You have read correctly, and that the manufacturer is more important than the brand. The manufacturer is determined by their media ID codes.
Blank media is not all the same. Quality control and the materials used affects the caliber of the media. Even dye types and reflective foils play an important role. These details are all taken into consideration for the media guide that appears at
www.nomorecoasters.com
The odd thing is manufacturers supposedly never intended for us peasants to know about media codes. So they have no interest in us finding out about them. Branders and stores have the same lack of incentive, as it would cut into their profits and/or reputations!
- For example, Memorex was forced to issue a public apology a year or two ago because they were caught using from really pathetic junk for their media. Of course, not much has changed and their brand is a conduit for inferior junk media.
- As another example, Apple uses the same discs as a Verbatim or Maxell package, but costs 3-5x more. They surely don't want you to know the media is the EXACT SAME THING on the other package.
All we have to go on is clues. The country where it was made, for example. Or the type of spindle that was used. Serial numbers in the hub on spindles where you can see the hub of the top disc.
- For example, Taiyo Yuden media has a certain kind of bubbly spindle that nobody else does.
- Another example, made in Japan Maxell are indeed MXL or TY media, while made in Taiwan Maxell are the not-so-great RITEK media. And then to see if the Japan discs are TY or MXL, look through the top of the spindle and see if serials are present. MXL has no serials, TY has serials.
Just don't turn into a conspiracist over it. I remember people in the pasts insisting certain colors of hubs and words on packaging making a different, but it was random and had no bearing on the media.
So, to sum all this up ..... no.
You have to know in advance. This means asking people who know (ask me!) or tracking media information on the various video sites and forums. The cdfreaks.com and videohelp.com forums both have lots of users that post experiences. Although those places can be a bit of a zoo, info overload.
For example, this week ... and you have TWO DAYS left!!! ... Sony DVD-R and Sony DVD+R is on sale at Best Buy for an awesome price of $14.99 per spindle. The Japanese DVD+R is YUDEN00T002, and the Taiwanese is one of the SONY codes. The Japanese DVD-R is either SONY08D or TYG02 (likely SONY), and the Taiwanese DVD-R is also SONY08D from their other plant. You can't go wrong buying any of this media, great stuff.
To be super-safe about media ID's, you can always buy from online stores that sell by ID (like rima.com), or stick to a brand that only uses good media (Verbatim, Sony, Fuji japan, Maxell japan). Or just buy JAPANESE branded media only. So there's a few ways to avoid the stress of buying good media.
; cheers
