DVD-R Media Quality and Compatibility

[idlewild]

Huhm? thanks dejakenth, it really seems interesting. Is it noticeable? The midcode red and silver, with iomega? is it really readable as iomega? if you can picture it sir idlewild, pa send naman po,

i don't understand what u mean onie but i compared only the MID code from both the generic and the iomega DVD-Rs and they're both the same.

[idlewild]

Ridata DVD-R 8X

Media Code: RITEKG05
Physical Description:



Purchased at CD-R King Ayala Cebu for Php30.00/DVD
Rated @8X, but only tried burning @4X since i only have 4X-capable drive (Lite-on LDW-411S)

Media test: No read errors

Additional Test (K-Probe BLER Scan)


Additional Test (Nero CD-DVD Speed Transfer Rate Test)


Test platforms:
    - Successful read on Lite-On LDW-411S
    - Successful read on Hitachi GCC-4160N

_{EDIT: Corrected price per DVD}

[DVD-KiD!]

wow! very informative.

[idlewild]

thanks   here's another one...

Ridata DVD-R 4X

Media Code: RITEKG04
Physical Description: (Same with Ridata DVD-R 8X but only 4X)

Purchased at CD-R King Ayala Cebu for Php25.00/DVD
Rated @4X, burned @4X using a Lite-on LDW-411S

Media test: No read errors

Additional Test (K-Probe BLER Scan)


Additional Test (Nero CD-DVD Speed Transfer Rate Test)


Test platforms:
    - Successful read on Lite-On LDW-411S
    - Successful read on Hitachi GCC-4160N

Notes: Though read is OK, I've had better scans with the 8X media compared to this one.  Both the 8X and 4X versions of Ridata have identical designs so when choosing which to buy, look for the written speed on the media.

[boss_onie]

i don't understand what u mean onie but i compared only the MID code from both the generic and the iomega DVD-Rs and they're both the same.

ah, i see. Sorry for the misunderstanding sir idlewild.


Thanks,
Onie

[barrister]

@idlewild,

Thanks for the tip. Having the same MID code w/ the red&silver iomega,  would make this media a better choice over the other cheap media. Hopefully it's only the branding (being generic TOP versus IOMEGA) which caused it to be sold cheaper. Or it's also possible these were originally slated to be marked IOMEGA and somehow did not make the cut.

Would anyone have an idea on this?

According to one importer, generic media with CMC MIDs are excess discs. 

Manufacturers normally produce additional batches in excess of actual orders as allowance for rejects.  After the orders are manufactured and delivered, the manufacturer will still have excess discs on its hands which are then sold to other traders as "generic" media. 

Rest assured that the "generic" CMC media are likewise of good quality because if they were otherwise, CMC Magnetics would have thrown them away as rejects and would not have sold them to a third party.

The only problem is that, since the quantity of excess discs will vary, availability of these discs will be inconsistent.

[idlewild]

thanks for the info barrister   this must be the reason why such generic media run out fast.  have to wait for the next available batch.

another thing, i always do PI/PIF scanning on my burnt DVDs and i noticed the generic CMC's give a more decent scan than the branded CMC's (iomega).  pretty weird huh?

[boss_onie]

Hello to all,

Sir idlewild, it seems that the brand you were referring, yun white na dvdr is curruntly out of stock.

Btw, sorry for my ingnorance, i was trying to test this two "cheap" media's using jitter test ng dvdinfopro, to see which one is better. Please do take note that both are free from crc errors. Can you please tell me which one is better dito sa dalawa? Hindi ko po kse talaga ma intindihan yun graph na to, at kung panu sya i-interpret. Again sorry for my ignorance.

Pic no.1
P6 pesos media, premium silver cd, with green circle lining, both on inner and outer.



pic no. 2
P6 media, produce by cdrking.



can you please advise which one is better? or if you have other suggestions. Price range from 6 to 8 pesos lang po sana.







Sir idlewild, may idea ka pa ba kung san meron nung white na dvd na yun? same inner print with iomega? wala na kse sa sm manila eh.


Thank you very much,
Onie.

[idlewild]

Pic no.1
P6 pesos media, premium silver cd, with green circle lining, both on inner and outer.

i used this DVD once.  comes in two kinds, one with no MID code and the other with the DKMZ01 MID code.  the DKMZ01 had no problems on my LDW-411S drive but the one with no MID code is very variable, i.e. less chance of a successful burn (i think indie_boy also experienced this problem).  as ur scan shows, it has a potential read problem at the end so better stay out of this media.

pic no. 2
P6 media, produce by cdrking.

this one scans better so i think it has better quality than the first one   both PI and PIF are well within spec, i.e. PI shouldn't max out at 280 and PIF shouldn't max out at 32 (since ur using 8ECC).  IMO, u won't be having any problem with this media.

can you please advise which one is better? or if you have other suggestions. Price range from 6 to 8 pesos lang po sana.

i'd say go for the 2nd one   btw, since u have a drive capable of PI/PIF-scanning, i'd suggest u read about interpreting such scans here.  this would help u a lot in choosing the right media for ur drive.  also, use nero cd/dvd speed's transfer rate test to check the readability of ur disc.

Sir idlewild, may idea ka pa ba kung san meron nung white na dvd na yun? same inner print with iomega? wala na kse sa sm manila eh.

sorry, i can't help since i can't also find that media here in cebu.  CDR-king has no stock as of now.

[boss_onie]

Thank you sir idlewild, i was looking on dvd info pro, on how to analyze the said graphs, wala naman pong nakalagay duon. Kelangan po pala magbasa ka ng mahaba to understand those graphs, so you you are in cebu pala sir idlewild. Thanks again. Everyone, sir idelwild provided a link above, on how we can analyze graphs, produce by our testing.

[barrister]

IOMEGA DVD-R


1. Media code - CMC MAG AF1

2. Physical description of the disc - white with red font

3. Place of purchase - CD-R King Eastwood

4. Price per piece - P22.00

5. Claimed burn speed and the speed you burned at - claimed 4x; burned at 4x

6. Nero DVDSpeed Scandisc - no read errors

7. Test platforms - tested on Lite-On drive, Pioneer 270 and Pioneer 366 players

8. Notes - Burned with Lite-On SOHW 1653S.

[indie boi]

IOMEGA DVD-R


1. Media code - CMC MAG AF1

2. Physical description of the disc - white with red font

3. Place of purchase - CD-R King Eastwood

4. Price per piece - P22.00

5. Claimed burn speed and the speed you burned at - claimed 4x; burned at 4x

6. Nero DVDSpeed Scandisc - no read errors

7. Test platforms - tested on Lite-On drive, Pioneer 270 and Pioneer 366 players

8. Notes - Burned with Lite-On SOHW 1653S.

This is one of the most reliable dvd-r media I've encountered. I actually bought a whole spindle of the iomegas.

[idlewild]

i agree.  the RIDATA DVD-R 8X also proves to be reliable

[jlodvo]

guru's anong ok ng blank dvd yng printable ng inkjet printer?

[firewired]

RIDATA has an 8X printable DVD-R out. P30 last time I checked in CD-R King.

[Alfie]

The 8 peso CDR King DVD-R printable is also reliable as long as you burn it at 2X.

[firewired]

Oh yes, I've tried those. Media code is "LEADDATA". Works fine in 2X but do not burn all the way to the edges. The batch I bought had imperfections along the outer rim causing the players I tested to skip towards the end of the disc.

[jlodvo]

yup i have those 8 pesos leaddata , 200pcs binili ng friend ko sa cd-r king, davao kc ako, hirap mag basa, dapat pala 2x lng and ilang gig para ok sya?

and does cd-r king accept provincial orders? bc kc lagi yng friend ko and im running out of media

any other cheap printable na ok?

[idlewild]

Oh yes, I've tried those. Media code is "LEADDATA". Works fine in 2X but do not burn all the way to the edges. The batch I bought had imperfections along the outer rim causing the players I tested to skip towards the end of the disc.

this is usually the  problem with these discs.  burning data past the 4G mark is a hit or miss.  i've also tried those cdr-king branded ones (with MID code FORNEX101) and same din ang results.

yup i have those 8 pesos leaddata , 200pcs binili ng friend ko sa cd-r king, davao kc ako, hirap mag basa, dapat pala 2x lng and ilang gig para ok sya?

and does cd-r king accept provincial orders? bc kc lagi yng friend ko and im running out of media

any other cheap printable na ok?

i think cdr-king has plans to open a branch in SM davao

[Stoned Wall]

this is usually the  problem with these discs.  burning data past the 4G mark is a hit or miss.  i've also tried those cdr-king branded ones (with MID code FORNEX101) and same din ang results.

Based from your experience guys, is there a rule of thumb on the burn capacity for generic DVDs? Say you should not go over the 4GB mark and burn only at 2x speed to avoid read problems or is it still a hit and miss affair (media and burner dependent)?

[Stoned Wall]

IOMEGA DVD-R


1. Media code - CMC MAG AF1

2. Physical description of the disc - white with red font

3. Place of purchase - CD-R King Eastwood

4. Price per piece - P22.00

5. Claimed burn speed and the speed you burned at - claimed 4x; burned at 4x

6. Nero DVDSpeed Scandisc - no read errors

7. Test platforms - tested on Lite-On drive, Pioneer 270 and Pioneer 366 players

8. Notes - Burned with Lite-On SOHW 1653S.

F.Y.I.,

TOP DVD-R 4X are available at CD-R King Megamall (Cyberzone). Php7.00 each. Same media code as the Iomega disc above (CMC MAG AF1).

Also bought Philips DVD-R 8X and HP Invent DVD-R 8X in the same branch for Php25.00 each. Both have the same media code of CMC MAG AE1.

[Alfie]

TOP DVD-R 4X are available at CD-R King Megamall (Cyberzone). Php7.00 each.

was able to get some at the CDR-King in Quiapo at 8 pesos each :'(
Mas mura pa sa Megamall

[firewired]

Actually, it's P8.00 each in Megamall when I checked. Good deal. Will test tonight. Meanwhile, here's what DVD Identifier pulled off the disc:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD-R:CMC MAG. AF1]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disc & Book Type :       [DVD-R] - [DVD-R]
Manufacturer Name :      [CMC Magnetics Corp.]
Manufacturer ID :        [CMC MAG. AF1]
Blank Disc Capacity :    [2,298,496 Sectors = 4,489.3MB = 4.38GB (4.71GB)]

[Stoned Wall]

was able to get some at the CDR-King in Quiapo at 8 pesos each :'(
Mas mura pa sa Megamall

Went to megamall again to buy some more discs, indeed it's Php8.00 each. But when I checked my previous receipt, I was only charged Php7.00 each (5pcs. x Php7.00 = Php35.00). Maybe the saleslady gave me a discount coz I bought 20pcs. of the Philips/HP DVD-R 8X discs at Php25.00 a pop. 

Burned a couple of TOP DVD-R's and filled it to the brim (4,474MB and 4,479MB out of the possible 4,489MB capacity). And I didn't experience any read problem (so far). TOP DVD-R looks very promising. 

[boss_onie]

Hello,

Thanks for your update stoned wall, I just bought the said cd's above. Yun nga lang, ang  binili ko is yung 8x na iomega. Too late when i saw philips and HP. Pero okay lang, maganda din naman performance ng iomega, subok ko na to.

Galeng ni stoned wall parang pumunta ka na din ng cdr king sa infos na binigay nya eh.

THanks,
Onie.

[idlewild]

Based from your experience guys, is there a rule of thumb on the burn capacity for generic DVDs? Say you should not go over the 4GB mark and burn only at 2x speed to avoid read problems or is it still a hit and miss affair (media and burner dependent)?

depends mostly on your burner.  Lite-ons are known to perform poorly on generic media (those with MID codes like LEADDATA, ULTRAN, FORNEX, VDSPMSAB, etc) while NEC drives are generally able to burn them successfully.

to be on the safe side, when using these generic media, stay within the 4GB mark or if you decide to write past this, burn at 2X.  another thing, learn more about your drive and what type of media it prefers.  a good place to start is at
http://forum.cdfreaks.com

F.Y.I.,

TOP DVD-R 4X are available at CD-R King Megamall (Cyberzone). Php7.00 each. Same media code as the Iomega disc above (CMC MAG AF1).

Also bought Philips DVD-R 8X and HP Invent DVD-R 8X in the same branch for Php25.00 each. Both have the same media code of CMC MAG AE1.

when it comes to generic media, i prefer this one.  it uses the same MID code as the iomega red and scans beautifully on my drive (refer to page 2 of this thread).  my only problem is the availabilty of this media.

[jlodvo]

yng top-dvd 4x printable ba for inkjet?

[Alfie]

Nope Top is non printable, rule of thumb is that printables have a rougher matte surface.
The cheapest printable is the Leadata at 8 pesos, afterwhich  comes Ridata at 30 pesos.

Addedum;
 Top is the only cheap DVD-R that you can safely get a whole tube since almost all the discs are smooth and devoid of any artifacts.

One should inspect all their discs prior to procuring one:most notably the Leadata printable since most discs have artifacts or plain damaged.

[Alfie]

depends mostly on your burner.  Lite-ons are known to perform poorly on generic media (those with MID codes like LEADDATA, ULTRAN, FORNEX, VDSPMSAB, etc) while NEC drives are generally able to burn them successfully.

Update;
       I am using a Liteon 815 and so far, with a burn speed of 2X, all the LEADDATA & FORNEX media that I made have no errors. It's a 6 out of 6 for LEADDATA and 8 out of 8 with FORNEX.
       Now with 4X all Fornex results were wasted, 4 out of 4 burned.  :'(
       It's a different result with TOP  [DVD-R:CMC MAG. AF1], all burns at 4X and 2X proved no error.
       2 titles I burned using a FORNEX media had 2-3 skips with my Kebao & Konzert (yes sir, still at it's functioning best after 4 years of regular usage) DVD player, but played flawlessly on my Nextbase/ Xtreme & Apex DVD players.
       2 titles burned using a Toshiba burner (c/o a PinoyDVD friend) using a LEADDATA and burned (acc. to my friend) at maximum speed also yielded flawless transfer on all my generic players, and 4 titles I burned on LEADDATA at 2X has almost the same results (seems that it doesn't matter or no improvment can be noticeable at 2X)
       My Amoisonic DVD player and Panasonic A300 ( yup-yup still trusty after 5 years of regular usage) although they can easily read any original R1 & R3 releases could not read any of the DVD-R I have. :'(

[firewired]

Alfie! Nice to know your Konzert still works. Mine's still chugging along as well although I've passed it on to my in-laws. The Amoisonic is now with my brother and is experiencing read problems. The picture tends to freeze up every so many minutes even when playing orginal discs. Those were the days, eh?