Maxell-Ritek Blank DVD DL Media
 

Just want to know your opinion about Maxell DVD DL blank media which ImgBurn identifies as Ritek.

I buy them in 25 pack and generally I can say I'm quite satisfied with the burn result.

What interests me most is the wearability and endurance because I burn videos which I'd like to keep.

Additionally I've heard that keeping a disc (any disc) in the drive all the time can prevent the lens from getting dirty from dust, smoke etc

Is it true ?

Many thanks in advance for your reply !

Ritek DVD+R DL are generally quite poor, especially on the second layer. A pack of Ritek DVD+R DL tends to have at least a 10% bad burn rate (1 bad disc, minimum, out of a 10-pack), and sometimes the failed burn is only detected after some testings -- the disc doesn't always kicked out of the drive as a failed burn. Additionally, the Ritek DL discs read quite poorly, as compared to Verbatim media.

You'd do better to buy and use the Mitsubishi discs sold under the Verbatim brand.

What's the exact media ID on the Ritek disc you have? Single-layer Ritek all moved to Fuji Oxonol dyes, and those have been excellent media. I'm still hoping that Ritek adopts Fuji methods for their DL discs, which theoretically would make them decent Mitsubishi substitutes, when on a lower budget.

Be sure to read the media guide: Blank DVD Media Quality Review

No, that's not true at all.
The only way to keep dust out a DVD player is to seal it in a large ziplock bag -- but even that's not good, because condensation would build up.


... and welcome to the site. :)

At first I thank you so much for your reply !

Indeed I get burning failure sometimes, however this occured as well with Verbatims DL I used to buy and I found out that it was because of Nero.

As soon as I started using ImgBurn the failures were reduced considerably.

Additionally the burnt discs were tested (from the very beginning to the end) in several home DVD players and they play excellent.

However you still haven't answer my question regarding the life of those discs.

Is there any possibility to become unplayable after a couple of years as it happened with some commercial pre-recorded CDs that turned to be yellow ?

Regarding the exact media ID, I will tell you next time I burn one with ImgBurn.

Many thanks again !!!

The main difference between CD and DVD is that the CD is unprotected on the top of the disc. If you scratch a CD's silver surface with your fingernail, you just removed data. A DVD is sandwiched between two polycarbonate ("plastic") layers, thereby removing most environment and handling impact. Abuse to the top of the disc is no longer a major fail point.

Data doesn't just "disappear" from a disc, so if it tests fine, it should last a few decades. However, playing the disc on a DVD player is not a test -- home DVD players have methods that skip over problem areas that may grow later. Dye imperfections, for example, can enlarge over time, depending on what caused it. So you really want to do a bit-for-bit test, using a computer testing tool.

Testing methods are explained here:

• http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/medi...r-burning.html
• How to Test the Burn Quality of CD/DVD Media

DVD longevity is explained more in-depth here: How Long Do CDs, DVDs, and Tapes Last?

Exact Media ID
 

Exact Media ID

DVD+RDL
Book Type DVD-ROM
RITEK S04 066 (42h)
2.4 X - 4 X