How do you know the media ID before buying media?
 

I have been happy with many of the blank DVD purchases I have made over the years but the thing that concerns me is knowing what the media is rated before I order it?

Obviously, if you already have the media you can run some of the media descriptor programs to see if it is 1st class, 2nd class or 3rd class.

I have been using 2nd class Verbatim 16X media which I bought for a good price but now they are not having that type on sale and I ended up ordering another Verbatim product in hopes it might be the same quality for the same approximate price.

For my example the disk media ID is CMC Mag AM3, but on line they are sold as Verbatim 97176.

The closest I could find was Verbatim 95102.

My question is, without having the disk in my hand (to run a DVD media ID program on) how do I convert the "95102" to a media ID that's listed under a "class" at your site?

CMC MAG AM3 is a CMC Magnetics media ID. It's not a very good disc.
Be very sure to refer to (and read over) our media review/FAQ: Blank DVD Media Quality Review

The media ID is completely stored on the disc itself. This was always intended to be "internal use only" type information for media companies, and several have been disapproving of sites like this one in the past for making these secrets less secret. (Oh, boo hoo! Wahhhh!) I still remember when online media wholesalers had begun to list media ID for discs, only to be bullied by manufacturers and brands for this information to be removed.

As such, the media ID is not on the package, and never will be. You have to buy a disc to see what's under the hood. Or rely on sites like this one to help guide you on what to buy.

"97176" is the Verbatim product code for the Life Series media -- which is not at all suggested, being low-grade CMC media.

"95102" is the Verbatim product code for the Mitsubishi MCC DVD-R media in 100 packs, which are the high quality Verbatim discs you do want. Again, be sure to refer to our media review/FAQ: Blank DVD Media Quality Review. These are easily the best blank DVD-R that can be bought. Aside from some long-ago defunct media (Pioneer/PVC), no discs have tested better than MCC DVD-R.

That's sad that the Media ID cannot be known before buying the disc but such is life I guess. The manufacturers should be required to post a list of the media they put their labels on.

I stumbled across a site that tried to list a cross-reference of brand item numbers to Media ID but the site was terribly outdated, I imagine because it's so hard to maintain such a site???

I have been using this site's "Blank DVD Media Quality Review" and, as I said, I was quite happy with the 2nd Class media Verbatim 97176 so from what you say about the 95102's I should be fine. I'll try to buy them from now on. I will confirm the Media ID of the 95102's I ordered when they arrive next week but I feel confident they are fine as you indicated.

It's almost impossible to maintain a database of current media information. Many have tried, but all were later abandoned due to how much effort it takes. And not just the effort of a single person, but multiple qualified individuals, located in multiple countries.

The easiest way to match a part/model number to a media ID is to use Google against the number. Find a quality store that shows the image of the item, in addition to the model. In this example, 97176 shows Life Series, 95102 shows DataLife. This is one of the few media where the label betrays the contents, unlike Sony or Memorex. Right now, all Life Series is CMC, while all DataLife is Mitsubishi. Hopefully that won't change.