media suggestions
 

My preference list, in 2004, in order:

... the best, usually flawless
PVC (-R)
MXL (-R) ... be aware of fakes
MCC (-R)
TDK (-R) ... be aware of fakes
TAIYOYUDEN (-R)
PRODISC (+RW)

... normally pretty good, not flawless
RICOHJPN (+R)
RITEKG04 (-R)
OPTODISC (-R)
RITEKG03 (-R)

... only if I must, okay success rate
PRINCO (-R)
LEADDATA (-R)

... when hell freezes over, landfill material
AN31 (-R)
PIODATA (-R)
ACCU (-R)
MATRIX (-R)
LONGTEN (-R)
OPTODISC (+R)
CMC (-R,+R)

Indolikaa's Preferred Media is based on the following factors:

* Failure rate, which is based on a minimum of 50 discs,
* Compatibility with multiple generations of DVD players,
* Ability to produce successful burns only at rated speed,
* Multiple distribution sources, which suggests uniform production methods and accurate Media IDs.

(NOTE: Indolikaa automatically awards a failing grade to any disc if pixelation begins prior to the 4.0GB benchmark.)


THE CURRENT WINNERS...

:) Taiyo-Yuden DVD-R 2X (TAIYOYUDEN)
Why?
I have yet to coaster any of the hundreds of Taiyo-Yuden DVD-R discs that have passed through this authoring station.

:) Memorex DVD+R 2.4X (RICOHJPNR00)
Why?
With a failure rate of 1:35, this is the most consistent DVD+R media I have purchased. These discs were purchased in jewel-case 3-packs from Wal-Mart; they are known as the 'Purple' packs due to their purple packaging.

:) Memorex DVD+RW 2.4X (OPTODISCA01)
Why?
A failure rate of 1:50 is most impressive for any rewritable media, but these discs have proven to be outstanding for multiple erase/rewrite cycles. I have five of these discs in which each disc has been subjected to over 200 erase/rewrite cycles, with no apparent deterioration in quality. These are the 3-pack jewel-cased 'Yellow' packages available at Wal-Mart.


THE CURRENT LOSERS...

:mad: Verbatim DataLifePlus DVD+RW 2.4X (MCC A01)
Why?
The 'First-Burn' failure rate for this media has been 1:5, with none of the surviving discs lasting beyond 15 erase/rewrite cycles. With multiple purchases of both the single jewel-case and 10-pack jewel-case SKUs from multiple vendors, it was initially suspected that the trio of Optorite burners (firmware 2.16, 2.17 and 2.50 respectively) might be at fault.
However, subsequent off-site testing with both a Sony DWU14A and an LG GSA-4040B have reported a similar failure rate.


AND THE JUST-PLAIN EMBARRASING...

:eek: CompUSA DVD+R 2.4X (OPTODISCOP1)
Why?
A failure rate of 1:3 from batches purchased at multiple retail location and burned on multiple burners. The first four 5-packs appeared to be fine, but then it all went downhill from there...

What brand names do PVC, MXL and MCC get sold under?

PVC = no longer sold
MXL = Maxell DVD-R "made in Japan"
MCC = Verbatim DVD-R "made in Taiwan"

... at least as of today (Dec 2004)

meritline has a good deal on ProDis - r. I have successfully bought from them 3 times. Ive tested out the ProDisc 4x pioneer certified Azo dye and its worked on every dvd player so far(6 tested). Expect a 14 minute wait to burn a full dvd.

Second on my list is the ProDisc 8x + r. It doesnt have the "certified" jargon, but it is the company. Write time is about 8 minutes (im getting spoiled), and has been played on 2 dvds players succefully.

my player that has played nearly everything ive thrown at it, is the Phillips DVP-642. All region, converts pal to ntsc (decently, but not perfect), and divx.

hope this helps

TY and MXL media has frequently been on sale in stores in November/December 2004, averaging about $10 per 25 discs. Not bad for 1ST CLASS media. Though I still buy a lot of media online, I've been hitting up stores quite a bit too.