CD-R Media Info


found this in an etree email, thought it was a good reference for new and old traders alike.



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From: bborsodi@ArkansasUSA.com (Bill Borsodi)
This is a little help file I've put together on general opinions on media types - hope it helps.

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Cd Media Info help file:


CD Media has been discussed a lot at times - and this is the general jist of opinions on etree:

The best have polysomethingorother dye (Phthalocyanine dye) - and have better quality and longevity
(100+ yrs as opposed to 50-75 yrs).
These brands are well respected within the community & use this dye:
Mitsuis
Tayo Yunden
Kodaks

Otherwise, generally accepted as good are:
Sony
TDK

Hit or miss luck with (& often not accepted in trades):
Memorex
Verbatim
Imations
Maxells

Generally stay away from no name/generic brands -

These are general guidelines: Even the best brands have had comments about 2nds being sold (Mitsuis). All have different lines of CD media, some prove better than others, like TDK "certified plus." I recently discovered Sony's have their "Taiwan" line made by Mitsubishi (less reliable), and their made in "Japan" line - much better.

Some hardware (burners & players) do better with some media than others. So, what works for u may not for another; IE: Imations may work fine for some, and not for others. It doesn't make much sense that the media/burner combination would vary the success rate, but it is true. The speed u burn with those combinations will also vary the result/success rate. The cheaper brands seem to be more of a problem with this issue.

Some say that these cheaper brands will get corrupted fairly quickly (this includes just about all the above brands in the hit-or-miss list)!! This includes corrupted SHNs (data) as well as unextractable audio. Which is nuts since CDRs are usually considered to have 50 to 75 year life. It's possible the above burner/media combo factor may be more the reason; or it could be actual corruption. It may also have more to do with writing on CDs with non water based markers, such as Sharpies (which is to be avoided). General consensus is not to write on labels, write on the clear ring at center only; and avoid stick on labels.

Verbatims specifically - I (& others) have had good luck with the labeled DataLife --- the blank (white) Valulife are not to be trusted (I had a particularly bad batch of those!). Cheaper brands will have bad batches - will work well for awhile, then coaster after coaster (this happened to me with Verbatim's ValuLife above). Warning though: the DataLife's protective coat is not waterproof! If u drop some water on a coaster - it will bubble, get soft and just rub off - exposing the reflective layer underneath. Not good discs to take to the beach!


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