Purchasing DVD-R's

[brashquido]

Hi All,

I was recently thinking of buying a new CD-R unit so that I could use the new 99 minute media. Upon further investigation, I found out that the cheapest (that I could find) I could get them was for $3.40 Australian per CD in 100 CD bundles from the States, as nobody in Australia sells them yet.

As www.cdrecordable.com sell DVD-R's in 100 DVD lots for about $4.50 Australian (the cheapest in Australia I can find is $17 per DVD)with shipping cost included, I'm strongly considering getting myself a Pioneer A03 and 100 DVD-R's. I'm just wondering if anyone has dealt with www.cdrecordable.com before, and if so, how was their service?

[Commander XJL]

Their service is fine, but their disks are unreliable, you better start reading this forum and you'll see how many people have trouble with these disks, I've got 2 batches now and virtually all of them are no good, the same files burn and play fine with any other name brand media so its definitly the disks, I'm so sorry I ever ordered these I could shit. If you want to be totally safe order the Apple DVD's their service is better and their disks are always perfect. Go here to read about how good the disks are from cdrecordable
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23542

[diogo6]

well, I just wanted to say there's two sides for that subject. I've bought 175 discs from them and they all work perfect... no problems so far...

[Commander XJL]

So you watched all 175 movies from start to finish huh? Its the only way to tell, mine all play fine, they just have pixalation and sound going out and picture freezing, and on 3 different standalones, real nice. I have 2 batches of these disks now and they're garbage. I would have saved money and a ton of time buy buying name brand. Its funny the people that actually sit and watched these disks are saying they're junk, the people that just burn them and put them on a shelf say they're great. Other people have posted these disks are ok, I was one of them, but then they start watching these disks from start to finish and they post back oh oh I've got problems, I've seen numorous posts like that, mine included

[brashquido]

Thanks for the input guys,

Looks like I'm back at the drawing board though.

[diogo6]

No, I won't say I watched all of them yet, but I did watch at least 50-70 of them, and no problems so far. Maybe you just got an older batch, maybe you're just unlucky, but I've had no problems with the ones that I've watched so far. The only ones that I thought were giving me problems turned out to be just as good as the other ones, it was me who was doing something wrong, maybe that's your problem as well. And just so you know, I'm using the APEX-1200 to play it with...

[Commander XJL]

Like I've said before, its the disks, and on 3 different standalones and using both nero and prassi (like that would make a difference, a bad disk is a bad disk) the same files play back pefect with name brand media. I'd give one or even both of my testicles if these disks would work, but the 2 batches I have now are unreliable crap, and I sure as shit won't ever waste my money on any more

[xsirxx]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE listen to commander. This problem has been relayed to me over a houndred freakin times. I have had 3 batches of 25. Over 25 of those were bad, save your money buy the apple/pioneer ones. They seem to have it together. I have the panasonic burner. Trust me doesnt matter what OS, what burner, what player, you will not be able to use these discs if you plan on burning over 3.95 gigs. If all your movies are under this, then good luck go buy them.

[brashquido]

Hmmmmm...... The problem is xsirxx, that here in Australia other brands of DVD-R are so expensive that even if only half of the CDRecordable DVD-R media worked, it'd still turn out cheaper than buying from apple or pioneer. I do see your point though.

I might wait a few months before getting my DVD writer, wait and see if media prices come down a bit. Plus I don't have the money this month anyway as I'm buying myself a new Atlon XP 2100+ system with a 64MB GF4MX, 384MB PC2100, 40GB HDD, 19" monitor, and a Pinacle Studio Deluxe :D !

[Commander XJL]

yes listen to me, I was doing this before all of you were born

[brashquido]

That makes you an old man Commander XJL!:)

[diogo6]

jeez, I had no idea I was gonna get you guys in such a frenzy. Look, all I did was tell brashquido my own experience. As I've said before, those "very cheap" discs work fine for me, from what you guys have been saying they don't work for you, but luckily enough I'm only making discs for my own use. So if it works for me, and it's half the price, why change it? ........... and Commander XJL, since you definitely hate these discs, I'd be willing to buy them off of you, for the price you'd say they're worth (quality-wise)...... private message me if you're interested.

Well, brashquido, that seems like a really nice system you're getting there, and I suggest you to buy at least two of these discs, if you like them, buy more. It worked for me... but don't let Commander XJL know you bought, he'll get really touchy

[Commander XJL]

I'm just jealous they don't work for me (and other people) and wish someone could fix it, or I wish I knew what 2 dollar disks would work for me, there are others, course now I'm a little scared to try other cheap media. My balls have shriveled up

[smoof]

Try the disks from Ily.com (http://shop.ily.com/C_67.htm). You can order 1 or 2 for a test run and go from there. I've ordered 20 so far, burned 11 and haven't had any problems. You should be careful that there is no lint/dust on the recording surface before putting it in your burner.

I ordered the 10 piece silver printable with jewel cases. Hopefully the singles are the same quality as the 10 pack

[Commander XJL]

I've seen these disks and thought about ordering some. Also we need to set a definition on what "haven't had any problems" means. I didn't have any problems with the cdrecordable.com disks until I actually sat there and watched these dvd's from start to finish. Then I realized I had a red hot poker up my ass with the name cdrecordable.com on the handle

[smoof]

By no problems I mean that I have used the verify option on Nero 5.5.8.0 and verified all data written to the disk. The verification works by reading all the data back off the disk and comparing it to the original source files. If the data can be verified in this way then you know you have a good disk. Now, if your standalone will read it is another matter.

I had some blanks from ESBuy.com that verified properly but my Sony stand alone will not read them (RCA standalone and PS2 have no problems with them). It won't read DVD-RW disks either. I don't view this as a defective blank, it's really a compatibility problem. The ESBuy.com blanks use a darker dye and I believe the Sony stand alone was having a problem with that. The Ily.com blanks (and CD-Recordable.com blanks) use a lighter colored dye and the Sony stand alone will play those.

[jdobbs]

Commander XJL,

Come on man, do you think you're the only person on the planet who can tell a good disc? I watch all my movies -- they work fine. The entire universe doesn't revolve around your personal experiences. If they don't work for you, well then tell people they don't work for you. But they do work for other people and I'm one of them. So, apparently, is diogo6.

Get off this kick, it's getting old.

[gump_boy]

I have to agree with Commander. Dvds from cd-recordable are pretty bad. I've spent $250 on their disks. And the majority of them crap up at the end of the movie. I think Commander should continue spreading his views on these disk. It could save people money.

[Commander XJL]

Have I mentioned that the disks from CDRecordable.com are crap? Oh, I mean that the 2 seperate orders I have from them that cost 130 bucks are crap, won't verify, won't play right, won't rip back to my drive. I guess if these disks are working for some people you might get lucky and get a good batch, so people need to decide if they want to take the chance. You feel lucky punk? Remember, a DVDR is like a prostitute, a cheap one will be ugly and stink but an expensive one will be worth it

[padre]

Ok, I watched enough of this thread from the sideline. Now it's my turn to deliver 2 cents...

While I agree that the Apple and Pioneer DVD-R's are the highest quality, they are by no means the only game in town. I have bought and used over 100 'cheapo' DVD-R's with NO problems. And, yes, I have scanned each of them. As a rule of thumb, I load the DVD into two different players, jump to chapters 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 2/3 and 3/4's through the video. Of the 100, I've played 50 of them completely through end-to-end. All that said, no problems!

Does that make me a company pimp for the DVD-R's? No, I haven't even told you the vendor, and it's definitely NOT cdrecordable, as I did have issues with them. Bought 20 from them, had problems with 3.

The vendor I've used provides non-name disc, but the cost for the discs are about $2.00 a piece. For that price, I could afford to waste a few. But, thankfully, haven't run into that yet.

So, YES, you can use cheap DVD-R's, and YES, you may have a higher rate of failure - deal with it!

Padre

[wakebrder]

Hmmmm, this all sounds very familiar http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23928
try a few discs and see what works for you. I've also had sucess with cheaper media, but some have not.

@ smoof- Have you checked ILY's shipping rates?:scared: I could drive down and get them myself for that kind of cash. Well....if I drove a Geo Metro:p

[xsirxx]

I currently bought Ritek Gold media at 2.40$ each. I have burned 6 so far, with no problems, who will know by the end of the stack, i can definitly post here when Ive reached it. But all play fine through the endings so far, im keeping my fingers crossed :) Good luck all. Also, what was the un-named brand you were talking about just for reference? Thanks.

EDIT: PS. I was at CompUSA here in town, and they have "Their" media for 2.50 a piece, anyone know what type of media it actually is? Thanks.

[padre]

xsirxx,

I was talking about Judysdeals media. She runs an auction every once and a while on Ebay, and bought 100 for $199 with shipping. She also sell them from her website.

Padre

[Mosaic]

xsirxx have you finished with burning the Ritek Gold....if so were they ok....
I have found the best way to test a movie is to run it a 4x speed ....any weak media will cause sticking for damn sure then.

btw where did u buy em?

[bezerk]

I also use gold Ridata (oem ritek), burned bunch of them, everyone works like a charm

[Mosaic]

Well cool...can u tell me where to get em......
thx

[Xenobyte99]

How About PRINCO whats the word on theese

[slk001]

How About PRINCO whats the word on theese

The Princo DVD-Rs aren't worth the effort to carry them home. They won't give a successful burn at ANY speed. However, with their DVD-RWs, I've had nothing but good luck (no failures with 10 disks). If my search wasn't for a reliable 2X disk, I would really stock up on the Princo DVD-RWs.

[Mosaic]

Anyone tried the other meritline disks ...DVDPRo etc?

The 1.94 v2.0 purple general is a total waste...don't understand how they can sell these things

[padre]

Mosaic, I tried a set of the DVDPro disc's from Meritline a while ago. Pure garbage. Everyone was bad. Stopped after about 5, got a refund. Been using PrimeDisc with no bad ones yet.

[gdornas]

padre,
where did you get this PrimeDisc? Is this the Optodisc that Meritline is selling?

gdornas

[padre]

These are the PrimeDisc DVD-R's at www.shop4tech.com

[Commander XJL]

What do the Primedisks look like on the top surface?

[padre]

They are silver with the logo "PrimeDisc" inscribed in 1/2" characters at the top of the disc, "DVD-R 120" on the left and 120 min/4.7gb" on the right side.

Weird thing. I've been burning them at 1x (didn't know if they were 2x capable). I tried a full burn (4.2gb) at 2x and it took 25 minutes! That's 2x! Then I burned a second disc (same ISO file), took 50 minutes! Weird! Both play perfectly.

Using Pioneer A03 w/1.80 fw

[Mosaic]

Ok folks...I have a contact who burned 31 of these ...no probs....but he got em off a local store which isn't stocking anymore.

Anyone know where to get RITEK GOLD ...not silver .?

[bezerk]

I would also like to know, they don't have them any more where I first bought them.

[jmonfm]

I'm not sure about this debate - pricey DVD-R's good, cheap DVD-R's bad !!!!:confused: All I know is that my wife says I squeak when I walk because I'm so tight.:devil: I have bought & burnt lots of cheap DVD-R's and had a very good sucess rate . Try www.valuemedia.co.uk or if you live in the U.K. www.thepriceiswrite.co.uk who are selling individual DVD-R's (not lots of 100) for £0.85 inc VAT (postage is £6.00 any order). Give it a go. By the way - I don't have shares with these companys - I'm just passing on good prices.
Happy ripping.

[mmorris]

I've read many threads on this cheap DVD-R media issue and obviously this all depends on your burner, your stand alone player, etc, etc.

However, I have used 3 generics from different companies and have had varying frustration levels. I bought Meritlines which worked fairly well (heck, they were only $1.49 so can't complain). Dye looked great, no visible defects on discs. Rate them a plus on the discs. The problem is Meritline decided to charge for 100 and only shipped 50. Over a month and they still give me the runaround. But that's what AMEX is for....not bad discs but customer service needs improving.

Also have bought Primediscs from shop4tech. So far, the discs are the $1.49 also and work great. Dye looks good, no visible defects, even the top side has logo, track listing, etc. Comes with jewel case at this price. Shipping was quick and painless (and hey, I got the correct number of discs). So far so good.

Ordered from americal #702886 (they have another name but same company). Got them fine but they have visible defects in the dye. Gonna use those for freebies of friends who want their camcorder shots put on DVD.

This was all with Pioneer A04 using Nero and RecordNow DX. Find a cheap disc that works in your setup and stick with it. Can't do much but test different ones before ordering a bunch.

[grog]

Well guys - after reading most of this thread it has occurred to me that it would be adviseable to use DVD-RW media - then at least if its a duff copy u can overwrite it and try again.

I get my DVD-RWs from SVP communications in the UK - They are DIRT CHEAP and 2nd generation..........give em a go


GROG

[mmorris]

I use RW's a lot. Only problem is a lot of people don't have stand alone players that can read RW's. One of mine does, one doesn't.

[f@chance]

Let me get into the action as well. Looks like that most have run into the same problem. I can identify with the Commander, burn the movies on some cheap media and than get sound break-up and Video pixalation. Rewind the player play it again, sometimes the error is repeated sometimes not. Burned a few Verbatims for £4 in the UK and quality improved but still had every now and than sound and video break-up. Read a few threads on DVD-R media and decided to test in the UK from blankdiscshop.co.uk the FWS and the Datasafe Unbranded media. The Unbranded bombed after 2 failed to even start burning with Nero 5.5.80 on a Pioneer DVR104 tried the FWS media and it worked fine and low and behold an improvement over the Verbatim media. Something that I start to be able to live with. Wanted to reorder FWS media out of stock. Will try now a second batch of 3rd Gen Branded Datasafe media and let's see how they work. Each is about £2 a piece.

F@Chance

[thxtof]

I burnt about 100 Meritline Gold on my A04 and they all worked in my setop DVD player (APEX) http://www.meritline.com/47dvdisgenpu1.html.
I found a cheaper place that seems to have exactly the same media, but cheaper: http://www.supermediastore.com/47dvdisgenpu.html
I wonder if it's not the same store because they have the same products and the same image description... So I am giving a try with these one too.
I also find out that PrimeDisc is also the same brand than Ritek (www.ritek.com)

So far only the Gold DVD-R worked for me (the one with the dark purple color).

Anyone else with Ritek/Primedisc experience ?

[Mosaic]

ppl with APEX players have life easy....but don't trust their DVD-r recommendations.

I have an APEX as well as a Daewoo.....the Daewoo claims it WON't play DVD-R ...

well....lets just say it won't play the BORDERLINE DVD-R.

Meritline is border-line....so is TDK unbranded.

prime seems ok ...but Prime has manufacturing flaws....bubbles in the substrate. So there are bad ones.

[p3distxii]

I have to post that CDRecordables.com sucks in every media thread.

[mmorris]

After trying different types, I've found the Primediscs are working well for mine. I've done 5 movies on them with no problems. I checked the discs and no bubbles or other visible problems yet.

[padre]

Mosaic,

Where are you finding the bubbles on the PrimeDisc? I'm not seeing any (so far). I just ordered some more, I'll check them - but where should I be looking?

I had some visible flaws in my first (and last) order of generics from cdrecordables.com. You could hold it against the light and see 'stains' in the substrate (and they wouldn't burn at all). That problem seemed to be a shipping issue, the discs on the outside of the pack (top and bottom) were exposed to either heat or cold. The inside discs didn't have too much of a problem (initially).

Padre
:confused: