Question About DVD-R Shelf Life

[eman59]

The DVDs that I make have a short shelf life.  Madaling magasgas at mag-disk error.

I use printable generic (Ritek) DVD-R that I buy in bulk from TigerDirect.com.  I use a Pioneer internal DVD burner and burn on Nero.

The DVDs work but they don't last.

What am I doing wrong?  Is it the media?  The burner?

If the media, can anyone recommend a printable DVD-R that's more resilient to wear and tear?

Salamat sa tulong.

[Movie_Geek_Tom]

Ive used Cd-R kings generic DVD-R's burned on Nero la naman problema. Try doing some diagnostics on your DVD-burner. Do you  keep your DVDs that you burned in a case?

[eman59]

No, Tom.  I keep them in a spindle.  How does one perform diagnostics on the burner?  What should I look out for? 

I also store some of my commercial DVDs in a spindle, but that doesn't seem to wear them out the way they wear out the DVD-Rs (skipping, Minor Disc Errors, pixelation).

Salamat sa tulongl

[barrid]

It is the media. May mga disc na madaling magasgas pero okay naman mag play. Mayroon ding walang gasgas pero ayaw mag play. Try different brands. I never used printable yet but Memorex and HP has.

[barrister]

What am I doing wrong?  Is it the media?  The burner?

It's the media.  Ritek is unreliable.  Inconsistent quality. 

I've never tried printable discs, but the best I've used is Verbatim (MCC - Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation).

Always use high quality discs kahit mahal.  Otherwise, nonsense ang pag back-up kung masisira din agad.

Madaling magasgas at mag-disk error.

Try scratch resistant discs.  I've tried Imation Force Field (DVD-R), and it really works (http://www.imation.com/products/dvd_media/dvd_forcefield_discs.html).  Unfortunately, 1 piece free sample lang last year.  Still not available in da Pilipins. 

But since you buy online, why not try TDK ScratchProof  --   http://www.supermediastore.com/tdk-scratchproof-hard-coat-8x-dvd-r.html

How does one perform diagnostics on the burner?

The best diagnostic tool:

Nero CD-DVD Speed  (freeware, latest version = 4.51.1)  -    http://www.cdspeed2000.com/go.php3?link=download.html

[eman59]

Thanks for the tips.  I ordered Memorex printable DVD-Rs and will keep my fingers crossed.

[ralfy]

http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

[evo69]

Go for Made in Japan Taiyo Yudens, their 8x media is better than their 16x trust me. Second best is Verbatim (but this actually has better compatibility than Taiyo Yuden discs). Anything else is unreliable and not worth the time - this is considering that you can afford these media.

Memorex is a B-grade distributor. They don't make their discs but buy them from manufacturers so their quality will certainly vary. The saying "You get what you pay for" is true with blank optical media - just don't buy overpriced discs from retail outlets, there are a lot more options out there that have even better quality discs.

[aremdvna]

I've never had problems with cheap DVDR's.  I get the cheapest I can get, but I make sure Nero verify's data burnt to disk.  I would suggest burning at a slower speed and not storing your disks in a spindle.  If you're constantly removing them from a spindle they're bond to get scratched up.  Invest in a 200 disk binder, they're cheap at CDR King.