Reviews > Blank DVD Media Quality

Not all media is good. Buying a good disc is not a simple matter of using a "name brand" disc, or paying for the most expensive disc on the shelf. With the continued influx of cheaply-made Chinese, Malaysian, Korean, and Hong Kong media (not to mention a few "bulk-quality" Taiwanese companies), about half or more of all media is inferior quality. Bad discs are a complete waste of time and money.  This review/guide is meant to shed some light on who manufactures and brands good and not-so-good quality DVD media. Use this list as an assistant when selecting what media to buy and use. It shows what generally works as the best media. Individual results may very, depending on the burner and how the media chooses to cooperate, though typically not by much.  While some cheap media may work for you, it's a gamble that often loses. Try to use 1st class media, maybe 2nd class if the situation must budget tightly. Do yourself a big favor and just outright avoid 3rd class media, if at all possible.  Be sure to read the other media guides and reviews, if you want to fully understand this complex topic.

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Best Deals on High Quality Blanks We've got some deals picked out for you! You'll be hard-pressed to beat these prices, or the convenience of having it delivered right to your door, tax-free, with free shipping. ($25 minimum order for free shipping from Amazon.) The best discs, at the best prices. USA Deals:  Branded blank DVDs:  - $23 - Verbatim DVD+R 16x 100-pack - $24 - Verbatim DVD-R 16x 100-pack - $25 - JVC Taiyo Yuden Value DVD-R 8x 100-pack - $26 - JVC Taiyo Yuden Value DVD-R 8x 100-pack - $33 - JVC Taiyo Yuden DVD-R 8x 100-pack Inkjet-Printable DVDs: - $29 - JVC Taiyo Yuden Value DVD-R 8x 100-pack - $34 - Verbatim DVD-R 16x 100-pack - $35 - JVC Taiyo Yuden Premium DVD-R 8x 100-pack - $56 - JVC Taiyo Yuden Value DVD-R 8x 200-pack DVD+R DL double-layer blanks: - $28 - Verbatim DVD+R DL 20-pack LightScribe DVDs  - $19 - Verbatim Colors DVD-R 16x 25-pack Canada Deals: Branded blank DVDs:  - $33 - Verbatim DVD+R 16x 100-pack - $38 - Verbatim DVD+R 16x 100-pack DVD+R DL double-layer blanks: - $37 - Verbatim DVD+R DL 20-pack Also see BlankMedia.ca and FutureShop.ca UK and Europe Deals: Branded blank DVDs:  - £18 - Verbatim DVD-R 16x 100-pack - £18 - Verbatim DVD+R 16x 100-pack - £22 - Sony DVD+R 16x 100-pack - £29 - Sony DVD-R 16x 100-pack DVD+R DL double-layer blanks:   - £8 - Verbatim DVD+R DL 8x 10-pack  Inkjet-Printable DVDs:  - £20 - Verbatim DVD+R DL 8x 25-pack Check out the forum for more DVD sales and weekly DVD deals, including seasonal holiday sales.  Updated July 2010.

What are the Best Blank DVDs? Not everybody has the time or the need to learn about media. If you're simply after the quick advice on what discs will almost always work the best in any DVD player or DVD burner, then get one of these: 1. Verbatim DVD-R, DVD+R or DVD+R DL, made in India, UAE, Singapore or Taiwan. (Do not buy the "Life Series" or "Value Series" discs.) Good Version is getting harder to find. 2. JVC Taiyo Yuden DVD-R or DVD+R, from an authorized dealer only. Our list to the left only included authorized dealers. 3. Sony DVD-R or DVD+R, made in Taiwan only. These are getting harder to find. Verbatim DVD-R, Verbatim DVD+R and Verbatim DVD+R Double-Layer discs are our top suggestions for the ultimate in disc quality, as Mitsubishi-made media have been a consistent high-quality performer since 2001. JVC Taiyo Yuden media is an excellent second choice.  Gold discs ARE NOT the best discs! Gold discs have lousy reflectivity, and the dye quality found on these blanks simply does not burn well in our tests (or the tests of others). It's a waste of money for mediocre media. Who Really Makes the Disc? Realize that most media is produced by a relatively small number of factories, located in several different places. These factories are mostly present in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, China and India. There are more, but those are the largest ones. The best media generally comes from Japan, Taiwan and Singapore. The worst typically comes from China and Malaysia. Understand that the blank disc brand means almost nothing. Apple is a great brand, but they do not make their own discs, instead outsourcing to a company like Mitsubishi Chemicals. Common companies like Memorex, Maxell and Imation all outsource to media vendors. It is the media ID that is important, as it reveals the disc manufacturer. Unfortunately, this is not written on packaging or anywhere else. Companies want consumers to be oblivious to this sort of behind-the-scenes information.

To learn the media ID code, a blank disc must be put into a computer DVD burner drive and the ID read by a special utility. Some burning software reads the code, such as ImgBurn. You can download freeware media ID tools in our forum.


Blank DVD Quality Rankings, sorted by DVD Manufacturer (Not Brand)

The following information is arranged in three groups. Some companies may have listings in different classes because quality is better/worse in other disc formats. The "media ID" column is an example of media codes available from that manufacturer, it is not supposed to be a complete list of all available codes, and some codes have been abbreviated for space.


1st Class Media (Excellent Archival Media): 
Almost flawless burns with 95-100% reliable results. These discs are suited for pretty much anything. They will usually serve as excellent archival quality media, as well as video masters. 

2nd Class Media (Okay or Passable Discs): 
Mixed quality media, average 75-90% of discs tend to be good. These discs are not suggested for archival data or video masters. These are best suited for data that can be replaced easily, such as secondary backups or data/video distribution. In bulk, can often be purchased at low prices.

3rd Class Media (Cheap Unreliable Junk Discs): 
Quality can be very questionable, sometimes less than 50% of a spindle is usable. Some of these discs serve no other purpose aside from filling our landfills. These are discs best suited for small burns (under 2GB of data). Be prepared for failed burns. Also be prepared for various DVD-ROMs and players to not see the disc or freeze up because the player cannot read it very well (not the same as a bad burn). Many of these are known for sham marketing ("archival grade" and whatnot) and can actually cost more than better-classed media. A lot of these discs are not even made anymore, this information is largely historical.

Grading Notes

- Grading criteria. The review list presented here is a delicate balance between the adjacent concepts of usability and potential burn quality. The ability of the disc to burn in a wide range of burners and DVD recorders determines a coaster count. However, because of disc/drive incompatibility issues that exist (read the advanced concepts guide), potential quality on a perfect disc/drive combination is also considered. Finally, longevity and playability/reflectivity is taken into consideration. This results in the overall grade. This guide is admittedly harsh when it comes to the usability factor, but it need be remembered that this was written to assist the masses, so a disc with generally poorer disc/drive compatibility will rate lower. If you want specific suggestions for your make/model of drive, ask for advice in our forum.

- What do the % numbers mean? This list is constructed from many tests on many burners from a handful of experienced people that use a lot of media, and has been ongoing since 2001. These numbers reflect the number of discs in a spindle that will give good results. For example, out of a 100 spindle of media, 1st class discs may kick out a few bad discs (0% to 5% of the media may have playback imperfections or be outright bad burns). The 2nd class media may have anywhere from a dozen to a half-spindle of duds. And the 3rd class stuff can be pure trash, with most discs ending up in the local landfill. These are mean averages too, simple statistics math, meaning best tests and worst tests are discarded, and the middle range of tests is the basis for these numbers. You may sometimes find the rare instance where a CMC spindle will be perfect and a Taiyo Yuden spindle will be completely flawed, but those times are the exception rather than the rule (and are not part of a mean average).

- Can media ever change class? Sure. But it rarely happens. It is not a quick move either, these things take much time and many tests. SONY, RITEK, CMC, DAXON and LEADDATA have changed grades in the past. Media cannot change quality overnight or even in a few weeks/months.

- Testing procedures: Burns are subject to playability/reflectivity tests (usage tests), as well as software verification. Test equipment is under controlled hardware/software environments, and performed by knowledgeable individuals, to eliminate user variables. Burns are at least 4GB or more to test the entire length of the media. 

- Anwell Notes: Anwell Technologies does not make media. Anwell is a production equipment supplier that sells blank DVD media creation technology to media manufacturers. By default, an ANWELL "test code" or "test ID" is on the stamper. Anwell is often blamed for making shoddy media, but in reality, it's the work of a lazy media manufacturer who bought Anwell production supplies. As with all other low-quality media of dubious origins, the likely offender is Infosmart, or some other small Chinese or Hong Kong company. 


Fake DVD Media ID Guide

Luckily, it does not happen often, but it does happen often enough to be a major annoyance to media buyers everywhere. Most fake media comes from Hong Kong, as a general rule. Fake media tends to float around Europe and Asia more than it does the USA. Fake media is normally sold in street markets, on eBay and online. Major brand name media sold in stores is probably never going to be fake.

Faking more or less tapered off in 2008-2009, so we've not seen as much in recent years as it had been in the past. Be wary of fakes, but know that they're just not as common anymore. Fake media mostly sold well because they could undercut legitimate brands, but still turn a profit. With the worldwide recession chopping heavily into profits these pat few years, fakes have been squeezed out, the profit margins are too slim to be worthwhile, with many of the fakers disappearing. The falling dollar has kept many of them out of North America, too.

Blank DVD Branding Data

Although this will change on an annual basis, the following brands are known to use the following media makers for their outsourced discs. Some companies prefer dollars over quality, so be careful. Also be especially careful of "house brands" or no-names. If you end up with an unfavorable media ID, do not burn a test, just take it back for a refund and take your business elsewhere. Some stores have horrible return policies too, so beware.

If you can add to this branding list, feel free to post some information in our forum. As time allows, we'll track down some of the media for our own testing purposes, or request it from the manufacturer. For unusual brands and media IDs, ask in the forum or Contact Us. In most cases, unknown media IDs are of dubious quality. Some unknown brands are overstock from other media manufacturers. This is often the mark of very cheap media. Buyer beware.

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If this guide has been as helpful as a book, or has helped you avoid the costly mistake of buying low-graded media, then consider a donation. It's how we are able to keep this information online, and up to date. Thanks!