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are these guys as good as they claim?
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Sites like that annoy me.
River Media is not a manufacturer of discs -- not to my knowledge -- and they've honestly gone out of their way to hide this fact. They also make big bold claims about their media, using known-unreliable home testing PI/PO scanning methods. I honestly would not be surprised if this was some cheap knock-off crap media. And "Azo" dye doesn't always equate to a quality product.
Given that observation, my opinion of their DVD cases is very low.
This is a case of guilty until proven innocent.
USA companies did this back in 2001-2004, and learned quickly that customers didn't like the BS.
- Reputable stores like Meritline and Supermediastore no longer pretend they have special brands of discs. They realized that customers only came to them seeking out good quality media -- and trying to pass off low-grade junk under a house brand, further touting it as "good stuff", was harming their reputations.
- On the other hand, shop4tech didn't learn anything, and they push no-name crap on their homepages and ads. And it's one reason they don't get many mentions from veterans and pros.
- Rima has always had a good reputation because they've never dabbled in "house brand" crap.
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Absolutely not, no.
Cases can vary from stinky recycled crap, to well-made virgin materials. Contrary to some of the marketing BS you see, know that "virgin" doesn't mean "no stink" or "well made" -- not necessarily. I've come across a lot of virgin materials that were used to make smelly low-grade cases.
Some cases are firm and plastic, others are flimsy and rubbery.
Some are well designed to archive media, some have hubs and spindle edges that are total junk and will warp or bend your media.
I'm not sure about pricing, or even quality, but SVP.co.uk is where I tend to look first for DVD supplies, to see what they have available:
http://www.svp.co.uk -- Although it's worth noting that "forum ramblings" in recent years shows that its reputation may have gone down from its peak in 2003-2005. Still one of the best options, aside from
Amazon.co.uk.
Nierle.com is another place to check.