. There was a rumor a while ago that they were phasing out the AZO DataLifePlus line, but time went by and it was not true. They have the knockoff "Life Series" and "Value Series" which are nothing but CMC rebrands - Avoid these at all cost, no matter if they're 100 pack for 5$, you will not get your moneys worth. Also a problem with the datalifeplus's is the country of origin. Only buy 'Made In Taiwan' or 'Made In Singapore'. Avoid 'Made In India/China' at all costs.
Summary - Buy Made In Taiwan or Made In Singapore. "AZO" will be on the label.
Avoid - "Life Series/Value Series", "Made In China/India".
(This is also the only brand recommended for Dual Layer DVD+R burning - The 2.4x's will safely burn up to 4x. Again, 'Made In Singapore' ONLY.)
As for the price on them, it depends where you go and if there's any sales. Personally I wouldn't pay over 23$ per 100, but that's just me. I'm used to waiting until they're 15$ or so, you might want to do that if you aren't immediately in the market. Lurk on Slickdeals.net and keep checking back, when a sale comes up it always hits there first. Be quick with it though, they sell out really fast.
Founded in 1990, Prodisc/Spin-X has accumulated vital experience in the R&D, manufacturing and sales of storage media, and has become one of the top-three disc manufacturers in the world. With its outstanding R&D ability and long-term cooperating with some Japanese media companies, Spin-X's advanced media awarded world-class certification.
High quality, god bless the Japanese! Expect to pay a premium (30-40$ per 100), but a lot of online stores run sales so keep checking. I know Meritline and Not available in retail stores, sadly. Since 1997, originally Prodisc, now called Spin-X. They have their own PRODISC media code, these aren't rebrands and use AZO dye, same as Verbatim. Havent read any reports about a bad batch or coasters. Highly recommended buying a 50 stack and seeing what happens. Only buy the Prodisc 8/16x and Spin-X 16x speed, the 4x Spin-X's are inferior.
LG 8x White (South Korea) Infodiscr20
I found these specific ones through process of elimination.
About 23$ per 100, not available in stores in the states anymore - Only found them on ebay. Slowly becoming a zombie brand, wasn't able to find a lot of dealers online. The color on the bottom of the discs are a very dark purple, which is nice. These are/were the ones preferred by the chinese and street peddlers for some reason - I guess they're highly compatible, but I personally have very little experience with them besides what I was given by circumstance in the past. Worth a shot, but make sure you get the right ones - Some of them are CMC, which are garbage.
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- Other Comments -
Not a lot out there on 'Princo' anymore, only a select few carry them. Worth a try.
RIP - Nashua, Arita, Playo. If you find any of these 3 brands, buy them and hook me up!
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Question: "Should I buy DVD-R or DVD+R?"
Answer: I only use DVD-R for dvd5's, 4.37gb.
DVD+R is not as compatible, and was not approved by DVD6C (The eggheads of the companies who license the stuff behind all of this - Includes JVC/Mitsubishi/Samsung) until 2008. And last I checked, this format is still NOT Approved by the DVD Forum Standards Group. The DVD+RW Alliance don't count for anything, anything they say is probably over-exaggerated or otherwise propaganda.
Question: "What burner should I buy?"
Answer: I only use Samsung, but YMMV. Dont buy the cheapest one at the store, ffs.
Question: "What speed should I burn at?"
Answer: I don't go above 6x, usually I run at 4x - This will increase your chances for a better burn and prolong your burner's life. For Dual-Layer, I don't go over 4x. Do not burn at 1x - Seriously, just dont. If your burner doesn't support anything above 4x and your computer gets bogged down at even the mere mention of using a sensible speed, then you need to buy better hardware.
Question: "What the hell is DVD-RAM?"
Answer: Nothing, they were phased out years ago. If you see it, inform the shop keeper to donate it them goodwill and stop carrying junk.
Question: "What about CD-R?"
Answer: Find some old-school verbatims with the dark blue recording surface. They're out there.
Question: "What about the dye types? Does that matter?"
Answer: Yes it does, everything recommended here is made with the appropriate qualifications to answer your question.
/background - 15 years with blank media brands. I've been here since cd burners were 150$ and dvd burners were 1x and the blanks cost a buck a piece. How far we've come since then.
Post any questions, I'll do my best to answer but keep in mind I'm selective in what I use. I can't recommend anything not included here.
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