TDK Armor Plated DVD media.

[andyg]

Did anyone actually have tried the TDK Armor Plated DVD media?
I'm wandering if there is any skipping or freezing on the playback?
Thanks.

[jfcarbel]

They work great and they are very resistent to scratches and dust.

[andyg]

Thanks.
I haven't use them yet & just wanted to reasure myself that freezing on the playback is not a problem. Since you have good experience with them, I'd go for bigger order than just a couple ,just to test it out.

[jfcarbel]

Did you read about some issue of them freezing or was this just a concern of yours?

[andyg]

Well, from my own experience, it did happen to me. One time I got a spindle of Maxell DVD-R's from CDW and yes, almost every one did freeze.
I never seen this happen on a single packed Maxell media.
It was also noted by many members here in this forum that spindle packed blanks even from a top maker may be sub-quality (faked?).
So for best results buy media packed in jewel cases, not spindles.
As far as the armor plated TDK, well, they are armor plated, how does this affect the reflectability of the coating and why nobody else does it yet? Did TDK put a patent on it or are they staying away from some kind of trouble?
Now, I have no ground to think the media is bad, I'm just being extra careful on what will play in 20 years from now.
I have 2 daughters and would like to preserve their childhood for years to come. So far I like the most FujiFilm DVD-R, not a single hick-up yet on my stand alone DVD player playback and I can pick them up locally at Best Buy ( Jewel cases packed of course!). I understand that this media is manufactured by Taiyo Yuden (if I remember correctly).
However I would like to have a second copy of the video on a different brand just to preserve this priceless moments.
The A.P. TDK looks like just the media for this purpose, but will it be playable in 10 or 20 years? If it does, will it play smoothly?
DVD media haven't been around for too long, there is no proof on how long will it stay playable despite the claims from the makers. Bottom line , if the DVD freezes now would you trust this media years down the road?

[alexnoe]

Well, from my own experience, it did happen to me. One time I got a spindle of Maxell DVD-R's from CDW and yes, almost every one did freeze. Why do you buy spindles, made by a cheap and very bad unknown chinese manufacturer who fakes MXL RG01 - Maxell - Codes?

[andyg]

As I stated, only did it once before I knew about the quality difference. I'm not looking into spindle packed DVD media anymore.
Yet I'm very carefull not to get stuck (I have over 100 hours in DV Camera tapes) with 50 or so blanks of an expensive "bad" media since I can't trust the brand name 100% anymore.
I've seen many posts about this A.P. TDK media but how many did actually used it so far?
I'm sure it's difficult to scratch but did it work fine on playback?
This could save me a step of getting few blanks, burn it and check for the results or just go ahead with bigger order like 50 blakns.

[andyg]

Here is the answer to my question (as long if it's true):

"Because the TDK Armor Plated DVD treatment protects the recording layer, it can prevent write/read errors, jitter and even recording and playback dropouts."


Here is the whole thing:

"Hard-Coating Technologies & UV Protection Highlight Next-Generation Armor Plated DVD
TDK Armor Plated DVD discs are the ideal solution for customers who want the ultimate protection for irreplaceable video, images and data. They’re the most damage-resistant recordable DVD discs available – even more durable than commercial video rental DVD discs. The latest generation of TDK Armor Plated DVD discs adds an innovative ultraviolet protection layer to the disc substrate, at no extra cost to customers.

The new Armor Plated DVD discs effectively prevent damage from exposure to ultraviolet rays. Environmental light that would quickly destroy standard discs doesn’t easily harm the new Armor Plated DVD media. TDK’s Armor Plated DVD discs incorporate advanced hard-coating technologies to provide protection that is up to 100 times greater than standard recordable DVD media, as measured in rigorous laboratory testing. And with the addition of the UV coating, TDK’s new Armor Plated DVD lineup also provides three times greater resistance to damaging UV light than any other DVD media available.

The Armor Plated DVD coating guards against scratches that can occur from day to day use, as discs are placed in and removed from their storage cases, DVD players and drives. In addition, the coating provides dirt resistance, making it easier to wipe off fingerprints, contaminants and even accidental food and beverage spills without damaging the disc. The Armor Plated DVD coating is anti-static to repel dust accumulation. Because the TDK Armor Plated DVD treatment protects the recording layer, it can prevent write/read errors, jitter and even recording and playback dropouts. TDK Armor Plated discs are the absolutely dependable media professionals and consumers need in order to reliably capture and preserve irreplaceable DVD footage.

Manufactured to the world’s most exacting standards, TDK Armor Plated DVD discs are the most reliable and durable in the industry, offering the highest compatibility with DVD burners, DVD-ROM drives and DVD players. And thanks to TDK’s state-of-the-art, efficient manufacturing processes, TDK Armor Plated DVD discs carry only a small price premium compared to standard recordable DVD media.

TDK Armor Plated DVD media with UV protection will be available in early winter 2004 in DVD-R format at an estimated street price of $4.99 each."

[jfcarbel]

TDK is just adding extra cost to the DVD to make it "above" standard. Thus it will last longer in a harsher environment (i.e. scratches, heat, and UV exposure). Others are not doing this because if you take care of the their media it will last as long as the TDK Armor.

My theory for cherished memories on DVD is that you stick with quality brands and make a backup of your disks on a different brand than the original. (TDK Armor is a good idea for the disk you will have in frequent use)

In terms of quality media, it is okay to buy spindle paks as long as you buy from a trusted online site, like rima.com. Many sites advertise a certain media, but then they sell you B grade or counterfeit media. I and many others only buy our spindles from 2 or 3 reputable online sites. There really is only about 3 trusted ones out there the rest are unproven or untrustworthy. Good spindle brands are Ritek, Taiyo Yuden, verbatim and some like OptoDisc. From experience, I have had great results with the Ritek spindles I buy from rima.com and not one has been bad yet and all still work great months after use. In the beginning I did not know better and purchased from Meritline and supermediastore and though the burns went well the discs now after only months the DVDs have errors on them and cannot be duplicated or backed up. Newegg.com which is a another great site, in my opinion the best online computer store, is now offering Ritek and other spindle paks. I just ordered some from them.

Most Jewel cased media is good, but stay away from generic brands like Imitation. However, long standing companies like Fuji, Memorex, TDK, Maxell and Verbatim are good choices.

CDW might have gotten your Maxell spindles from a Chinese distributor that passed off some B grades or not "true" Maxell DVDs. Again, you need to be careful where you buy your spindles from and what brand you buy. TDK had a major problem with counterfeits in spindles. But if you bought from places that have been in the business of selling media and have always gotten high customer satisfaction ratings than it is most likely they have a trusted distributor and are getting true media. Online vendors like Rima buy in such large quantity that they go directly to the manufacturer to get their media, so it is impossible for you to get counterfeit media and because they are reputable they would not sell B-grade.

[andyg]

Thanks for this detailed reply.

-----------------------------
"CDW might have gotten your Maxell spindles from a Chinese distributor that passed off some B grades or not "true" Maxell DVDs."
-----------------------------

I'm a little suprised with that, CDW used to have a great reputation in Chicagoland area.
Anyway.
My choice of DVD blank after my "spindle" experience must be in a Jewel Box and have the "Made in Japan" print to start with.

The second disappointing possibly is with MAXELL. I'd never assume that a company with such of reputation would allow to sell B-graded media, I still think that counterfeited media is more likely, just like TDK had. But than again, who isn't manufacturing in China these days?

I never jump on any DVD media, I do my share in searching different Forums and articles. Believe it or not, I have not done a single back up of a movie. Maybe that's whay I never did buy generic brand DVD blanks.
What started this post was this: I've seen many posts in this forum or articles on the net on how difficult is to scratch the Armor Plated TDK, but not a single one did say how it is working on playback after recording. Everything is possible lately.

And what the future is going to bring?
Here is a part of a very interesting article:

"Japan's pride and joy gets a 'Made in China' label"
By Ken Belson/NYT
Tuesday, February 17, 2004 from The New York Times:

"We hesitated in the past, but we cannot say that anymore," said Hiroyuki Mineta, the chairman of Pioneer's Shanghai subsidiary, as he stood on the factory floor where hundreds of Chinese workers were building 11 different types of DVD recorders. "We have to overcome our fear or we won't be able to survive in the market."

Here is the whole thing if you're interested:
www.iht.com/ihtsearch.php?id=129922&owner=&date=20040217101057

[alexnoe]

But than again, who isn't manufacturing in China these days?Maxell only manufactures media in Japan

[andyg]

-----------------------------------
"Maxell only manufactures media in Japan"
-----------------------------------


You made me wander and here it is:

"Worldwide Production Sites -

8 offices in the United States, Mexico, England, Malaysia and China.

Japan - 34 offices in Japan"


from: www.maxell.com.sg/corporate/index.html#3

Now, it doesn't mean that the media we buy are from China, but I wouldn't be supprised in the future if we did.
In today's manufacturing world, this it the cash caw.



P.S.
Factory location:
Maxell Electronics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. - Malaka, Malaysia
Wuxi Hitachi Maxell Co., Ltd. - Wuxi, China

http://www.maxell.co.jp/e/corporate/worldwide/asia.html

"Understand the Rules of Thumb for costs of manufacturing in China.
For example, labor costs are typically $.50 per hour and the labor content of manufacturing costs is typically 5%. Generally, your manufacturing costs can be reduced by 30% to 50%. Similarly, the costs of raw materials can be dramatically lower in China. "