Here is a good link for Media Info Digital FAQ (http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm)

Search towards the top for Exceptions to the "Taiwan" rule:

Thanks VideoRoy, Forgot to mention, Yes these were 8X
I hope they work as well for you.

My standard caveats apply. Always verify some sample of discs from any new batch, visually and error testing. Every supplier loses the recipe one in a while.

CompUSA Has sony DVD-RW 25/pack @ $12.99 (See april 2 flyer).
good luck

Thanks! I just got one set pricematched down to $10.80!

Just checked the Verbatim DVD-R's I got from Sam's club while burning a movie on computer with 1ClickDVDCopy, the details button said (MCC02RG20).

CompUSA Has sony DVD-RW 25/pack @ $12.99 (See april 2 flyer).
good luck


is it the 4x or the 2x type?

http://www.thetechgeek.com/content/product.php?pid=7596&cid=117

210 DVD-Rs Generic............29.99 bucks.

thats 14 cents each.

Just bought - order is in transit. Shall post on quality after burn a few and throw them on my dashboard in the sunlight for a couple of months.

- so far the Generic "Matix" (really AML die out of Taiwan) I bought a while back (2-cents each) are holding up spendidly in direct sunlight and 5-week in car (recored face up of course).

(2-cents each)

:eek: Man, I thought the Playos were cheap! :eek:

Even at that price, I still wouldn't buy them if they were "Blem-o-dreks".

update - after approximately 5-weeks in full sunlight in hot car (8-hrs sun/day/35days=280 hours of sunlight) the Matrix 20-c DVD-R has failed to read in both of my home units.

as I do not have a DVD-player program on my home computer - I do not know it that would makeit readable. shall try at work.

COMPUSA 20-c DVD+Rs fail after approximately 40-hrs (last winter - colder and weaker light) - same test - car dashboard.

These Matrix (AML) dics may be as good as they get. I'm starting to think the 100 yr claim is utter ******** - yes that includes TY (lies in otherwords).

300 hrs may be good enough - more to the point 300 hrs may be as good as it gets.

Great tests and results gaffo. But in defense of the claims in question, I believe they are all conditioned on 'proper storage' of the discs for which the claims are being made, which includes 'cool, dry, dark conditions'. The dashboard of your car hardly qualifies. Your test is a great way of determining which brands will hold up to such harsh conditions better, and probably therefore last longer than the other brands tested under proper storage conditions, but I can't see any extrapolation between how long a given brand of disc lasts in your conditions and how long the same brand of disc would last under proper storage conditions.

Who is going to volunteer to report back in 100 years on how their discs held up in "proper conditions"? I know I won't be around that long unless my freeze-storage unit gets developed soon. Now if I could just find that flux-capacitor... ;)

is it the 4x or the 2x type?

The ones I just bought at Staples with price-match are 2x and Made-in-Taiwan. The CompUSA ad does not mention speed.

:eek: Man, I thought the Playos were cheap! :eek:

Even at that price, I still wouldn't buy them if they were "Blem-o-dreks".

I was told by a Staples employee that Playaz are not selling well at full price :-) This may push them closer to another $5 or less sale per spindle :-)

I was told by a Staples employee that Playaz are not selling well at full price :-) This may push them closer to another $5 or less sale per spindle :-)

If Play-Diddy were smart, they would run a continuous, virtual "on sale" 24/7/365, just like MemberX. I should start stocking up on ink cartidges now if they're going to be 4 cents again soon. I still don't have even 1 failed disc, though I have slowed considerably on my disc usage lately. :)

Additional sales for this week:
* 25pk Sony +/- $10 @ Walgreens. No prescription needed :-)
* VCR Co-Pilot $1.99 @ Walgreens - clearance/while-supplies-last

I wonder if someone will come up with a DVR Co-Pilot or a DVD-Recorder Co-Pilot? :-)

Starting Sunday April 9:

All refers to DVD-R/DVD+R unless otherwise indicateD:

* 25pk Computer Essentials brand $10 @ Walgreens. No "made in" text, but the box says "walgreens" on it. No Rx required to purchase them though :-)

* 50pk Office Depot brand $13
* 20pk Verbatim +R DL $40 @ Best Buy
*100pk Fuji (silver) $30 @ Best Buy
* 25pk TDK $7 @ Circuit
* 100pk Memorex $30 @ CompUSA
* 25pk Memorex DVD+RW $10 @ CompUSA

Don't forget that the Blemorex at Comp USA are printable so that you can waste your ink on some very pretty coasters! ;) (You should have about 70 or more coasters in a 100 disc stack, so throw a big party and show them off with your fancy print!)

Don't forget that the Blemorex at Comp USA are printable so that you can waste your ink on some very pretty coasters! ;) (You should have about 70 or more coasters in a 100 disc stack, so throw a big party and show them off with your fancy print!)

I have to use up my AOL coasters first :-)

At least AOL coasters are free. :)

LMAO! I got some of them too :) trying to figure a creative use for them, maybe wallpaper,,, lol

Some lady on "Extreme Homes" or "Weird Homes" had made her entire house exterior/interior out of CDs/DVDs. Something like 1,600,000 or so, if I remember right.
(I bet 1 mill were AOL and the other 600k were Memorex. I don't even think that AOL would use Memorex to put their junk ads on.)

Staples seems to have a "TEON" brand, 25pk for $5 with coupon or something like that. Their website showed "out of stock" the last time I checked. I don't know if they have any in-store. I have no experience with this brand...

I don't wear underwear, so no one can every say I get my undies in a bunch. :D

They all are listed in alphabetical order too. For series, I go by air date. I got my system way back in the day of living with roommates that borrowed CDs or movies. I could walk into the room and ask who borrowed one specific CD out of 400, or know what movie was missing out of around 700. Those days are gone, but the system stayed with me for life. It's just easier that way.

spyder: check your private messages.

Staples seems to have a "TEON" brand, 25pk for $5 with coupon or something like that. Their website showed "out of stock" the last time I checked. I don't know if they have any in-store. I have no experience with this brand...Funny you should mention them, I never heard of them either until recently. Check out this recent thread for a negative experience concerning "TEON"
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=665551

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jksellman
CompUSA Has sony DVD-RW 25/pack @ $12.99 (See april 2 flyer).
good luck


is it the 4x or the 2x type?

They are 2x RWs.

How do these rate? I have also seen 25 pk Fugifilm RWs at this price locally. Which is best?

Funny you should mention them, I never heard of them either until recently. Check out this recent thread for a negative experience concerning "TEON"
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=665551


The thread mentioned is mine. You really don't want these disc. Specifically they are CMC Magnetics AE1's from the same company that makes Memorex. I have 2 spindles of these are they have been nothing but headaches. Most of the discs I've burned have become unplayable after only 2 weeks. I just odered a pack of Taiyo Yuden disc to make replacements for the TEON's.

Jon

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jksellman
CompUSA Has sony DVD-RW 25/pack @ $12.99 (See april 2 flyer).
good luck




They are 2x RWs.

How do these rate? I have also seen 25 pk Fugifilm RWs at this price locally. Which is best?

I am on my 3rd or 4th spindle of the Sony -RW (with Panasonic ES20) and I had no problems so far. I dont have a PC burner so I can't comment on the quantitative quality of the burn.

I have not tried Fuji -RWs mainly because I haven't seen them anywhere.

Funny you should mention them, I never heard of them either until recently. Check out this recent thread for a negative experience concerning "TEON"
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=665551

I'll just wait for the next Playo clearance sale then, since TEON is troublesome and hard-to-find :-) I am still shocked that I had a problem with only two out of 75 Playos DVDs. I was expecting 1 out of 2 to be problematic :-)

This is the first time I find DVD-RAMs under $2 since I got my DVD recorder!

You can get a 15pk of Panasonic DVD-RAMs directly from Panasonic for $20 + tax. Judging from the picture, they may not be in jewel cases, I am not sure.

If you sign up for Panasonic Direct (free membership on their website) you get 10% off your first order.

For the month of April, you get free UPS shipping.

So you end up with a 15pk of blue anti-scratch coating 2-3x DVD-RAMs for $18 + tax, free shipping :-)

I am waiting for mine to arrive. I will post an update if/when they arrive :)

Congrats, ncaahoops! You finally found your coveted DVD-RAM! :)

I tried 3 Teon discs once, since that's all my buddy had. Not even 1 worked. :( (70 burns with Playos and no errors so far!)

That's a great price on the DVD-RAM's ... However, I went to the website and "checked availability" of them and it said "Ships on or about 05/11/2006."

What did they tell you about when you'd receive them?

If I know hoops, he probably ordered all they had. Of course, he DID say "if/when they arrive".

That's a great price on the DVD-RAM's ... However, I went to the website and "checked availability" of them and it said "Ships on or about 05/11/2006."

What did they tell you about when you'd receive them?


When I placed the order, the shipping date was estimated 4/14/06. When I checked the order status earlier today, it said something like "status unknown - call the 800-number". That's why i wrote if/when :-) I just checked and the shipping date is an estimate of ....4/10/06 (!). They estimate that it _will_ ship ....yesterday! So now my order is caught in a Time Warp/Paradox!

Needless to say I placed the order first and then posted this. And no, I did'nt order them all. Just one :-) I never used the blue ones so I didn't want to get more than one :-)

By the way Panasonic needs to hire someone to streamline their online shopping pages. Order Status is hidden under the Customer Service link! Are they using the same online shopping design philosophy from 1996? :-)

Congrats, ncaahoops! You finally found your coveted DVD-RAM! :)

I tried 3 Teon discs once, since that's all my buddy had. Not even 1 worked. :( (70 burns with Playos and no errors so far!)

Wow so Teon are a disaster across the board. Yet Playaz cost even less and yet is almost as reliable as the brand names.

Yes that is a good price on -RAM since the lowest I ever found was $2 per!!! The last time I had checked the Panasonic site a few months ago they were selling at MSRP and they didn't have a 15pk.

For weekly shows it's just more convenient to use -RAM than -RW(Video). No finalizing, no formating and instant reclaiming of the space of each deleted title. That way I can have one -RAM per show and keep deleting the older episodes, yet have the last 2-3 for quick reference :-)

Okay ... I went back and checked availability today and it said "ships within 1 day" ... SO ... I ordered me a pack!! -- $19.47 TOTAL for 15 of those bad boys!! :D Not bad!!

Thanks, NCAAHOOPS!!!

Okay ... I went back and checked availability today and it said "ships within 1 day" ... SO ... I ordered me a pack!! -- $19.47 TOTAL for 15 of those bad boys!! :D Not bad!!

Thanks, NCAAHOOPS!!!

You are welcome!

I just checked the Order Status and it says "status not available" for shipping. I don't know if that means they simply have a problem with their status updating software or they don't know if/when it will ship :-) Hopefully it will ship or has already shipped! :-)

You are welcome!

I just checked the Order Status and it says "status not available" for shipping. I don't know if that means they simply have a problem with their status updating software or they don't know if/when it will ship :-) Hopefully it will ship or has already shipped! :-)

Now it's back to "In process. Estimated Ship date is 4/10/06". Unless I am in a time-warp, today is 4/13/06 :-)

Maybe they meant 4/10/3006 Just think...1000 years from now, those DVD-RAM discs will be worth a ton on eBay or you can sell them to The Smithsonian Institute! ;)

Or is that date really Oct. 4th 2006 :p

Or is that date really Oct. 4th 2006 :p

I wouldn't be surprised! They might be using the software from the Japanese/European sites ;-)

DVD-RAMs are already selling at/above MSRP on eBay, so that's a good investment for the next 1000 years ;-)

Hey NCAAHoops, what does your status say today? I just checked mine and it says "status not available."

Now, does that mean that the status is: the discs are not available? ... or that it is just not possible to check the status of the order right now?

Hey NCAAHoops, what does your status say today? I just checked mine and it says "status not available."

Now, does that mean that the status is: the discs are not available? ... or that it is just not possible to check the status of the order right now?

I just checked and it says "In process. Estimated ship date 4/10/06". Needless to say I have not received them :-) I will either call them or email them on Monday since this is starting to not be funny anymore :)

I should check my credit card to see if they billed it which should mean it got shipped if they did.

I should check my credit card to see if they billed it which should mean it got shipped if they did.

I'd check, but that still might not mean that they actually shipped it. It's happened to me before. Caveat emptor!

I'd check, but that still might not mean that they actually shipped it. It's happened to me before. Caveat emptor!

I just checked and it hasn't been billed. Of course my credit card website is not updated right away either, so who knows.

I am already assembling reading materials to entertain me while I will be on hold on Monday, waiting for Panasonic customer support :)

Starting with Sunday April 16, 2006:

Because of the Easter holiday, not a lot of inserts in the Sunday paper, and not a lot of deals:

* 50pk Verbatim $15 +R/-R @ Best Buy
* 25pk Memorex +R DL $50 @ Best Buy
* 10pk Memorex Lightscribe +R $10 @ Best Buy
* 25pk Nextttech +/- $6 @ Circuit
* 20pk Sony +/- with jewel cases $17 @ Walgreens (not really a deal unless you want just 20 DVDs with jewel cases without having to shop at multiple stores)

* Staples deals: same as last week

Panasonic DVD-RAM order update: The estimated shipping date has been changed to today (4/17/06). Still "in progress" though :-)

fyi - those Verbatim 50 packs at BB for $15 are certified 16x.

Snagged me a bunch today!

This isn't necessarily a "media" deal, but I get the email from Staples 2-3 days in advance of each sale, like ncaahoops does. Disturbing: Latest email has Uniden cordless phone w/extra handset for $70-$20 instant rebate-$20 EZ mail-in rebate=$30. Fine. So I go to the Staples today and check to see how many they have. Only 4. I go there 2-3 times per week to ship stuff, so the clerk volunteers to put one behind the desk for me until the ad starts on Sunday. Sweet. We go check the price right now, and guess what? It's $50 regular price to buy it right now instead of $70, plus it already has the EZ mail-in $20 rebate! So, they're jacking the price up $20 on Sunday, then giving an instant rebate to put it back to the regular price? What the hell is THAT all about? Sure, it ends up the same price either way, but I'm not very happy about this, solely on the principle of it. Anyway, I thought you all should know about this price descrepancy issue as a heads up. End of informative rant.

Well I'm mad at them now for 2 Reasons........ 1ST for screwing with the Regular Price & 2ND for putting one away AHEAD OF TIME FOR YOU :)

And the sad thing is they will probably get away with raising the Regular Price because they won't get enough customer complaints & no customers will take the time to complain to their State AG or Consumer Protection Agency.

Now I don't feel bad about having them "Price Match" stuff & returning their Staples brand DVDs, they deserve to have it stuck to them & I think I'm now going to gather up & bring back "ALL" the Playo DVD's that I have that would'nt Finalize :D

Unfortunately retailers use those tricks. That's why I always shop around and check the bargains websites. In a few occasions I noticed that "sale" prices have been actually higher than regular prices.

I was recently buying yellow PostIt stickies and I was surprised that the price range was all over the board among the different stores. mean, how different is a tiny yellow piece a paper with glue on the back? :-)

And speaking of such, there is an in-store flyer sale at OfficeMax, 50pk of Officemax brand 8x +R/-R for $12. They had quite a few in stock but I didn't need any write-once DVDs. Also advertised is a 15pk Memorex 2.4x +R DL for $30.

If Memorex is [allegedly] unreliable with one layer, then what happens when it has two layers? :-)

If Memorex is [allegedly] unreliable with one layer, then what happens when it has two layers? :-)

LOL. I guess if 80% of Memorex discs fail with single layer, then 160% of them fail with dual layer. Which means that if you want 100 of them, then you have to pay for 160. Maybe THAT'S why they're always on sale! :D

Well I'm mad at them now for 2 Reasons........ 1ST for screwing with the Regular Price & 2ND for putting one away AHEAD OF TIME FOR YOU :)

...I think I'm now going to gather up & bring back "ALL" the Playo DVD's that I have that would'nt Finalize :D

Well, I do spend quite a bit there, so it's really just about keeping the "regulars" happy. They put away 250 of the Playo discs for me, just in case they ran out back during the $2 sale. The staff and management frequently give me $10-$20 coupons as well.

Have you really had Playos that didn't finalize? I haven't had a bad one yet, and I've been using 4 different recorders lately that I've never tried before. The Pioneer takes forever to finalize though. I'm going to try one of my Fuji discs and see how that goes or if it's just the recorder.

Yes, But one package of Playos had 16 that were no good :( & I really should not say finalize because what has happened is when I have been entering Disc Titles or Program Titles they would just Freeze UP before I ever got to Finalizing the disc?

This is on an older refurbished Samsung DVD-R4000 model (A Panny E50 Clone) & I don't think it's the recorder because just about everything else I've thrown at it has worked ok including the newer x16 speed DVDs which surprised me for a 2003 model so I'm guessing when it was refurbished the Firmware was also brought up to date? & for only $99 I can't complain about it at all plus it was a gift from my daughter :)

. . . So, they're jacking the price up $20 on Sunday, then giving an instant rebate to put it back to the regular price? What the hell is THAT all about? . . . . . . And the sad thing is they will probably get away with raising the Regular Price because they won't get enough customer complaints & no customers will take the time to complain to their State AG or Consumer Protection Agency. . . Gee, where have you guys been shopping for the past 10 years. This is common practice with retailers -- absolutely bogus but common. The most common example is a lot of buy-1-get-1-free specials at the grocery store. Whenever my wife sees this for chicken and wants to stock up, I have to remind her to observe that the price/pound has been mysteriously doubled. She gets embarrassed with me because I tend to stand at the chicken counter and loudly make that observation so everyone in earshot can hear. Maybe that's why she goes grocery shopping when I'm watching a football game.

Whenever I decide it's time for a new computer I start tracking Dell's website prices. They are always running "specials" for free this or free that. But the price of the PC never changes, they just raise the base price to compensate for the "free" item. If you buy during one of those promotions you are in effect forced to buy something (like a worthless low-end printer) that you would not otherwise want. Even when they offer free shipping, they raise the base price to at least partially compensate.

Kelson,

I agree that this happens quite a bit. I've just never really seen Staples do it. It seems their ads are typically straight-up. Office Depot and Office Max on the other hand, do the "two-fer" BS special all the time (Mem-or-blech discs, anyone?). I guess what upset me was that it was done at a store that I have trusted to not stoop to that, rather than one I know does it consistantly. It went against the grain of their conventional practices.

One example is that Comp USA has some great deals, but everyone knows there's always 1, 2, 3, or even 4 mail-in rebates attached to the price of each item. They boldly show you how much it's going to cost after all that, but put the immediate, out-of-pocket cost in tiny little letters. That might bother me, but for the fact that I always know it's coming, and 99% of the time it does, unless it's a very rare sale or closeout item.

I think maybe I was more shocked than truly angry with Staples in this case. I'm still getting a killer phone system for a great price, so...

One example is that Comp USA has some great deals, but everyone knows there's always 1, 2, 3, or even 4 mail-in rebates attached to the price of each item. They boldly show you how much it's going to cost after all that, but put the immediate, out-of-pocket cost in tiny little letters....Spyder,
I absolutely detest rebates. You can't tell me it really takes 8 weeks for them to process one -- especially one that has been submitted over the web. They either get an interest-free loan on your money or, more probably, hope you just forget about it or don't want to be bothered.

Agreed, Kelson. If it's less than $20, I don't usually bother. My point is that at least when you know it's standard practice for a company to use them, it's not such a shock. I'd be happy with 8 weeks, but it's been typically more like 12-16 on some things for me. Still, I did get $450 off a laptop once by filling out 3 rebates. It took about 30 minutes to fill them all out, so it was worth it in the long run.

Spyder,
I absolutely detest rebates. You can't tell me it really takes 8 weeks for them to process one -- especially one that has been submitted over the web. They either get an interest-free loan on your money or, more probably, hope you just forget about it or don't want to be bothered.

Rebates are a hassle but they can provide nice savings providing one follows the rebates guidelines and keeps copies of everything mailed out and keeps track of them. Basically I have a file folder that I throw all the copies in so I can monitor their progress. When a rebate arrives, I recycle/shred its copies, so the file folder is always current and I can quickly find out who has yet to send the rebate checks so I can pester them :-)

Some nice deals this week, starting Sunday April 23:

All refers to DVD-R/DVD+R sales unless otherwise indicated below:

* 25pk TDK $7 @ Circuit City; knock on wood I never had a problem with TDKs
* 50pk TDK (blue box for +R; red for -R) $15 @ CompUSA
* 25pk +RW (brand is not mentioned but posted right below the TDK picture) $10 @ CompUSA; I did not check their website, maybe the brand is revealed there
* 50pk Sony $15 @ Best Buy
* 25pk OfficeDepot brand DVD+RW/DVD-RW $13 @ Office Depot
* 50pk 16x HP $15 @ Office Max
* 100pk Office Max brand 16x $28 @ Office MaX
* 25pk 16x HP brand $8 @ Office Max
* 50pk TDK (orange cover for -R; white for +R) $18 @ Walgreens


The Memorex segment
* two 50pks of Memorex (B1G1) $30 @ Office Depot
* 50pk Memorex $15 @ Staples
* 50pk clear slim jewel cases $9 - can these be unreliable? :-)


Extra bargains
* Office Depot and Staples will give you $3 off your purchase with each ink/toner recycle
* Some stores will price-match other stores's media deals resulting in an even lower price (Thanks Bill13131313)


Non-DVD deals
* Buy 2 Get 1 free 100pk slim cd jewel cases @ Office Max; $28 per pack, so for $56 you get 300 jewel cases, price of 18c per, not the lowest possible, but if you want a lot of them without price shopping all over town....
* Sony P200 digital camera $230 @ Circuit, CompUSA, Ritz and other places. Office Max and Ritz give an additional $30 gift card with this
* Godsmack t-shirt free with new Godsmack CD $9 @ Circuit - can sell the t-shirt on eBay if u dont like them?
* One TDK T120 VHS tape $1 @ Walgreens

* 50pk clear slim jewel cases $9 - can these be unreliable? :-)

* One TDK T120 VHS tape $1 @ Walgreens

Knowing how Memor-Blech is, the hinges probably fail in two weeks. :)

Who ever would have thought 4-5 years ago that VHS tapes would be 3X the price of DVD discs? :confused:

Who ever would have thought 4-5 years ago that VHS tapes would be 3X the price of DVD discs? :confused:Oh, probably the same people who thought VHS tapes would last 4-5 times longer than those same DVD-Rs. Ironic, isn't it.

I think hoops likes to highlite the Memorex deals just to see if he can get a rise out of you.

Couple of other notes:

Walmart appears to have dropped their regular price of Maxell yellow top DVD-RW 15-packs from $16.97 down to $11.97.

Microcenter (I know there aren't many of these around) regularly sells 100-pack black slim jewel cases for $12 and sometimes puts them on sale for $10 per 100.

Vic

Works every time. If just one less person buys those POS discs, it's well worth the constant nagging and complaing about them! :)

Oh, probably the same people who thought VHS tapes would last 4-5 times longer than those same DVD-Rs. Ironic, isn't it.

I think hoops likes to highlite the Memorex deals just to see if he can get a rise out of you.

You uncovered my secret plan!!!!

Couple of other notes:
Microcenter (I know there aren't many of these around) regularly sells 100-pack black slim jewel cases for $12 and sometimes puts them on sale for $10 per 100.
Vic

That's good to know! Both are good prices, obviously less is always better :)

I am surprised Microcenter has remained independent after all the M&A activity in this segment.

ncaahoops,
I was getting ready to order the 15-pack of DVD-RAM disks from panasonic direct but wanted to check first. Did you ever receive your order? Is says currently available.
I just ordered a panasonic ES25 btw.

Finally the Panasonic DVD-RAM order from Panasonic Direct has arrived! The web page order status is trailing what you can find out by asking Panasonic by email/phone, but it did show that the ordered had been shipped and included the UPS tracking number. Once shipped it arrived very quickly, but it took a while for the order to go to a warehouse, perhaps because they were out of stock? I placed the order on 4/9/06, shipped 4/26, received today 4/28 via UPS Ground! It shipped from Southern California.

The UPS person left the box by the door which I am guessing is because Panasonic did not request/require a signature? Usually most UPS things I receive require signature. I almost did not see the box since it is a tiny one.

The box itself is a 6"x6"x6" box, singlewall, okay, I don't think anyone cares about the box :-)

Inside the box there was a 15-pack of DVD-RAMs (yes, I counted them). They were partially shrink-wrapped with a paper sleeve that has the information and bar code. The DVDs are in white slimline-cases, similar to the green 5pk DVD-RAM cases, but without the paper insert on the front of the jewel case. The individual DVDs do not have a bar code.

I have not used them yet, so I can't comment on the recording quality :-)

I added three pictures of the 15pack, of a single DVD and of the back side of the paper cover. Apologies for the quality of the last picture in advance :-)

I was browsing around and I noticed the Playaz 50pk is now at $10 on the Staples website. The price drop trend bodes well for perhaps another Playaz $5 sale on Memorial Day?

I also noticed a 30pk of Fuji tri-color -R/+Rs at a Ritz Camera store. I did not find a price, but it could be high since Ritz is MSRPitz, unless they have them on sale or clearance: I found a nice new (older model) camera bag on clearance for just $5 (down from $25).

I'd read on CDFreaks.com how good the Playaz were, but only picked up one of the $5 packs (out of a huge barrel of 'em). Man, I regret that!

I also noticed a 30pk of Fuji tri-color -R/+Rs at a Ritz Camera store.
If you live near a Fry's, they have these on regular price at $10. The one in San Diego (hint for those who live there) have bunches of the MIJ +Rs (you can tell easily between manuf. countries even w/o looking at the label as the MITs have a "yellowish" base and the MIJs are more "orangish").

I get these for the GF, who's always got me recording something off her DVR to give to her mother and friends and the colors let her sort by category.

I'd read on CDFreaks.com how good the Playaz were, but only picked up one of the $5 packs (out of a huge barrel of 'em). Man, I regret that!

I was only going to get one at the previous $5 sale since I knew nothing about them before the sale, but peer pressure got to me since I saw so many people filling up their carts and baskets with them, so I got two. If I knew they would be so reliable (given their price) I would have gotten even more.

... and it's my understanding that only the +R Playaz are good (AML-002) but not the -R .

... and it's my understanding that only the +R Playaz are good (AML-002) but not the -R .

I have only used -R Playaz (only 3-4 troubles out of 75 so far), but I do not test them using PC applications, so I cannot comment on the technical quality of the recordings.

At the user-level/consumer-level, I was expecting 1 out of 2 to fail, so I was very pleasantly surprised with the "fewness" of problems. They have yet to pass the test of time, since I can't accelerate time :-)

At the 1X/2X speed these devices work at, I'd suspect that any brand will work decently enough as long as the MID is in the burner's media tables.

... and it's my understanding that only the +R Playaz are good (AML-002) but not the -R .

I bought 200 of the -R and 50 of the +R (just for testing, not to keep) for $10.63 total cost (I had ink) and haven't had one bad disc yet. 4 cents per disc = SWEET!

They have yet to pass the test of time, since I can't accelerate time :-)

hoops,

If you want to go in on this item with me, we can accelerate time at will! (I just can't swing the $175,000 on my own right now.)

http://kalecoauto.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=28

Of course, I'd want to go back in time and destroy the Memorex plant before they created the Terminator discs...you know, the ones that keep coming back!

hoops,

If you want to go in on this item with me, we can accelerate time at will! (I just can't swing the $175,000 on my own right now.)

http://kalecoauto.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=28

Of course, I'd want to go back in time and destroy the Memorex plant before they created the Terminator discs...you know, the ones that keep coming back!

Sure! I am making a commitment of $5 and 55 cents towards that device :-)

At the 1X/2X speed these devices work at, I'd suspect that any brand will work decently enough as long as the MID is in the burner's media tables.

That is a good point. I forgot to mention that all of the ones I used were recorded at real-time - mainly because i dont have a HDD-recorder :-)

BestBuy

Fuji 50pk DVD -/+R $14.99 (after $25 instant rebate)
Fuji 15pk DVD+R DL $29.99 (after $20 instant rebate)
Memorex 10pk Lightscribe DVD+R $9.99
Nero 7 Ultra Edition $29.99 after Rebates

Circuit City

Philips DVD-/+R 25 PK $6.99

BestBuy

Fuji 50pk DVD -/+R $14.99 (after $25 instant rebate)
Fuji 15pk DVD+R DL $29.99 (after $20 instant rebate)
Memorex 10pk Lightscribe DVD+R $9.99
Nero 7 Ultra Edition $29.99 after Rebates

Circuit City

Philips DVD-/+R 25 PK $6.99


The Fuji DL's look like a good deal, anyone have any experience with them?

Jon

If they're anything like Fuji SL, they should be great, so long as they're MIJ.

BestBuy

Fuji 50pk DVD -/+R $14.99 (after $25 instant rebate)
Fuji 15pk DVD+R DL $29.99 (after $20 instant rebate)
Memorex 10pk Lightscribe DVD+R $9.99
Nero 7 Ultra Edition $29.99 after Rebates

Circuit City

Philips DVD-/+R 25 PK $6.99

It looks like there is a monopoly agreement to advertise DL DVDs at no less than $2 per DVD :-)


In addition to the above, starting Sunday April 30:

(all refers to DVD-R/DVD+R unless otherwise indicated)

* 15pk Maxell $6 @ Walgreens
* 25pk Maxell $10 after rebate @ Rite Aid (RiteAid has online rebates; no mailing/upc-cutting)
* 25pk Fuji silvers $10 @ Longs
* Staples: same deals as last week
* 100pk no-brand-mentioned $25 @ CompUSA
* 50pk Imation $15 @ Office Depot
* 50pk Verbatim 16x $15 @ Office Max
* 25pk Verbatim 16x $8 @ Office Max
* 10pk Verbatim DVD+RW 4x w/jewel cases $10 @ Office Max (not a good price, unless you only want 10 with jewel cases included)

Other deals
---------------
* diy cd storage box that stores 165 CDs/DVDs in cd file folders (not included) for $5 @ Staples
* 6pk Maxell T120 or 4pk Maxell T160 $3 after mail-in rebate @ Walgreens (VHS tapes)
* 80pk slim jewel cases $10 @ CompUSA

It looks like there is a monopoly agreement to advertise DL DVDs at no less than $2 per DVD

Fry's advertizes their noname brand of dual layer discs for about $1.50/disc every couple of weeks.

Yeah, and they're Ritek D01, the same as Memorex and Fuji brand +R DL.

... that being said, I wouldn't touch Ritek DL media with a 10-foot pole. Media quality is terrible.

Well, I certainly hope that's only true of the DLs, since I've never had a -R Fuji fail, but 50% or more of Memor-Crap -Rs do.

Last batch of -R 4X TY's at Meritline:

100 pack - $23.99 plus shipping
200 pack - $53.95 free shipping
300 pack - $70.95 free shipping
600 pack - $142.95 free shipping

http://www.meritline.com/taiyo-yuden-4x-dvd-r-media-silver-lacquer.html

Fry's advertizes their noname brand of dual layer discs for about $1.50/disc every couple of weeks.

That's good! So I will cancel the monopoly inquiry :-)

I wonder when (or if ever) T-Y will make DL disks.

I wonder when (or if ever) T-Y will make DL disks.

Especially -R DL. Need some competition to drive down the cost. Cheapest I can find is $4.10/ea USD. Add shipping and they are working out to >$5/ea :eek:

Sneak preview for next week (May 7 to May 13) at Staples:

I know some of you have special "techniques" when it comes to "reserving" some items before they go on mass-market sale :-)

They are celebrated some anniversary so they allegedly have some specials. But just because they say it, it's not always a good deal :-) The whole sneak-peek circular is on their website. They have a few items free after rebate so expect big crowds on Sunday morning :-)

* 50pk of Staples brand DVD+R/DVD-R $8 in an orange box. Limit 2 per customer (per visit :-)
* 25pk Sony DVD-RW $13 (They have Sony CDs on sale as well, and one of them has the wrong picture of Sony DVD-RW instead of CD for $9 for a 30pk, if some of you want to try to argue and get that price instead)
* 50pk slimline Staples brand jewel cases $8


You can get an additional $3 off if you recycle an empty cartridge/ink, and a cash-back reward if you buy enough items in each quarter using their rewards program.

*** Unfortunately no Playaz sale :-(

Does Staples carry Verbatim DVD?

Not really a weekly special but I made a Noon run to the local Sam's Club today and they have dropped the price on a couple of items.

Verbatim DVD+R DL 3/10pk (30 discs) = $60
SimpleTech 400GB External drive = $215 (Same drive at CompUSA next door for $289)

I am in the market for both but did not have my piggy bank with me :(

Newegg.com has Verbatim 8.5GB 8X DVD+R DL 10 Pack Slim Case Disc for $16.99 (after $8.00 Mail-In Rebate) and free three day shipping.

Newegg.com has Verbatim 8.5GB 8X DVD+R DL 10 Pack Slim Case Disc for $16.99 (after $8.00 Mail-In Rebate) and free three day shipping.
That is a good deal. Thanks for the tip. Hate the rebate but love the free shipping. Sam's were 8x certified as well.

Since I do not need them this weekend perhaps I will order from Newegg but that would be 3 rebates.

One thing that bugs me about Newegg and others is on the items that do require shipping cost is they charge the same fee for all items instead of evaluating the entire purchase.

I know some of you have special "techniques" when it comes to "reserving" some items before they go on mass-market sale :-)


LOL! I knew I never should have told you all about that! ;)

some guy on cdfreaks bought and tested those Staples +Rs:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=177818&page=2&pp=25

LOL! I knew I never should have told you all about that! ;)

LOL! You are not the only one employing these techniques :-) I have seen/read all sorts of approaches at places like Fatwallet and such. The funniest one was some person hiding the items within the store, so other buyers wouldn't get them during the feeding frenzy!

That is a good deal. Thanks for the tip. Hate the rebate but love the free shipping. Sam's were 8x certified as well.

Since I do not need them this weekend perhaps I will order from Newegg but that would be 3 rebates.

One thing that bugs me about Newegg and others is on the items that do require shipping cost is they charge the same fee for all items instead of evaluating the entire purchase.

I am not a big fan of mail-in rebates, but I will make an exception for this deal.

Hidden away near the laptop section and under the Immobility display there was a stack of Teon 40pk black slim-line-jewel cases. The clearance price tag shown was $3.10 but the scanner actually showed them on super-clearance at $1.50 per. Needless to say I cleaned up their supply, but I did leave two behind for others :-)

That's 4c per jewel case. So far they look solid enough, I was afraid they would fall apart the moment I touched them :-)

Your mileage may vary on this as clearance supplies probably vary from store to store. And probably whoever gets there first will clean up their stock :-)

Also the Staples DVD-R/DVD+Rs 50pks for $8 are available in either the traditional red Staples box with silver disc with parallel lines to write-on or the flashy colors shown in their online/print ads.

There's some more stuff free after rebate. Needless to say there was a big party at Staples but the lines were not long as they opened many registers.

What is the most versatile DVD format. I'm chairperson for a h.s. reunion and want to be sure we create DVDs in a format that most or all dvd's can play. Is it the DVD+R or DVD-R or ???
Thanks, Bob R.

some guy on cdfreaks bought and tested those Staples +Rs:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=177818&page=2&pp=25


All the Media codes and stuff have been posted over at CDFreaks now. I bought a stack of the new DVD-R 16x media, they a have new logo design, it's yellow, on the stack label not the old red and black label. My Staples actually had the new stuff hidden, I guess they trying to get rid of the old stuff first, same SKU # on both. I was able to successfully burn a DVD, my old Mac with a Pioneer 2x burner is pretty picky, usually only likes TDK, Fuji or Maxell but this stuff burns fine at least once anyway.

What is the most versatile DVD format. I'm chairperson for a h.s. reunion and want to be sure we create DVDs in a format that most or all dvd's can play. Is it the DVD+R or DVD-R or ???
Thanks, Bob R.

In my experience, it's DVD-R. I have over 5 DVD players, and they all play DVD-Rs I burn. One day, out of curiousity, I burned a DVD-R and went to a store that had several DVD players running for "test drives". I test most of them, and the DVD-R I had onhand worked in all of them (Philips, Magnavox, Sony, RCA, Toshiba, and Samsung).

Not to be argumentative, but without also having tried a DVD+R in every situation in which you tried a DVD-R, you can't make any claims as to one being more compatible than the other based on the DVD-R working in all those situations. For all you know the DVD+R would have also worked.

All that aside, I only burn DVD-R's. But these days there is probably very little difference in compatibility between DVD-R's and DVD+R's.

Not to be argumentative, but without also having tried a DVD+R in every situation in which you tried a DVD-R, you can't make any claims as to one being more compatible than the other based on the DVD-R working in all those situations. For all you know the DVD-R would have also worked.


I should've added more to my post. I have used DVD+R with recordings using a LiteOn DVD Burner as well as a DVD Recorder and a Sony DVD Recorder and it does work on several players, however, there were a few that did not work, and they would say "NO DISC" (ProScan/RCA, Panasonic, and Curtis Mathis were among some that would not recognize a DVD+R that I created). My Philips, Samsung DVD-ROM, LiteOn DVD-ROM, Benq, and Pioneer recognized the DVD+R though. With DVD-R, I've yet to have that problem. I'm still waiting. I do use both, yes, but I prefer DVD-R. Really, you can choose either because most people have more than 2 DVD players and chances are one will play the disc. I'm not downplaying DVD+R at all because I do use them. I'm simply commenting on my experience. Someone else, I'm sure has had the opposite experience.

What is the most versatile DVD format. I'm chairperson for a h.s. reunion and want to be sure we create DVDs in a format that most or all dvd's can play. Is it the DVD+R or DVD-R or ???
Thanks, Bob R.

The newer dvd players and computer drives should theoretically be able to play both -R and +R.

The compatibility issue will probably be with older DVD players, and they may only play one format, perhaps depending on how the manufactuer was aligned in the +/- battle at the time. For example, I have an ancient Apex dvd player and it only plays +R, since Apex is a + company.

Staples

Sony 25pk DVD-RW/+RW $12.98
Staples® slim jewel cases 50pk $7.98

In addition to Staples mentioend above, starting Sunday May 7:

All is DVD-R/DVD+R unless otherwise indicate:

* 50pk $15 at CompUSA, no brand shown, blue box for -R, red for +R
* 25pk Memorex DVD+RW $10 @ Office Depot - rgazzara please don't buy them all :-)
* 100pk 16x Memorex $30 @ Office Depot
* 25pk Sony $8 @ Best Buy
* 30pk Verbatim Lightscribe DVD+R $25 @ BestBuy
* 25pk Memorex +R DL $50 @ Best Buy
* 25pk Nexxtech $5 @ Circuit City
* Sony 25pk $10 @ Walgreens (until 5/25/06) - this may vary from store to store as it was an in-store price
* 3pk DVD+RW (I think TDK) $4 @ Walgreens - not a great deal, but if you only want a few of them to test compatibility of your recorder...


Joke of the Day: "unbelievable deal" at Ritz according to their sunday paper insert:
* 3x 10-packs (spindles, not jewel cases) of Fuji DVD-R silver for $30 total ($15 per 10pk) (buy 2 get 1). Who are they kidding? :-)

* 3x 10-packs (spindles, not jewel cases) of Fuji DVD-R silver for $30 total ($15 per 10pk) (buy 2 get 1). Who are they kidding? :-)

Maybe they pulled an ad from 3 years ago. :D :D :D

The newer dvd players and computer drives should theoretically be able to play both -R and +R.

The compatibility issue will probably be with older DVD players, and they may only play one format, perhaps depending on how the manufactuer was aligned in the +/- battle at the time. For example, I have an ancient Apex dvd player and it only plays +R, since Apex is a + company.

That's weird, hoops. I have had a vast number of Apex players (Ad-500/Ad-3201/Ad-500WM/Ad-1500/etc) and they all played -R discs. Since I wouldn't touch +R discs, I can't say what they would do with those.

I have used DVD+R with recordings using a LiteOn DVD Burner as well as a DVD Recorder and a Sony DVD Recorder and it does work on several players, however, there were a few that did not work, and they would say "NO DISC" (ProScan/RCA, Panasonic, and Curtis Mathis were among some that would not recognize a DVD+R that I created).
I wonder how those results would have differed had you set the booktype on those DVD+Rs to "DVD-ROM" (you can only do that with +R).

Is there a FAQ or something that explains in detail the differences of all the various blank DVD formats? Not only the difference but which discs are better used for what, and why. I just got a Panasonic es-15 recently that can write every dvd including DL and RAM. It came with one RAM disc and I bought a 10 pack of Memorex DVD-R to play around with for starters. I think the Memorex are not highly regarded to say the least but I've burned two so far with no problems. Also just curious if there will there be such thing as a DVD-/+ RW DL? Thanks!

http://digitalfaq.com/

That's weird, hoops. I have had a vast number of Apex players (Ad-500/Ad-3201/Ad-500WM/Ad-1500/etc) and they all played -R discs. Since I wouldn't touch +R discs, I can't say what they would do with those.

The one I have only plays +R but there is a risky mod posted on the web (not by Apex) to make it play -R as well, but I am not brave enough to try that :)

hoops,

What Apex do you have?

hoops,

What Apex do you have?

AD-600A, i think from 6-7 years ago

AD-600A, i think from 6-7 years ago

So you're just accessing the loophole menu rather than doing the mod?

So you're just accessing the loophole menu rather than doing the mod?

I do not know what the "loophole menu" is. The only loophole I know of is macro-vision elimination in earlier models. I saw some websites mention that trick but it doesn't work on mine. Mine appears to be a later version after they presumably fixed the firmware.

I just put in the DVD+R in and press play, I don't do anything special. Are there any other hidden featues? Where? Where? :-)

I was speaking of the macro/region-free loop. "Fixed" the firmware. More like ruined it. ;)

Having recently gotten a PC DVD burner, I'm trying to figure out how I can "make sure" I get quality, reliable R discs. The first I got were Fujifilm branded 16x +Rs on sale at Best Buy, hoping they would be "OK." They are "PRODISC R05." You may have seen my thread about my Pioneer recorder not playing them (www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=672620) though it did the first 5 or 6 times. After assuming it was a firmware problem with the Pioneer's drive, I Googled "PRODISC R05" and from tests on CD Freaks' forum, it doesn't sound like they're very good -- high PIF errors I think. :( Looking at the review of my Sony PC burner (www.cdfreaks.com/article/260/5), most all of the tested discs came out better than the PRODISC R05 results I've seen.

My questions are:

Would having high error rates make a player eject a DVD, while it plays fine on another one of the same model (but it has about 3x less use)? I'll soon see if I try different discs!

How do you guys make sure you're getting good discs? Don't buy brands like Fuji that use different manufacturers? I just saw in another thread, someone said stick with Taiyo Yuden (of course, that's the one name I see everywhere! :)), TDK, or Verbatim. Do TDK and Verbatims always come from the same manufacturer? I know about getting unbranded TYs or whatever online, but I mean when shopping at a local store that has a sale or something.

What about Sony discs? I ask since BB has the 25-pack on sale this week. It looks like they actually make their own discs? Of course being Sony, they're on my burner's media compatibilty list (sony.storagesupport.com/dvdrw/820mediainfo_gb_na060227.htm[/url), and the tested +Rs came out OK in the CD Freaks review, though the -Rs had some read-back issues.

Finally, the + or - format decision... I had chose to get "+" discs since I don't care to record on Rs with the "-" format Pioneer recorder; I read that the "+" format is "superior" (technically); and my burner allows changing the book type to DVD-ROM, for better player compatibility. Then I see posts on here that sound like a lot of you don't like "+" and swear by "-". I guess any recent player, and future ones that I'd encounter, will player either, so maybe it's pointless to pick a "better" one? :confused: Though also in favor of "+" for me, the Sony seems to burn them slightly better.

Don't know if it was OK to post this here; perhaps I should've made a new thread...

Thanks for any advice! Wish it was simpler to get good discs. :(


P.S. Does anyone know if Best Buy will take back the unused Fujis (I used 6/100), for even a partial refund/exchange if I say they quit working in my player and I think they're poor quality? Have my doubts, but I'll see soon if I try.

Anybody tried these (http://www.meritline.com/playo-dl-dvd-plus-r-dual-layer-blank-media.html) yet?

Those are the ones we nickname "Playaz" here. A few months ago, Staples had 50-pks of these in both + and - for $5; on cdfreaks.com they were found (esp. the +Rs) to be AML discs that burned VERY nice, and I hated that I'd only bought one spindle of 'em. If they're the same AML-002 (or -001, I forget) media code, then they're a good buy.

Dunno about the DL ones, though.

Anybody tried these (http://www.meritline.com/playo-dl-dvd-plus-r-dual-layer-blank-media.html) yet?

Playboy makes DL discs now? Come on, Staples, give us a sale already! If the SL discs run $.04 each, then how about DL discs for $.08 each? :D

Having recently gotten a PC DVD burner, I'm trying to figure out how I can "make sure" I get quality, reliable R discs. The first I got were Fujifilm branded 16x +Rs on sale at Best Buy, hoping they would be "OK." They are "PRODISC R05." You may have seen my thread about my Pioneer recorder not playing them (www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=672620) though it did the first 5 or 6 times. After assuming it was a firmware problem with the Pioneer's drive, I Googled "PRODISC R05" and from tests on CD Freaks' forum, it doesn't sound like they're very good -- high PIF errors I think. :( Looking at the review of my Sony PC burner (www.cdfreaks.com/article/260/5), most all of the tested discs came out better than the PRODISC R05 results I've seen.

My questions are:

Would having high error rates make a player eject a DVD, while it plays fine on another one of the same model (but it has about 3x less use)? I'll soon see if I try different discs!

How do you guys make sure you're getting good discs? Don't buy brands like Fuji that use different manufacturers? I just saw in another thread, someone said stick with Taiyo Yuden (of course, that's the one name I see everywhere! :)), TDK, or Verbatim. Do TDK and Verbatims always come from the same manufacturer? I know about getting unbranded TYs or whatever online, but I mean when shopping at a local store that has a sale or something.

My advice: in case you have not run across this link elsewhere in the forum, read the first half of this to get an idea about media quality and who uses what.

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

Then after you have read this, go over to

www.supermediastore.com (http://www.supermediastore.com/taiyo-yuden-silver-thermal-8x-dvd-r-media.html)

and buy a 100 pack of Taiyo-Yuden 8x DVD-R - Premium line - for $0.35/disk - top of the line media, they don't get any better.

Then you will be able to sit back with a smile the next time you see someone write to ask if anyone thinks they can take back the pile of crap chinese disks they just bought on sale.

Playboy makes DL discs now? Come on, Staples, give us a sale already! If the SL discs run $.04 each, then how about DL discs for $.08 each? :D

That price will get me interested in +R DL :-)

I am hoping for another Playaz clearance sale during the Memorial Day weekend...

If Playaz' +R DLs are "Ritek D01", avoid 'em at all costs. Someone's gonna have to be the guinea pig, though.

I remember there is a line in one of the "Back to the Future" movie that says, " No wonder it doesn't work, it is made in Japan."
LOL on those comments on chinese media. The Staples 8x DVD media I bought for $2.99 after coupon this week is the best media deal. I am on the 4th box of it now and have no problems in 4 different burners (3 different brands) and a DVD recorder. They are CMC media and ratings at videohelp.com are good. (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia.php?dvdmediasearch=Staples&dvdmediadvdridsearch=CMC&type=6&size=All&dvdburnspeed=8&order=Name&hits=25&search=Search+or+List+Media)

I remember there is a line in one of the "Back to the Future" movie that says, "No wonder it doesn't work, it is made in Japan." LOL on those comments on Chinese media.
But in 1955, Japanese goods were of low quality, just like Chinese DVD media is in 2006. You're the only one laughing.

I remember there is a line in one of the "Back to the Future" movie that says, " No wonder it doesn't work, it is made in Japan."
LOL on those comments on chinese media. The Staples 8x DVD media I bought for $2.99 after coupon this week is the best media deal. I am on the 4th box of it now and have no problems in 4 different burners (3 different brands) and a DVD recorder. They are CMC media and ratings at videohelp.com are good. (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia.php?dvdmediasearch=Staples&dvdmediadvdridsearch=CMC&type=6&size=All&dvdburnspeed=8&order=Name&hits=25&search=Search+or+List+Media)

Coupon? Where? where? :-)

Just a quick note for those interested in the Fuji multi-colors: They are selling for $15 for a 30pk at Ritz (I was there today).

I still didn't get around to doing a summary of the Sunday paper deals. The only one I recall off the top of my head is 25pk TDK $7 at Circuit City. I have yet to have a problem with either TDK -R or +R.

Anyone know what will work in a POS LiteOn 5005? Does anything 8X work at all?

(For $20 w/remote I couldn't pass it up, thought maybe I'd give it to my 8-year old son to do recordings, but it's gagged on everything I've thrown at it so far except for CD-R and some DVD-ROMs.)

Just a quick note for those interested in the Fuji multi-colors: They are selling for $15 for a 30pk at Ritz
Any MIJ?

But in 1955, Japanese goods were of low quality, just like Chinese DVD media is in 2006. You're the only one laughing.

And you are the only one crying. :p
See the videohelp.com rating on those CMC made Staples media.

Any MIJ?

Oops! I forgot to check that. I'll try to remember to check next time i am at Ritz/Wolf.

And you are the only one crying. :p
See the videohelp.com rating on those CMC made Staples media.Yes, even crap media will burn acceptably in a good burner or at low speeds with a strong laser and I'm happy they seem to be working for you, but lets see if you can still play those disks a year from now. There are several long standing threads on this forum discussing "media rot" and blank disk testing for error rates (do a search on "bobkart"). A lot of long-standing posters here stay away from chinese crap media for good reasons born of experience. If you don't care about longevity of your content or are just giving them away then chinese crap works for you. But given that top-of-the-line japanese media (Taiyo-Yuden) is available for less than $0.30/disk, it all seems so pointless.

Also, the Videohelp.com "ratings" you cite are not ratings at all but a collection of user comments (all 13 of them). If you want to see ratings and a lot of good disk quality commentary, check out http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

There are good and bad chinese made media. I am burning these CMC 8x media at 8x and 12x without problem. I also did a surface scan on the burned media and they are good. Don't forget that these 2 particular CMC media (AE1 and E01) are also OEM for HP. There are a couple points you made that are valid though. I do have other cheap 8x media that can only be burned reliably at 1x-2x and the quality of burner does make a big difference. It is risky to make a generalization statement just based on the country of production. Afterall, I am not saying all cheap chinese media are good. I said the media under these two codes are good no matter you pay $25/50pk for HP brand or $3/50pk Staples brand.
Again, other CMC media also have problem too (e.g. their 16x is not as good). So be specific to comment on particular media code down to the last digit, not by brand, country of manufacturing, or just the manufacturer code (as in the site you linked).

CMC is Chinese? I was under the impression it was Taiwanese?

Which is Korean? The one from North Korea or South Korea? :D
Yes, CMC is mostly MIT but they also have plant in China and Thailand.

Well, if you're using the literal definition of "Chinese" to include "Taiwanese" as well, NOBODY here has said that "all Taiwanese media is crap". Now, I do understand there IS actual "MIC" media, and that it hasn't been rated very well AT ALL. I don't know the mediacode, though.

That is the difference between chinese made and MIC (MIPRC to be accurate). Funny that the government in Taiwan (Republic of China) was the official Chinese in UN until 70s. In a couple years, only the simplified characters from China will be recognized as Chinese characters in UN too.

As I indicated, the key is not how well it plays right after you burn it, but rather whether or not it will play at all a year later. CMC is rebranded to source HP, Imation, Memorex and others. Their -R media (regardless of code) has been consistently rated in the lowest tier for as long as I can remember. In my own experience, when I first started burning, my first 25 pack of DVD-R was Memorex (CMC). My first burner was a 1-2X so all those Memorex disks burned and played back without error. After 6 months, many of them started to exhibit playback errors at the outer 20% of the disk. A year and a half later, nearly all of them are unplayable -- the errors are so severe the player cannot compensate and freezes.

I would be happy to hear you sing the praises of CMC media a year from now if all those burns you make today can still be played.

Come on, Kelson. Haven't you read my countless wonderful reviews of Forget-it-ex/MemorSux discs on this thread? ;)

If mine had lasted 6 months I would have been shocked.

This afternoon I picked up a 50-pack of Sony DVD+R's in a cake box at Big Lots for $15.99. Thought it was no big deal until I saw "made in Japan".

Come on, Kelson. Haven't you read my countless wonderful reviews of Forget-it-ex/MemorSux discs on this thread? ;)

If mine had lasted 6 months I would have been shocked.Absolutely, I considered giving you credit as the boards primo Memorex booster. ;-)

My notorious cheer:

Gimmie a P.
Gimmie an O.
Gimmie an S.

What does it spell? Memorex, Memorex, Yeah! :)

Some additional deals:

* 25pk Maxell $10 @ RiteAid. You can also apply for a $3 Rite Aid rebate. RiteAid rebates can be submitted online without cutting upc codes and mailing stuff. This would take it down to $7 after rebate. I did not check "Made In"

* 15pk TDK $5 @ Tower Records! The ones I looked at were Made In Taiwan written is very very very very very small font and hard to read and hard to find, hard to read, hard to find, especially with the blinding in-store lights and shiny floors, blinding lights, shiny floors, blinding lights, shiny floors. :-)

* 25pk TDK $8 @ Tower Records!

(You can also sign up for Tower Records Insider (free) and you instantly get a $10 off $50 coupon, which would lower the price of multiple TDK boxes) :-)

Heads-up for Sunday:

At Staples (for the next two weeks):
* 50pk HP $15
* 25pk slimline cases $5

Starting sunday may 21:

* HotShot DEBUT: Magnavox branded DVDs at Office Max with a Buy1Get1 special. Sold in 25pk and 50pk. No specific prices were advertised. Also B1G1 for jewel cases but I lost their ad.
* 50pk Verbatim $15 @ BestBuy
* 25pk Philips $7 @ Circuit City
* 100pk Memorex 16x $30 @ CompUSA (great for Spyder :-)
* 50pk 16x Imation $13 @ Office Depot

Hooray! I've got $300 burning a hole in my pocket right now, so I can go get 1000 Blem-or-blechs ASAP! I'm having a big party next week and figure I'll need around 995 coasters. ;)

Hooray! I've got $300 burning a hole in my pocket right now, so I can go get 1000 Blem-or-blechs ASAP! I'm having a big party next week and figure I'll need around 995 coasters. ;)

Fashionable coasters, can also be used for a game of freesbie :-)

There is always a good deal @ www.supermediastore.com
My favorite buy are the Taiyo Yudens.

Verbatims + and - are 50 for $15 at best buy this week. I picked up some +R, they work great with my benq burner.

Sneak preview of Office Depot's Memorial Day flyer (on their website):
* 100pk Office Depot brand $20

They have some other interesting "while supplies last" deals such as computers and 27" Olevia TV but they do not fall within the realm of DVD recording :-)

JaPhule... I like those +R's too... Do you booktype yours to DVD Rom's ? On my plextor, I can set the booktype there... just wondering if you do that too. (I hope I'm not drifting too much off topic...apologies if I did).

Starting Sunday May 28:

* Maxell 25pk DVD-R $8 @ Sears
* Buy 1 Get 1 Free TDK 25pks @ RiteAid. Price not mentioned.

Starting Sunday May 28:

* Maxell 25pk DVD-R $8 @ Sears
* Buy 1 Get 1 Free TDK 25pks @ RiteAid. Price not mentioned.

Pretty short on the deals this week in the ads.

Sears! :eek: I never thought I'd see an ad for them in here on media.

Buy one, Get one + Price not mentioned usually = overpriced. :(

What about "Remember-the-Alamo-X"? Certainly those are "on sale" somewhere! :D

25 pack HP -R or +R 7.99 @ Office max

Pretty short on the deals this week in the ads.

Sears! :eek: I never thought I'd see an ad for them in here on media.

Buy one, Get one + Price not mentioned usually = overpriced. :(

What about "Remember-the-Alamo-X"? Certainly those are "on sale" somewhere! :D

LOL. I didn't go through all the ads, but indeed, not a lot of exciting stuff even though it was a 3-day weekend. Other than a couple of "while supplies last" PC deals at Office Depot, I haven't noticed anything particularly exciting.

The Playaz are still on the shelf at Staples but they completely ignored the Memorial Day weekend! They didnt even have a new flyer for it. Next chance is 4th of July sale-a-bration? :)

Best Buy will have Sony 100 packs for $29.99 next week (6-4 thru 6-10). Is there any chance these will be MIJs? I got a 50 pack Sony MIJs at Staples a month ago for 14.99, I should have bought more.

What are the most reliable in store brands? Sony, Verbatim?

I got a 50 pack Sony MIJs at Staples a month ago for 14.99, I should have bought more.
See if you have a "Big Lots!" in your area. For a while, they had MIJ Sony 1-8X (which is T-Y) for $16.

What are the most reliable in store brands? Sony, Verbatim?

Depends on your unit.

See if you have a "Big Lots!" in your area. For a while, they had MIJ Sony 1-8X (which is T-Y) for $16.

How many for $16?

My local Walmart has HP Lightscribe 10 pack DVD+Rs going for $8.95, with Verbatim Lightscribe 10 packs a dollar more @ $9.98...

How many for $16?
Fiddy.

Just a periodic reminder.

Right now at www.supermediastore.com (http://www.supermediastore.com/taiyo-yuden-4x-dvd-r.html) one can buy 100 packs of Taiyo-Yuden 4X DVD-R for only $29.95 (free shipping). Even though these are their so-called "value-line" they are still tier 1 media and far better than the chinese stuff you will find on sale in the stores. Plus, when you price the chinese sale stuff per 100 disks, the T-Y media is the same or lower price.

Why are people so eager to pay more for less? Just to be able to walkout of a store with something in hand?

I don't believe in credit cards, kelson.

But you do believe in the power of Memorex.

A check card is a wonderful thing. ;)

Kelson.. I'm a bit new to T.Y., can you tell me please..... Is the T.Y. "shiny silver" 8x the same media as the one you listed above? I just browsed that link you listed, and the 8x shiny silver in a cakebox is $ 21.99
Just wondering if it is the same media........ (I'm a bit new to this, as you can probably tell)
I usually burn on my computer and I have a Plextor 716-A. I want to buy my very first dvd recorder as soon as Pioneer releases their newest line. But of course, that's if they straightened out that EPG thing....

Many thanks !

I don't know, I thought some were having problems with those 4x TYs.

But you do believe in the power of Memorex.

Kelson, that's easily the harshest thing that anyone has ever said to me on any forum. :( Anyone that's read any of this thread knows my feelings on Forget-it-eX media. I've ripped them, what, a hundred times just here alone? I certainly hope you were kidding! :eek:

I'm just a cash-only kind of guy. I paid for my last 8 cars outright. The only thing I'll finance is a home. Part of this stems from the fact that the gf had 36 credit cards when we met and was in debt $28K. She's out of the hole now, but that's never going to happen again. To give you an idea of how bad it was, she had a Victoria's Secret card with a $2000 limit! :eek:

Who the hell buys $2K worth of underwear??? :confused:

I certainly hope you were kidding! :eek:Of course, Spyder. I was just having fun with your Memorex radar. One could say I promote T-Y as much as you denegrate memorex.
To give you an idea of how bad it was, she had a Victoria's Secret card with a $2000 limit! :eek:

Who the hell buys $2K worth of underwear??? :confused:You do know, of course, that Victoria's Secret does not sell underwear for women. They sell underwear for men that is worn by women. Unlike my comments on media, Victoria's Secret is one product line where few would argue with the merits of paying more for less.

Kelson.. I'm a bit new to T.Y., can you tell me please..... Is the T.Y. "shiny silver" 8x the same media as the one you listed above? I just browsed that link you listed, and the 8x shiny silver in a cakebox is $ 21.99
Just wondering if it is the same media........ (I'm a bit new to this, as you can probably tell)
I usually burn on my computer and I have a Plextor 716-A. I want to buy my very first dvd recorder as soon as Pioneer releases their newest line. But of course, that's if they straightened out that EPG thing....

Many thanks !The link I provided above is to the 4X "value line" disks. The following link -- www.supermediastore.com (http://www.supermediastore.com/taiyo-yuden-silver-thermal-8x-dvd-r-media.html) -- is direct to the "premium line" 8X silver lacquer DVD-R disks. This is what I buy. As I noted above, I used to buy the 4X silver disks when T-Y was still producing them. When they switched over to making 8X so did I. I use only T-Y DVD-R disks. Although I have an E-85 I only use it to burn RAMs for transfer to my PC. I do all my editing, authoring and DVD-R/RW burning on my PC burners.

I don't believe in credit cards, kelson.

People who fear credit cards are irrational. I used to have the same kind of fear long ago, then I realized credit cards are *better* than cash.

(1) more convenient. (far fewer trips to the ATM)
(2) safer -- because of the laws that have been passed, you're out what, at MOST $50 if used fradulently, and usually not even that.
(3) CHEAPER than cash. I get 5% back on gas and groceries, 1% back on everything else. (With my old card, I've gotten a free PS2 and several free games.)

It is automatically paid off every month, so I pay no interest nor monthly fees.
So they're *paying* me for a way that would be better for me even without the monetary benefit.

Kelson, that's easily the harshest thing that anyone has ever said to me on any forum. :( Anyone that's read any of this thread knows my feelings on Forget-it-eX media. I've ripped them, what, a hundred times just here alone? I certainly hope you were kidding! :eek:

I'm just a cash-only kind of guy. I paid for my last 8 cars outright. The only thing I'll finance is a home. Part of this stems from the fact that the gf had 36 credit cards when we met and was in debt $28K. She's out of the hole now, but that's never going to happen again. To give you an idea of how bad it was, she had a Victoria's Secret card with a $2000 limit! :eek:

Who the hell buys $2K worth of underwear??? :confused:

I wonder how many forum users have bought $2,000+ worth of blank DVD media!

The early adopters of BluRay/HD-DVD recordables/rewriteables will certainly reach that limit a lot faster :-)

Why are people so eager to pay more for less? Just to be able to walkout of a store with something in hand?

That is a good question! I think part of it is instant gratification/utilization, part of it being able to return/exchange right away, part of it is chasing/hunting for bargains, part of it using the rewards programs of various retailers.

Once my -R supplies go below the "water line" I will give the T-Y a try since they are recommended by many and 30c is a good price for reliable media. Hopefully they'll have a promo sale at that time :)

...Victoria's Secret is one product line where few would argue with the merits of paying more for less.
LOL! :D Agreed, though now I've gotten her to not wear underwear at all, we use that $ for AV gear! ;)

Once my -R supplies go below the "water line" I will give the T-Y a try since they are recommended by many and 30c is a good price for reliable media. Hopefully they'll have a promo sale at that time :)Here is what initially sold me on T-Y. My daughter has a 3.5 yr old Dell with a stock DVD-ROM reader and she likes to play DVDs on her PC when she hibernates in her room. Her DVD-ROM drive worked fine for commercial pressed DVDs but would not play any DVD-Rs that I burned (it spit most of them out). When I first started burning and was climbing the learning curve, I used a wide array of media from Memorex to Maxell. None of them played on her DVD-ROM and I took it as an old-age factor. I also had an older Panasonic RV22 player that was not friendly to any DVD-Rs burned faster than 1X (replaced it with a Sony that plays everything).

I bought my first spindle of 4X Taiyo-Yuden after reading about them here and at www.digitalfaq.com/ (http://www.digitalfaq.com/). The very first T-Y disk I burned at full speed (4X) played on her DVD-ROM perfectly and also on the RV22-- haven't burned one yet she couldn't play. I haven't bought a different brand since.

Hoops, here's some Playboy DL discs for ya at $1 each.

http://www.meritline.com/playo-dl-dvd-plus-r-dual-layer-blank-media.html

Hoops, here's some Playboy DL discs for ya at $1 each.
Someone get these and let us know what the media code is!

Hoops, here's some Playboy DL discs for ya at $1 each.

http://www.meritline.com/playo-dl-dvd-plus-r-dual-layer-blank-media.html

Oh that's nice since most i've seen at $2+ per! I will bookmark them when i get my next recorder which should presumably be able to record DL.

Grah! Preview of Staples ad for tomorrow means I won't be stepping in those doors this week. Yeah, you guessed it. All Crap-Or-X media specials. I won't even mention the prices, since anything more than free is a rip-off. Actually, even free is a rip, since the cost of the gas to get there is more than they're worth. C'mon Staples, get with the program. Anyone else notice that they seem to be skipping every other week for ads?

Grah! Preview of Staples ad for tomorrow means I won't be stepping in those doors this week. Yeah, you guessed it. All Crap-Or-X media specials. I won't even mention the prices, since anything more than free is a rip-off. Actually, even free is a rip, since the cost of the gas to get there is more than they're worth. C'mon Staples, get with the program. Anyone else notice that they seem to be skipping every other week for ads?

LOL! Maybe Memorex is paying them to post those ads exclusively. It was indeed gross! All their media ads, even jewel cases were Moronex :-)

Staples even skipped the memorial day weekend. That was rather strange...

But there is hope, starting Sunday June 4:
* 50pk 16x Verbatim $15 @ office max
* 25pk 16x Verbatim $8 @ office max
* 25pk Maxell $15.20 @ office depot
* 15pk Maxell DVD+RW or DVD-RW $10 @ office depot
* Office Depot ad says 60% on ALL Maxell media (prices above include the discount)
* 100pk Sony $30 @ Best Buy
* 20pk Verbatim +DL $40 @ Best Buy ($2 per)
* 25pk Philips $8 @ Circuit Citi
* 25pk 16x Philips $8 @ Radio Shaq
* 25pk Sony $10 @ Walgreens
* Buy 2 Get 1 Free 10pk Fuji DVD-R @ Ritz, along with $9 mail-in-rebate (69c per)

"Moronex"...I love it! :)

$.069 per disc....youch! And after rebate no less! :o

Seems like $0.30 is pretty standard for the ads now. We've been holding at that price for quite a while.

"Moronex"...I love it! :)

$.069 per disc....youch! And after rebate no less! :o

Seems like $0.30 is pretty standard for the ads now. We've been holding at that price for quite a while.

Yeah 30c seems to be everywhere, even the supermediastore has a 30c per offer for TY mentioned in an earlier post.

I hope the prices of blank BluRay/HD-DVD dont cause blank DVDs to go up since they are so cheap comparatively :)

I hope the prices of blank BluRay/HD-DVD dont cause blank DVDs to go up since they are so cheap comparatively :)

That usually isn't the route taken. Typically whenever newer technology comes out, the older stuff gets cheaper yet.

Look at USB ThumbDrives for computers, when they first started your best bet for an inexpensive one would be the 128mb size. The 1gb...if you could find it...was costly. Now that there is 2gb, 4gb, and up, the 1gb size is pretty commonly found for under $70.00 (which was what the 128mb would have cost when 1gb was the biggest capacity).

So now that we can put 4.7gb on a DVD (instead of 700mb on a CD) CD's got really cheap (I have seen 100-pks for around $16.00).

Same thing with Blu-ray and HD DVD, now that you will be able to put 25gb on one disc, the 4.7gb DVD's should drop pretty soon.

... the 1gb size is pretty commonly found for under $70.00
Yup- I just paid $35 for a 1GB USB thumb to replace the 256MB that used to hang off my keychain (which cost more just 2 years ago).

Agreed on the thumb drives and such, but I think we're going to see 4.7GB DVDs bottom out at around a quarter per disc for the next 3-5 years (excluding Payboys and other special buys). I expect CDs to stay around a dime each as well. In order for these discs to fall in price, we are going to need massive sales of BR/HD-DVD sales and coversion of car CD players to DVD formats. Until this happens, there is still a demand for both these formats, thus justifying the price barrier. With thumb drives, there's no need to purchase an entirely new player, it's simply an upgrade in size with the customer using the same technology.

All this is fine, since paying $0.25 per show or $0.10 for an album isn't that much anyway (as long as they're not MoronEx discs). Still, I look for special sales on discs to give to cheap-ass friends too tight to buy their own recorder, yet have no qualms asking me to burn things for them constantly. 25-30 cents isn't much per disc, but give away 20 discs per week, and you end up spending $260-$312 per year on recordings for other people. (Which, ironically, is just about the cost of a recorder. :))

If anything, I'm hoping the Hi-Density disks will drive down the price of DL. I'm still having reservations though. If there was that great a need for higher capacity recording media, I would have thought it to be reflected in the adoption of DL.

People who fear credit cards are irrational. I used to have the same kind of fear long ago, then I realized credit cards are *better* than cash.

(1) more convenient. (far fewer trips to the ATM)
(2) safer -- because of the laws that have been passed, you're out what, at MOST $50 if used fradulently, and usually not even that.
(3) CHEAPER than cash. I get 5% back on gas and groceries, 1% back on everything else. (With my old card, I've gotten a free PS2 and several free games.)

It is automatically paid off every month, so I pay no interest nor monthly fees.
So they're *paying* me for a way that would be better for me even without the monetary benefit.

You sound like me.

One of my cards gives me back 5% on all purchases at pharmacies as well as gas stations and supermarkets, 1% everywhere else. I only use it at the 5% places. Another is 3% on gas, 1% elsewhere and I only use it 'elsewhere' right now, but shall use it for gas if I ever get close to the maximum rebate per year on the 5% card. Then there's my Amazon.com card I only use there and for other online purchases: 3% back from Amazon, 1% other places via an Amazon gift certificate every $25. earned in rebates.

Let me add #4 reason to use a credit card:

4. Double the manufacturer's warranty up to a year. This saves having to buy an extended warranty.

BTW, there was an article in the WSJ within the past week or so. Credit card companies absolutely *hate* people like us. _We_ make money instead of them.

Good to hear of some credit card success stories. Unfortunately, people that can actually make money off using them account for less than 1%, and people that have no balances over 30 days is less than 3%. For what it's worth, I don't fear ccs at all, it's that I got used to carrying a few grand all the time back when I bought and sold cars. Stop, offer someone cash and the price goes down immediately. Most regular people dont' have a credit card machine in their home. ;) Anyway, enough of that.

Kelson, glad you brought up DLs. I forgot about those. Hopefully, we can see them get to around 75 cents each on a regular basis in the next 12-18 months. I figure 3X cost of 4.7 discs for 2X disc space will be acceptable as the growth of DL recorders grows. Maybe we'll even see a Playboy DL sale or two. :)

Free Ground Shipping on Taiyo Yuden 8x in cakebox (a shipping container unto itself) at supermediastore:

http://www.supermediastore.com/taiyo-yuden-silver-thermal-8x-dvd-r-media.html

Here is what initially sold me on T-Y. My daughter has a 3.5 yr old Dell with a stock DVD-ROM reader and she likes to play DVDs on her PC when she hibernates in her room. Her DVD-ROM drive worked fine for commercial pressed DVDs but would not play any DVD-Rs that I burned (it spit most of them out). When I first started burning and was climbing the learning curve, I used a wide array of media from Memorex to Maxell. None of them played on her DVD-ROM and I took it as an old-age factor. I also had an older Panasonic RV22 player that was not friendly to any DVD-Rs burned faster than 1X (replaced it with a Sony that plays everything).

I bought my first spindle of 4X Taiyo-Yuden after reading about them here and at www.digitalfaq.com/ (http://www.digitalfaq.com/). The very first T-Y disk I burned at full speed (4X) played on her DVD-ROM perfectly and also on the RV22-- haven't burned one yet she couldn't play. I haven't bought a different brand since.

Out of curiosity, Kelson, did you ever try Sony DVD-Rs on your daughter's PC? This is my prefered brand of DVD-R/-RW although I did pick up two 50-pack spindles of Playo for $2.50ish each (maybe cheaper??) as I recall after rebate during Staples Black Friday early bird specials sale. With zero knowledge about the quality of the Playos, I used these to make copies of things for friends and relatives who want things but are unwilling to buy a machine for themselves.

I have never, knock on wood, had a problem with the Sonys and I was pleasantly surprised the Playo DVD-Rs burned and played flawlessly on the various machines of their now owners. That said, I continue to use the Sonys on hand for my own burning, but am interested in trying the Taiyo Yuden when my current supply runs out. Like you, I have read about them here although my 100% success rate with Sony has not peeked my interest enough to consider picking up some until now--although I still have about 150 DVD-R Sonys to go.

Not Kelson here, but fwiw:

I also have had great success with Sony media - 16x, Made In Japan. The MIJ's are the only Sonys I've bought, and I buy them ONLY when Staples has them on sale. I have not bought Sony Made In Taiwan (which BestBuy had on a cheap-100 pack sale this week; but no thanks.)

I won't buy media anymore that's not MIJ.

I've had outstanding success with the Taiyo Yuden 8x cakebox-packaged from supermediastore (free shipping as I type... see link above.)

I never tried the less expensive TY 4x tapewrapped media, fearing a UPS driver in a Dale Jarrett driving suit might flip them around as if it were a gatorade bottle in victory lane, and render them useless before I take delivery!

YMMV.

Not Kelson here, but fwiw:

I also have had great success with Sony media - 16x, Made In Japan. The MIJ's are the only Sonys I've bought, and I buy them ONLY when Staples has them on sale. I have not bought Sony Made In Taiwan (which BestBuy had on a cheap-100 pack sale this week; but no thanks.)

I won't buy media anymore that's not MIJ...

Staples is the only place I buy them, too. I'd say it's about 50:50 when they are on sale at Staples:when on sale (50-pack) at Best Buy and I take in the BB flier for a price match + 10% of the difference.

Let's see... Price match + additional 10% of the difference + 1% rebate on my credit card + Staples rewards points.

Out of curiosity, Kelson, did you ever try Sony DVD-Rs on your daughter's PC? This is my prefered brand of DVD-R/-RW although I did pick up two 50-pack spindles of Playo for $2.50ish each (maybe cheaper??) as I recall after rebate during Staples Black Friday early bird specials sale. With zero knowledge about the quality of the Playos, I used these to make copies of things for friends and relatives who want things but are unwilling to buy a machine for themselves.

I have never, knock on wood, had a problem with the Sonys and I was pleasantly surprised the Playo DVD-Rs burned and played flawlessly on the various machines of their now owners. That said, I continue to use the Sonys on hand for my own burning, but am interested in trying the Taiyo Yuden when my current supply runs out. Like you, I have read about them here although my 100% success rate with Sony has not peeked my interest enough to consider picking up some until now--although I still have about 150 DVD-R Sonys to go.No, I never used Sony. Recently, Sony media (-R/RW, MIJ and taiwan) has climbed back into the tier 1 rating at digitalfaq.com (so has TDK). I am not surprised you are having success with them.

Once I found T-Y, I stopped there. Since I buy T-Y disks in bulk for prices that are at least as good as the Sunday sales, I'm not likely to change ship.

I never tried the less expensive TY 4x tapewrapped media, fearing a UPS driver in a Dale Jarrett driving suit might flip them around as if it were a gatorade bottle in victory lane, and render them useless before I take delivery!

YMMV.It's not the tape wrap that is the issue (never had a problem). The 4X "value line" are seconds. Disks from 8X & 16X production that aren't good enough. From supermediastore"

"Value Line” DVDs are made by Taiyo Yuden but don’t meet their high standards for premium DVDs. Then the manufacturer sells them as “Value Line”

You may receive DVDs with "TYG01", “TYG02” or “TYG03” codes. I can't see going to the trouble of buying T-Y and then settling for seconds to save a few dollars. Doesn't make sense to me.

Aren't there stand-alone recorders that can't handle anything over 4X or 8X speed out there though?

No, I never used Sony. Recently, Sony media (-R/RW, MIJ and taiwan) has climbed back into the tier 1 rating at digitalfaq.com (so has TDK). I am not surprised you are having success with them.

Once I found T-Y, I stopped there. Since I buy T-Y disks in bulk for prices that are at least as good as the Sunday sales, I'm not likely to change ship.

Oh, I wasn't expecting you to change. I was merely curious whether Sony, during your DVD testing phase, was a problem, too.

Sony has been in the digitalfaq.com top group for a over a year now. The main reason I intend to buy T-Y is so backup copies of audio DVDs I shall be making in a few months for a project [old time radio, not music] are visually backup--easier to keep track of things if different but equal/close to equal brands are used. I shall be letting other people in the group decide which brand will be desginated for 'original' and 'backup,' Sony or T-Y.

OTR!!! - hello fellow fan!

highly recommend X-Minus One ;-).

That usually isn't the route taken. Typically whenever newer technology comes out, the older stuff gets cheaper yet.

Look at USB ThumbDrives for computers, when they first started your best bet for an inexpensive one would be the 128mb size. The 1gb...if you could find it...was costly. Now that there is 2gb, 4gb, and up, the 1gb size is pretty commonly found for under $70.00 (which was what the 128mb would have cost when 1gb was the biggest capacity).

So now that we can put 4.7gb on a DVD (instead of 700mb on a CD) CD's got really cheap (I have seen 100-pks for around $16.00).

Same thing with Blu-ray and HD DVD, now that you will be able to put 25gb on one disc, the 4.7gb DVD's should drop pretty soon.

In general high tech theory yes, but in this case:

In the old days, when blank DVDs were selling at full price, you could find CDs free or almost free after rebates. Ever since blank DVDs became affordable the (almost) free blank CDs are not that common. Granted blank CD prices are low, but the specials seem to focus more on DVDs.

There has to be some minimum cost to make the disks and nothing pushes the price down like high volumes. CD-R sales must be way off because good quality CD-R are not cheap at all.

A quick lookup in pricegrabber.com shows the following: For 100 disk spindles of 700MB CD-R, T-Y = $0.30 each; Maxell = $0.32 each; Verbatim = $0.20 each (the cheapest CD-R).

Right now, one can get T-Y 8X DVD-R premium line for $0.32 each in lots of 100. So good CD-R are as expensive as good DVD-R.

Starting Sunday June 11:

* 50pk Maxell $15
* 25pk HP Lightscribe $15

Also 100pk Staples-brand slim jewel cases $15

Their flyer seems to be obsessed with folding tables and chairs :-)

OFFICE DEPOT:

* 100pk Imation 16X - 24.99

COMPUSA

* 100pk Sony - 29.99

(Maybe these are MIJs)

BEST BUY

* 30pk Verbatim Lightscribe - 24.99
* 50pk Verbatim - 14.99

CIRCUIT CITY

* 25pk TDK - 6.99

Meritline has a 100-pk of DVD Pro DVD-R discs for $22.99.

http://www.meritline.com/dvdpro-4x-dvd-r-dvdr-blank-media-discs-disc-bulk.html

By the looks of the people on that site who reviewed them, they seem to be pretty good quality for the cheaper end blank discs.

Like a friend of mine said: "Buy cheap blanks and good ones, when a friend asks for something, use the cheap ones, when you do it for yourself, use the good ones".

For $22.99 it might be worth it to grab a 100-pk if you have any mooching friends.

I buy media at whichever of the following has the best price (good quality or "friend" quality):

http://www.rima.com
http://www.supermediastore.com
http://www.meritline.com

Sometimes I will go here: http://www.dvd-rwmedia.com/ just to look around and see what they have, but I usually don't buy from them.

Re: Staples – Don’t forget to bring in your used printer cartridges to get $3 Off Coupons for each one you recycle. Each coupon is good for any item including DVD’s.

Some of you people must print an awful lot! (I print very rarely, maybe a page a week _on average_, probably less.)

Children in school -- the fastest way to burn up ink cartridges short of printing photos.

What a crappy week for ads. Hardly anything worth mentioning. Amazingly, Blem-X is on sale! :rolleyes:

I'm done buying DVDs ;-).

bought 410 DVD's for 60 bucks - varified they were good with the first buy using a movie taped on dashboard in full summer sun for nearly a month. lasted nearly 2-weeks (other brands lasted less).

so bought 400 of em for 15-cents each...............should last me the next 5 or 10 yrs. ;-).

And you won't tell us the brand?

Office Depot has DVD-RWs.. $7.something for a 25 pack.
I forget if they were OD brand, the picture looked different from usual.. so hopefully they *are* 2X.

(broken record -- I've got a ZILLION DVD-RWs, I oughta start watching some of the stuff I put on them and/or burn some to DVD-R.. But at this price, if they are 2x ones, I might just _have_ to pick up 2 packs..)

Office Depot has Sony 16X DVD-/+R 50 pack on sale today through Saturday (6/24) for $14.99. Don't know if made in Japan.

Ken

Verbatim +R 8X 100pk Spindle @ buy.com, under Deal of the Day: $24.49 + free shipping

Don't know what MID this is; they say Verbatim part# is 94968 but I'm not sure what that translates to.

And you won't tell us the brand?

Well, I guess he ain't!

Verbatim +R 8X 100pk Spindle @ buy.com, under Deal of the Day: $24.49 + free shipping

Don't know what MID this is; they say Verbatim part# is 94968 but I'm not sure what that translates to.

Or you could get the -R version for $21.99 after a $15.00 rebate. So I think you have to pay $36.99 to get it to your door. Still qualifies for Free S&H though.

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10375401&loc=14982

PS: If the Media ID is the same as the Verbatims I bought at Office Depot once (identicle to the picture that Buy.com displays) then its: MCC 03RG20

Or you could get the -R version for $21.99 after a $15.00 rebate. So I think you have to pay $36.99 to get it to your door. Still qualifies for Free S&H though.

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10375401&loc=14982

PS: If the Media ID is the same as the Verbatims I bought at Office Depot once (identicle to the picture that Buy.com displays) then its: MCC 03RG20
That's the 16x -R MID; if the +Rs are MCC and not Ritek or CMC MAG, that'll be good. Thanks for the rebate tip on the -Rs, I wasn't aware of it.

Incidentally, Verbatim part# 94968 seems to be the good stuff since the sale price at the usual online places is $40+.

Taiyo Yuden 8x in cakebox with free ground shipping...

http://www.supermediastore.com/taiyo-yuden-silver-thermal-8x-dvd-r-media.html

Check out Meritline.com's Clearance, 3 Day only Sale:

http://www.meritline.com/media-clearance-sale.html

Well, I guess he ain't!

LOL! :D

What the hell are GreatAZO discs? :confused:

LOL! :D

What the hell are GreatAZO discs? :confused:

LOL, is right!! Actually AZO is a name for the recording dye that is used in blank DVD's (supposed to be good quality). So a company decided to name their brand of DVD "GreatAZO".

Verbatim reportedly use "Super" AZO dye in their blanks.

Taiyo Yuden 8x in cakebox with free ground shipping...

http://www.supermediastore.com/taiyo-yuden-silver-thermal-8x-dvd-r-media.htmlLooks like the price has gone up a few dollars since the last time I checked.

Not very encouraging comments on videohelp (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia.php?selectmedia=1925#comments) on the GreatAZOs.

Maybe they should be called "GreatAzHos" for subliminally lying about the quality of their discs.

Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD-R Media 200 Pack in Cake Box with 200 Pack Paper Sleeves (Premium Line) - Free Ground Shipping $63.99 Expires 6/29/2006 Coupon Code super5off50

http://www.supermediastore.com/taiyo-yuden-8x-dvd-r-silver-paper-sleeves-combo-200-pack.html

Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD-R Media 200 Pack in Cake Box with 200 Pack Paper Sleeves (Premium Line) - Free Ground Shipping $63.99 Expires 6/29/2006 Coupon Code super5off50

http://www.supermediastore.com/taiyo-yuden-8x-dvd-r-silver-paper-sleeves-combo-200-pack.html

Hey I took a look at your link, they are TYG02's to boot. At that price it's like 16 cents for each Blank DVD and Paper Sleeve (63.99 divided by 400 = .1599)

Or 32 cents (.3199) if it was that price for JUST the DVD's.

Hey I took a look at your link, they are TYG02's to boot. At that price it's like 16 cents for each Blank DVD and Paper Sleeve (63.99 divided by 400 = .1599)

Or 32 cents (.3199) if it was that price for JUST the DVD's.

Hehe, however you want to do the math, it's a good price, imo. Expires 6/29; use the coupon.

Here is what seems to be the best deal on DVD+R DL discs:

http://www.meritline.com/playo-dl-dvd-plus-r-dual-layer-blank-media.html

They are PlayO brand and a 50-pk will run you $49.99. The people who have bought them before, rate them very well. (Scroll to the bottom of the link I gave).

I just wish someone would post the Media ID of the PlayO brand.

I just wish someone would post the Media ID of the PlayO brand.
You wanted the ID of the DL discs and not the -Rs, didn't you?

You wanted the ID of the DL discs and not the -Rs, didn't you?

Yes, I would like the Media ID of the PlayO DVD+R DL discs. But if you happen to have any PlayO Media ID's, please let us all know.

I don't know how different they would be +R DL vs -R with Media ID's, but my original concern, despite now wanting any PlayO ID, is for the +R DL.

Thanks,
suplex

Fry's seems to be doing $1.5 dual layer +Rs almost all the time now.

(wow, remember when getting under $1/DVD-R was SUCH a big deal??)

Fry's seems to be doing $1.5 dual layer +Rs almost all the time now.

(wow, remember when getting under $1/DVD-R was SUCH a big deal??)

Yes, I really do remember that. My first ever 100-pk of DVD-R's was Princo brand (not even one of the better brands) that I bought from Rima.com because the price was the cheapest I had been able to find.

They were $60.00!

Today, that SAME 100-pk is now $26.00

Found here: http://www.rima.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=R&Product_Code=1685-100&Category_Code=4X

I imagine when Blu-ray discs become more widely available, blank DVD's will go down even further yet.

I just found something out about PlayO blank DVD's over at "CDFreaks", here is the link:

http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=156935

It seems that the DVD-R's have a Media ID of: UME01
Where the DVD+R's have a Media ID of: AML002

The bad news is that according to this site:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

They are BOTH pretty poor in quality. They have a 1st to 4th class rating at the link above, and in the fourth class (worst class) they have 14 different sections rating all the brands that are in fourth class (the further down you go the worse the quality).

The PlayO DVD+R (ID: AML002) rank at #6 of 14
The PlayO DVD-R (ID: UME01) rank at #13 of 14 (meaning only one Media ID is worse of all ID's).

Now in the interest of fairness that was not the information about the PlayO DVD+R DL discs that I found at Meritline.com for $49.99 per 50-pk.

But I don't imagine the +R DL's could possibly be much better.

The PlayO DVD-R (ID: UME01) rank at #13 of 14 (meaning only one Media ID is worse of all ID's).

Weird. I've done about 120 burns with PlayBoys so far and not a single coaster yet. :confused:

I don't care what the Id says on these, I'd still take them over MemBlurex any day. :D

I will say that I use the P-Os for unimportant and watch-once DVDs only so far. They're like disposable DVDs to me at 4 cents each.

Fry's seems to be doing $1.50 dual layer +Rs almost all the time now.
Junky RITEK D01, though. You've got a MicroCenter up there in the Bay Area, they tend to have Verbatim +R/DL (the much-better quality MKM001) at 10 for $20, and Best Buys (everywhere) nearly "always" have the 20 for $40.

Weird. I've done about 120 burns with PlayBoys so far and not a single coaster yet. :confused:

I don't care what the Id says on these, I'd still take them over MemBlurex any day. :D

I will say that I use the P-Os for unimportant and watch-once DVDs only so far. They're like disposable DVDs to me at 4 cents each.

Hey spyder:

That one link I give (where you can go and see what Media ID is ranked in what class) even says something to the effect that you can have situations where media that is supposedly poor will work out ok for you. I remember when CMC media was considered the worst (now it's actually improving) and they said something like: "You might get a pack of CMC discs that work just fine".

So I guess, based on your success with PlayO (PlayBoy...lol) you have probably gotten your hands on either a good batch, or been in the higher end of the 0 - 50% success rate.

Another thing too is based on your useage of them I might try them out myself (just because I can get a 50-pk for $49.99). And like I said before I don't know the Media ID of the +R DL discs, just the +R and -R single layered.

What I have heard though about Memorex is nothing but bad no matter who talks about it. This strikes me as odd though because of their cassette tape quality, remember their slogan: "Is it live, or is it Memorex?". Why isn't that same quality in their CD/DVD media?

I do all my DVD-R burning on my PC burners and burn at no greater than 4X regardless of media speed. Back in the days when I was using different low-end brands like Memorex and Ritek, I recall almost never seeing a disk that did not burn and verify successfully. The problems with low-end media always arose with playback in different DVD-players and got progressively worse as the recording aged. Many of them are not playable any more after 1.5 yr.

So that is the caution I would offer. Low-end media (which is often not really "cheap" in price compared to tier 1 media) is exactly as Spyder has characterized it -- throw-away disks.

I have next weeks Best Buy ad:

Sony 50 PK DVD+/-R for 14.99. I saw some MIJ +Rs there the other day, probably not TY. And Walmart has -R MIJ TYs with the octagonal spacer, may be good for a price match.

My old Toshiba DVD player. It won't play any DVDR I have tried, burned by me and others. No +Rs had booktype however. Yesterday I got Memorex +Rs that were burned by someone and it worked, and they are not booktyped either. The first ones to work....strange.

All the MIJ +R Sonys (in spindles of 50) I've gotten from BB have been TY.

FutureShop (Canada) has Fujifilm DVD+/-R media on sale this week. 100-pack for $29.99, 16x with Lifetime warranty. Does anyone have any opinions - good / bad on these? Thanks...

I happened to have a CD-R by FujiFilm lying around and I checked the Media ID and it says: "Taiyo Yuden Company Limited".

So if the same holds true with FujiFilm DVD's, I would tend to think they would be just fine.

I think with name brands like Sony, TDK, Maxell (not the dreaded Memorex) etc..., FujiFilm are up there with the good ones.

Fuji DVDs are all over the place. I have some that are T-Y, and some that are Prodisc F01

Prodisc F01 is another good Media ID. I have had Prodisc brand DVD's that were MCC, and others that were Prodisc F01.

So I guess if any given Fuji is either TYG01 (or any other Taiyo Yuden ID) or Prodisc***, it's a safe bet they are ok.

All the MIJ +R Sonys (in spindles of 50) I've gotten from BB have been TY.

What spacer did the +Rs have on the top? The -Rs has the white octagonal one. Some think the spacer dictates who made the DVDs.

About Fujis, mine are Riteks. Fuji TYs haven't been around for a long time. You should probably avoid them.

Well I don't even know why I am posting this...out of disbelief maybe.

But Meritline.com has a deal on Ten Thousand ProDisc brand DVD-R's.

"10,000 Pack ProDisc 8X DVD-R Blank Media Silver Clear Coat Top 4.7GB DVDR Discs, FREE STANDARD SHIPPING"

The price is $2,799.99, but hey...at least there is Free S&H!!

Here is the link:
http://www.meritline.com/prodisc-8x-dvd-r-media-shiny2.html

On a lighter note...and on that same link...there is a 100-pk with a $7.00 instant savings for $19.99. The Media ID for that, and the Grand-Daddy 10-G pack, is: Prodisc F01.

... (not the dreaded Memorex) ...

There is no one on Earth that would agree more. Welcome to the LameOrex Hater's Club. Assimilation is happening already. Resistance is futile! :D

All the MIJ +R Sonys (in spindles of 50) I've gotten from BB have been TY.

I got a MIJ +R today for 14.99 and they have a Sony ID.

I got a MIJ +R today for 14.99 and they have a Sony ID.

Ok, I can't believe I have to ask this, but I have seen it about three times now and I simply don't know what it means.

What does M I J stand for?

Ok, I can't believe I have to ask this, but I have seen it about three times now and I simply don't know what it means.

What does M I J stand for?Made In Japan

Fuji TYs haven't been around for a long time.
Nah, the Tri-Color 30pks ($10 at Frys), if you get MIJ, are T-Y. I've just bought a couple of sets this year (but they are harder to find).

...(but they are harder to find).

Sad. Just plain sad. :(

Yet, you can walk into any store anywhere and find MemOrSux. :confused:

There is no one on Earth that would agree more. Welcome to the LameOrex Hater's Club. Assimilation is happening already. Resistance is futile! :D
Spyder, YOUR resistance is futile!

They are EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME, because Memorex is one of the "4400" and has been sent back to earth to procreate and eventually become the sole focus of our every waking thought...you are the only first to be Memorexed, Kelson is next!