LOL! That's how I feel sometimes. Or that the CrapOrEx are built on the same design as the T-3000 Terminator. No matter how many I destroyed, they would just melt down and reform into new discs. ;)

I went to Staples today and they had TDK multi-colored cases that held 10 discs each for $15. I'd never seen those before. You get 20 cases, so they hold a total of 200 discs (albeit 10 per case).

You'll never guess what brand of discs were "on sale". :rolleyes:

I just picked up some Sony MIJ at Staples. The media codes for the 1-16x -R's is [DVD-R:TYG03] and for the 1-8x +R's is [DVD+R:YUDEN000-T02-000]

You can now use up to 3 of the $3 ink coupons at a time, so with the price match from Best Buy (14.99) + the staples additional 10% match (2.50) the cost is $12.50/50. If you then use 3 coupons or bring in 3 ink cartridges, the cost is $3.50/50

Doesn't 10% of $14.99 work out to $1.50, not $2.50? Or did I miss something? Even $4.50 is great.

If anyone is interested in trying out some +R DL discs, you can get a 20-pk at Meritline.com for $23.99 with FREE S&H.

"20 Pack PlayO DL DVD+R 2.4X 8.5GB Double Layer (PDLPR2410C) in Cake Box, Free Standard Shipping".

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

I just discovered something else at Meritline.com. They have a 100-pk of "Meritline" brand (something that usually triggers a "stay away" sign [generic/store brands]) DVD's on sale for $39.99, now I know the price can be beat, but here is the odd part...They list the Media ID as: MCC 02RG20.

That ID usually goes hand-in-hand with top brands like Verbatim as it is one of the best Media ID's out there.

Here is the info:

100 Pack Meritline 8X DVD-R Media Silver Shiny Blank DVDR Disc, $0.40 Each, FREE STANDARD SHIPPING

Here is the link:

http://www.meritline.com/8x-dvd-r-media-mcc-meritline.html

PS: In referring to SAH's post (about the deal he found at Staples), TYG03, and YUDEN are both very good Media ID's as well.

Doesn't 10% of $14.99 work out to $1.50, not $2.50? Or did I miss something? Even $4.50 is great.

Sorry, I forgot to explain that the extra 10% discount is on the difference between their normal price and the other ad. So in this case it was an additional $2.50 (the normal Staples price for these is R$40 and the BB sale price was $15). The Staples price match policy is one of the best and my local Staples is always very good about matching anything.

AMLs based CDrs (Matrix) are the best ones I've got!!

And I placed many brands on my dashboard in the sun until failure.

AML - Advanced Media Limited - out of Taiwan lasted the longest. they also burn a full 4.4 gigs without failure.

you can give links to so called expert DVD sites all day long, but I suspect they are not all that helpful in the real world (just my feeling on the matter - esp. DVD media).

Office Depot 16x, should still be RitekF1
100 for $20

Take care,
Mike

Another week, another incredibly weak Staples ad. No smokin' hot deals on media, but Office Depot had some really cheap monitors (with the obligitory rebates, of course.)

OfficeMax has 10 pack Verbatim DL's for 19.99

OfficeMax has 10 pack Verbatim DL's for 19.99I assume those are the +R's then by that price.

I've yet to see a -R in stores.

Any deals on -RAMs anywhere?

Any deals on -RAMs anywhere?

Isn't it about time for another Best Buy 5-pack for $5 special on RAMs?

Isn't it about time for another Best Buy 5-pack for $5 special on RAMs?
Good news, spyder, Imation bought Memorex (http://www.memorex.com/html/newsroom_pr_show.php?PressID=135) and plans to capture the entire market for DVDs...Taiyo Yuden is next!

The sharply spiked walls are closing in!

Good news, spyder, Imation bought Memorex (http://www.memorex.com/html/newsroom_pr_show.php?PressID=135) and plans to capture the entire market for DVDs...Taiyo Yuden is next!

The sharply spiked walls are closing in!

What the hell? Something very fishy is going on there. If you're Crap-oreX, you don't report you make $420 million in one year, and then sell out for a measly $329 million. Then agian, we are talking about RemembertheAlamoX. And who on Earth bought $420 mill worth of junk??? :confused:

My favorite line from the article:

“Together, we revitalized one of the best known and highly regarded brands in America." :rolleyes:

Does this mean that BlemoreX will start making decent media, or that Imation is now making coasters??? :eek:

It could be worse, I suppose. If it were PhlemoreX buying out Imation...well, that would mean that the world was going to end in 7 days. ;)

Any deals on -RAMs anywhere?

The Panasonic website has a pack of 15 single sided 2-3x for $19.99 with free shipping

“Together, we revitalized one of the best known and highly regarded brands in America."

Ironically they are one of the best known brands in America, it's just that they left their quality control at the door with Audio Cassette tapes, and didn't use it for CD/DVD's too.

Does this mean that BlemoreX will start making decent media, or that Imation is now making coasters?

I would really hope that Memorex starts making quality media, it would be a total let down if Imation turned to junk. As a matter of fact I would like to see Memorex with a Media ID of "MCC" in the future.

It could be worse, I suppose. If it were PhlemoreX buying out Imation...well, that would mean that the world was going to end in 7 days.

I think my phone just rang, someone said: "Seven Days" and hung up. Does that mean I am in trouble?

What I find hard to believe is that buying Taiyo Yuden is supposed to be next, their media is great and I hope that adds to Imation's quality. Won't it be great if there is no more media with the name Memorex on it.

Well seeing as how this is a Media Deal thread, I might as well post the DVD+R DL 20-pack by Playo that Meritline.com has for on sale for $22.99 with Free S&H.

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

http://snipurl.com/tg0r

order with added shipping

Join Club...benefits...free shipping?

https://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vClubHomePage?storeId=15001

Club Panasonic members only! Buy now from Panasonic Direct for Club Members and get FREE shipping* on all direct purchases.

How to get it: Join Club Panasonic, log in, and go shopping in Panasonic Direct for Club Members.

Once you’ve added all the items you want to your shopping cart, just follow the normal checkout process. You will see a total Shipping Cost of $0.00. (Of course, if you choose shipping upgrades, these costs will be reflected in your total Shipping Cost.)

Please note: You may see different kinds of free shipping, depending on the product(s) you are purchasing. For example, a DVD Recorder will ship via UPS, while a large product like a Plasma TV ships by Home Standard Delivery. But regardless of the shipping method, the standard choice will always be free. For details about our shipping methods, click here.

There are plenty of other reasons to join Club Panasonic, like 10% off your first purchase and a members-only sweepstakes. So sign up today!

*Home Standard Delivery and UPS Ground Shipping are only available to addresses within the contiguous United States. UPS does not ship to PO, APO, or FPO boxes

I think my phone just rang, someone said: "Seven Days" and hung up. Does that mean I am in trouble?

What I find hard to believe is that buying Taiyo Yuden is supposed to be next, their media is great and I hope that adds to Imation's quality. Won't it be great if there is no more media with the name Memorex on it.
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When the phone rang, did the other person sound live, or was it Memorex? ;)

I think that wabjxo was just messing with me on the TY being bought. If there is no more Memorex, what cause can I take up next? (At least, one that's acceptable on AVS?) :confused:

Where in the article about Imation buying Memorex is there any mention of Taiyo Yuden. Was this just a joke? It sent shivers down my spine!

When the phone rang, did the other person sound live, or was it Memorex?

That was great!

I think that wabjxo was just messing with me on the TY being bought. If there is no more Memorex, what cause can I take up next? (At least, one that's acceptable on AVS?)

We'll just have to find the next poorest brand of media and rag on them.

Where in the article about Imation buying Memorex is there any mention of Taiyo Yuden. Was this just a joke? It sent shivers down my spine!

I am pretty sure it was just a joke, so no worries there. I am highly in favor of the Taiyo Yuden "Value" labeled 100-packs that claim to be 4x speed, yet my burner writes to them at 8x. They are either TYG01 or TYG02 depending on where you get them, but they work great.

By the way, Luke is my confirmation name.

:D Taiyo Yuden?...just messin' with the spyder! :D

spyder: not to worry...I think Memorex brand will apparently remain separate, at least for awhile!

The Panasonic website has a pack of 15 single sided 2-3x for $19.99 with free shipping

Canadians can order via phone.....866-375 1407.....BILL CANADA/SHIP USA.

I will try...don't know if I can get free ship though.....good deal regardless.

Nice to have an Amerifriend.

Canadians can order via phone.....866-375 1407.....BILL CANADA/SHIP USA.

I will try...don't know if I can get free ship though.....good deal regardless.

Nice to have an Amerifriend.

You may have to join "Club Panasonic" for the free shipping. It's free to join and you can get 10% off your first order plus the free shipping (at least for US)

In an ideal world, Imation actually should buy Phlemorex AND Taiyo Yuden, then start making Phlem brand media at the TY factory and with TY specs. Since Phlem is always, always, always "on sale" somewhere, we would all win. Imagine, Phlem going from worst to first...then people could come back and read all my posts 5 years from now and think, "What an idiot." (Oh, wait, that's already happening...) ;)

On another note, what's the deal with most DL discs being +R, but not -R? And is anyone ever going to try out those Playboy DL discs? I have an aversion to +R, so it can't be me. :)

Is anyone ever going to try out those Playboy DL discs? I have an aversion to +R, so it can't be me.

I just ordered them this morning (07/20/06). A 20-pk for $27.99 with Free S&H.

I'll let you know how they are when I get them.

I normally like -R discs too, but good luck finding -R DL's at a reasonable price. So if it has to be +R for DL, then so be it.

+R DLs are better anyway because of the ability to set the Booktype (the disc's media code). I have firmware in my burner that automatically sets all possible +R types to "DVD-ROM", so my "backups" have the best chance of being read in all players.

Isn't it about time for another Best Buy 5-pack for $5 special on RAMs?

I got a raincheck from BB last year on the Panny -RAM five packs. The raincheck was for quantity nine... I Have used the raincheck to buy (besides the original 10, plus) three x 9 packages! They keep handing me the raincheck back! The only problem I have is finding nine packages of panny DVD-RAMs!!

Maybe you should open up an e-Bay site!!! :D

Excellent deal on T-Ys at supermediastore:

Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD-R Media 25000 Pack in Cake Box Spindle with Free Ground Shipping
DVD01X0165-25K

I just wonder how many 25 thousand :eek: packs of disks they sell? It seems to me that with this, I should take rgazzara's advice and open an e-bay site/store. The price is thirty cents a piece. This is clearly not for hobbiests, unless they are very, VERY serious.

The 25,000 pack should be paired up with the DirectTV 10 DVR, All Channels, $7500/yr. deal. ;)

At an hour per DVD and working 8 hours a day without holidays it would take you 10 years to record enough material to fill that number of discs!

Sean,
Thanks for doing the math! I get tired of being the only AV dork willing to pull out the ol' TI once in a while. ;)

Well everyone, I finally received the 20-pk (2 qty 10-pks) of PlayO DVD+R DL discs that I bought from Meritline.com for $27.99.

I had posted something previously about single layered DVD's from PlayO where the Media ID's of those were at the bottom of the quality list (I didn't own those DVD's, just found the info online), so I was concerned about the Dual-Layered ones.

Well they arrived and I tested them out and the Media ID is:

RICOHJPND00

Which accoring to this site:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

That Media ID is the #1 ID of the Second Class Media (and the higer the rank, the better the quality) so it's almost considered First Class.

For the price, I will probably be buying all of my +R DL discs by PlayO.

Just wanted to let everyone know.

Thanks for the update, suplex!

In my own little experiment, the -R Playboys have been recognized, finalized, and played back just fine on the 9 different brands/models I've tried since buying them without one failure to date. I even took one and tried to scratch the label off with a fingernail...which I finally did, but with great effort (and a now nicely filed-down nail from the friction). Maybe I'll try the dashboard test next. :)

Thanks for the update, suplex! Maybe I'll try the dashboard test next.

No problem on the update, and I wish more people that try new brands of DVD Media would report the Media ID. I would like to know what the ID is of another brand I have seen called: "DVD Pro".

As far as the Dashboard test goes, the only problem with that is if the sun warps the plastic that the DVD is made from it won't play properly as it will wobble. I don't know though if the sun beating down on the disc will affect the Video quality or not. It would be great to test it somehow where the sun hits it all day, but doesn't warp the plastic.

Good luck with your test though, and hey you could always use Memorex if the PlayO don't pass the test. Ha-Ha!!

Yeah, no dash test for a while in Utah, as we've had 90% of the days in July over 100 degrees. Even a good disc is gonna warp. A Memorsux disc is such s#!t, that the methane and other noxious gasses associated with dung would likely make my entire car explode. ;)

No problem on the update, and I wish more people that try new brands of DVD Media would report the Media ID. I would like to know what the ID is of another brand I have seen called: "DVD Pro".That would be nice, but even if it were so you should be cautious. A lot of the off brands, and even some of the "major" brands are known to switch their suppliers. Memorex has been accused of this (and my experience with their disks has been abyssmal). I've bought Maxell 8X DVD-R disks with media IDs of RITEKG05 and MXL RG05. At least with those I could tell from the package (the RITEKG05s are made in Taiwan and the others in Japan).

So bear in mind that if you buy a certain disks of a certain brand this month and some more disks of the same brand next month, there's no guarantee that you're going to get the same media ID.

I bought those Playo DLs three weeks ago - same place/price as referenced above.
My ILO (walmart labeled Lite-on) recorder/player only plays the first 1/2.

My Cyberhome300 (1/5th the price of ILO but better picture quality (Zoran chip) loves em.

Note the recorded movie will "freeze" for 10-20 seconds switching layers (on my Cyberhome). pre-recorded (pressed DL discs do not freeze on this player).

I have no interest in the dashboard test since these DL's are for "flaky" issues related to Fab and used only when needed. only got 20 of em.

Dashboard test was for the 15-20 cent single layer generic 100-200 batch orders. After good results with a 14-cent lot i ordered 410 and will never need to bother with it again ;-).

burner used was NEC's

I saw some +/- Playboys at Staples today on a sort of clearance table. 50 for $15. This might be bad news for those of us hoping for the second coming of the famous 50 discs for $2 deal they had a while back. :(

Yep, Same thing at my local Staples which had around 10 - 12 packs left on the end of an isle that had other Clearance Stuff all mixed together on it so it looks like the Playo deal might have been a one shot deal.

I bought 4 packs & had trouble with 2 packs & on the other 2 packs one had a lot of problems with freezing near the end of the disc but there were others that did freeze in the middle & etc so check yours out & don't think just because they Finalized that they are ok.

You have to watch them from the beginning to the end to find out but all of the ones I used anyway were for people who keep asking me for stuff in my collection. ;)

On the Panasonic site there are several deals for DVD-RAM media until 8/10/06 You may need to join the free Panasonic club to get the free shipping.

A 25 pack spindle of 2-3x single sided DV-RAM is $24.99 with free shipping (regular 29.99 but a $5 instant savings until 8/10/06) part # LM-AS120LU25

If you have recently bought a Panasonic unit, you can use the DVDMEDIA coupon code to get 20% off the following, plus free shipping:

LM-AE240LU3 3 pack 240GB double sided disks (14.99, with coupon 11.99)
LM-HC47V3 1 3 pack data DVD_RAM disks (2.99, with coupon 2.39) These can be used in the recorders, just need to be formatted first.

There are several other single/multiple pack options as well. These seemed to be the best buys.

LM-AE240LU3 3 pack 240GB double sided disks (14.99, with coupon 11.99)

WOW! That IS a deal. 240GB for $12! ;) :D

Staples GRAND OPENING North Haven, CT Store Only Saturday August 5th:

Playo 50 Pack DVDs $2.99 (Regular Price $14.50)

Staples Slim Jewel Cases 25 Pack $2.99 (Regular Price $8.98)

Also $10 Off any $25 Purchase, $20 Off any $50 Purchase & $30 off any $75 Purchase.

WOW! That IS a deal. 240GB for $12! ;) :D

Sorry - should have been 240 min (double sided DVD-RAM)

I don't know where else to ask this question...

I was going to buy some CD/DVD cases from Meritline, as they have been recommended here. The shipping charges, for 100 cases, costing $26 were $33! That is for ground shipping. I'm sure the package would weigh less than 10 lbs, and probably cost less than $10 to ship by UPS. Has anyone else experienced ridiculously high shipping rates from them? Does anyone know where they are located?

I get my CD/DVD cases at CompUSA.

I don't know where else to ask this question...

I was going to buy some CD/DVD cases from Meritline, as they have been recommended here. The shipping charges, for 100 cases, costing $26 were $33! That is for ground shipping. I'm sure the package would weigh less than 10 lbs, and probably cost less than $10 to ship by UPS. Has anyone else experienced ridiculously high shipping rates from them? Does anyone know where they are located?

Yep. I had some Clear CD/DVD Jewel Cases in the cart and ready to go - then I saw their egregious shipping charges :eek: and dumped the cart and will never bother trying to shop there again. :mad:

I get mine from supermediastore.com

I was going to buy some CD/DVD cases from Meritline, as they have been recommended here. The shipping charges, for 100 cases, costing $26 were $33! That is for ground shipping. I'm sure the package would weigh less than 10 lbs, and probably cost less than $10 to ship by UPS. Has anyone else experienced ridiculously high shipping rates from them? Does anyone know where they are located?

Do you mean that after S&H the $26 order would be $33 making the S&H cost $7.00, or do you mean that the actual S&H was $33 making the whole order cost $59.00?

There had to be some kind of mistake on Meritline's end if they wanted to charge you $33 just to ship. Although their S&H can sometimes be high, I have never experienced anything like that.

I mean $33 for shipping alone, ground. I like poly cases, standard thickness, so you can see a label on the edge. Couldn't find them for a reasonable price at Supermedia store. I did find them later, on rima, for a good price, but haven't checked their shipping costs yet. I did a quick check on CompUsa, but could only find jewel cases. The one thing I want that only Meritline seems to have, are DVD cases to hold 6 DVDs, separately, not stacked. I tried to call Meritline today, but they didn't answer! I doubt that standard UPS charges on what I wanted to order would be more than $10, certainly not $33.40!

I'm not sure what cases you mean, but jewel cases (i.e. CD cases) show up in the various B&M stores all of the time. There was one this weekend for 100 for about $10 IIRC.

I'm not sure what cases you mean, but jewel cases (i.e. CD cases) show up in the various B&M stores all of the time. There was one this weekend for 100 for about $10 IIRC.


I don't like jewel cases, they are hard, fragile plastic, with weak hinges. Poly cases are made of more durable, flexible plastic. Standard DVD cases are poly, but I prefer the smaller CD sized poly cases, with clear sleeve. I found them, double cases, no less, for $16 per 100, shipping UPS $10.53, from Rima. I know I won't need the second hub very often, but at just $1 more per hundred, it seemed like a good idea. I still can't find the single case/6 hub DVD cases anywhere but Meritline, so I might just have to pay $13 to ship a $12.49 item. :rolleyes:

I don't know where else to ask this question...

I was going to buy some CD/DVD cases from Meritline, as they have been recommended here. The shipping charges, for 100 cases, costing $26 were $33! That is for ground shipping. I'm sure the package would weigh less than 10 lbs, and probably cost less than $10 to ship by UPS. Has anyone else experienced ridiculously high shipping rates from them? Does anyone know where they are located?
Yes, they are known for this , and I was almost bit once myself. You really need to keep an eye on this sort of thing. I was at a source once where I bought about $50.00 worth of -RAM disks, and there was like $300 for shipping. I stopped my internet purchase right there and called the company. The guy said he'd look into it and have it fixed by the next morning. So, the next morning I tried to make the purchase, but now it said that the item was out of stock and would no longer be carried by them. Weird but true.

Anyone try burning DVDs from a camcorder that has an secondary dubbed audio track? I'm doing this from a Panasonic camcorder (PV-GS150) where I had already overdubbed a secondary music track onto the tape. When I ran the firewire into the DVD burner, it only wanted to read the original audio, even when I had set the tape playback to play back the secondary dubbed audio. I next tried just using the RCA inputs but once again it only could pick up the original audio.

Anyone know any ways around this? I really like the audio dubbing on my camcorder but if I can't burn the alternate or mixed track from it, it limits the usefulness of the audio dubbing feature.

Hi Bob,

Your problem is that you did not over dub onto the original 12-bit audio tracks (1 & 2). You merely added two 12-bit audio tracks (3 & 4). You need to find a way to bring out tracks 3 & 4 with the video. Probably an NLE will accomplish tis task.

I still can't figure out what this has to do with media deals. ;)

Oops, I had two windows open and posted to the wrong thread.

Thanks Jeff! What's an NLE?

NLE = Non-Linear Editing

And to get back on topic: I haven't seen any deal announcements lately. Anyone seen good quality -Rs on sale at B&Ms?

Lots of "deals", but nothing spectacular. Seems we're stuck at the 25-30 cent mark right now for blank DVDs.

Through 9/2 -- office depot 25 pack DVD+R or DVD-R $7.99
I think their DVD-Rs are 4x now though.. (I think I remember seeing that since I happened to be near one Saturday and tried to get the previous deal of 25 packs of Maxell DVD-RW for $6.99.. they were out)

Buy.com has the Verbatim 16X DVD-R 100-pack spindle for $17.99 after rebate with free shipping. Price is only good for 24 hours (8/30/2006). I purchased one.

Although I have loads of TY for quality "keeper" burns, I figure Verbatims at $0.18 per disk will be good for the occasional "temporary" burn, especially for transfer of shows I recorded on my DVDR to my video iPod.

Got me some! The rebate is actually good until 9/30/2006.

Sold out already :(

ETA: They've put it back for $2 more...

FWIW (for what it's worth department) .. Pretty wild - I "snapped" a price on Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD-R Media White Inkjet Hub Printable 100 Pack in Tape Wrap (Premium Line) the other day at supermedia 42.99 today 39.99 ... same part # etc. (both with free shipping)

Same thing (I think) at Rima.com (Item No : 1760-100 Taiyo Yuden No : DVD-R47WPP100SK8 Capacity : 4.7 GB Speed : 8X Maximum White Inkjet Printable
Hub Printable: Yes Media ID : TYG02) Their price is $33.99 plus shipping of 10.59.
Based on what I've read here about customer service and packing/shipping I think I'll go with RIMA ..

I don't recall hearing of any issues with supermediastore customer service or shipping. I, for one, have never had a problem.

...Based on what I've read here about customer service and packing/shipping I think I'll go with RIMA ..
I just received my first purchase from SuperMediaStore.com, a 50 pack spindle of Taiyo Yuden DVD-R's. Shipped UPS from AZ to FL. Packaging was excellent. Strong box, plenty of "peanuts" and the only rattling heard was the discs in the spindle. Spindle was taped closed all around. I'll shop with them again! :)

I thought I found a couple people who were discussing preferred media and had gotten some Taiyo Yudens not in a spindle and loosely packed but maybe I just dreamed that. ;-) I just went back to try search for those comments and couldn't find them. They may have been old posts - anyway good to know Supermedia is doing a good job currently.
Bob R.

All 600 of my Taiyo Yuden DVDs (4x Value Line) have come in a 50-pack "bulk" packaging (tape wrapped). From SuperMediaStore and MeritLine. I'm about halfway through them and have had just one coaster. The tape wrapping is quite tight, they don't seem to rub against each other in transit.

I thought I found a couple people who were discussing preferred media and had gotten some Taiyo Yudens not in a spindle and loosely packed but maybe I just dreamed that. ;-) I just went back to try search for those comments and couldn't find them. They may have been old posts - anyway good to know Supermedia is doing a good job currently.
Bob R.


You're not dreaming. I am one of those (there were a few others) who had some problems with bad shipping from Supermedia (around 9 months ago I think). I had 2 orders in a row with damaged media because they packed too loosely and stuff banged around so much it cracked open a cake box (one order) and a wrapped spindle (diffferent order). I only lost a few discs, but the packing was atrocious. Have not had the problem with any other supplier of media and maybe Supermedia has improved. Don't know, don't shop there anymore.

I should also mention I'm on the East coast, so they had a ways to travel. I use Meritline or Rima now and no problems. YMMV, of course. Nothing against Supermedia per se, they have good prices and many people are very happy with them, but I was not.

I don't recall hearing of any issues with supermediastore customer service or shipping. I, for one, have never had a problem.Only one, in my case. Once I ordered and got on their mailing list I cannot get off. Every week or so I get a spam mail from them; I click the button to unsubscribe; the website tells me I have been unsubscribed. The following week I get another one and the cycle starts all over again.

The same thing happened to me when I tried to unsubscribe. Finally I replied to one of their e-mail ads and explained what was happening. It must have worked, because the e-mail ads stopped coming.

John

CompUSA had 100 discs for $15 on Friday's ad, but I didn't see a media code anywhere.

I too have posted in here about how poorly Supermediastore packages the discs they send... I stopped using them after 2 orders because of their inadaquate packaging.. I also have heard similar stories from others in this regard as well as many reports about poor customer service should you have a problem with something they sent.. I now buy my Taiyo Yuden discs from Rima.com.

wcpaeb

I too have posted in here about how poorly Supermediastore packages the discs they send... I stopped using them after 2 orders because of their inadaquate packaging.. I also have heard similar stories from others in this regard as well as many reports about poor customer service should you have a problem with something they sent.. I now buy my Taiyo Yuden discs from Rima.com.

wcpaeb

Rima is a great place (I've bought from them before) but you can also try Meritline.com. Anything I have bought from Meritline comes packed very well.

Hello AVS fans, I am back after almost 3 months!

Here are my two favorite Labor Day Deals:

* 30pk of TDK SNAP! $8 at Staples. These are three color-coded 10pks, stored in three super-sized plastic jewel cases each holding 10 of the same color. I have used 10 so far without any problems. Of course after you record on these you should probably not store them in their original case! Unit price: 26.5c Available in +R or -R

* $15 bundle at Office Depot gets you 75 DVD-R (or DVD+R) and 25 CD-R (!). Unit price 20c per DVD with the CD-Rs counting as freebies! (in-store only offer). I have had good success with the Office Depot -R and -RW which are my favorite -RW price when on sale (32c per)


*** PLAYO DEAL WATCH *** Staples has them on clearance for $15 per 50pk. This price is too high for them to sellout but I am betting they will eventually be put on real clearance - hopefully closer to $5 please :-) So keep an eye out for those!!!

Holy crap! I thought you'd croaked on us, hoops! Welcome back. :)

I've done my part to keep this thread alive...even if most of it has been by vilifying Memorex. ;)

Holy crap! I thought you'd croaked on us, hoops! Welcome back. :)

I've done my part to keep this thread alive...even if most of it has been by vilifying Memorex. ;)


LOL! Thanks Spyder!

I am trying to catchup with all the latest in the forum, looks like a full-day job :-) Hopefully the prices have fallen down on new recorders in the meantime :-)

I just saw a post about Memorex from June. A customer service rep of a DVD manufacturer suggested to a user to try the middle DVDs from a Memorex spindle because he thought the ones at the top and bottom were crap :-0) Sometimes you may have better luck writing to the see-thru plastic DVD-shaped thingy at the top/bottom of the splindle than the actual Memorex DVDs :P

LOL! True, true. Sometimes, if everything is going right in my life, I go out and buy some BlemorEx and make 20-50 unsuccessful burns in a row, just to even out my good fortune. ;)

Hey Spyder696969:

I recently bought an Epson Stylus Photo R340 Printer (because it prints on printable CD/DVD's). It came with a free Printable CD so you could test it out. The brand...Memorex!!!

I should send it back to Epson and ask them to send me back a real brand as a replacement. I wonder what they would say?

I love the printer by the way, it makes beautiful DVD's.

suplex

LOL. What a shock...a free Phlem-orX disc! How else can they get rid of them? ;)

Office Depot has another sale on DVD-RWs.. IIRC, it was the Maxell ones again, but this time it's 15 pack (rather than 25 pack) for $7.

If you want to test either DVD-R or DVD+R on your recorder without committing to a large splindle or cakebox of one type or brand, there is a cheap solution:

For $2 you can get a 3pk of color Maxell DVD-R or DVD+R at Walgreens. They may have them in the back-to-school/office-supplies section instead of the DVD section. The price is high per DVD (67c per), but you only pay $2 total.

They also have a 30pk of color-coded paper sleeves for $2. Especially handy if you use color coded schemes in your media organization :-) Price is 6.7c per paper sleeve.

Office Depot has another sale on DVD-RWs.. IIRC, it was the Maxell ones again, but this time it's 15 pack (rather than 25 pack) for $7.

I love the ODP-branded DVD-RWs at 32c per! Almost the same price as DVD-R/+R from Verbatim/Sony/Maxell when on sale/price-matched! I haven't tried the Maxell DVD-RW though. I may give a spindle a try since they are on sale :)

Meanwhile at some Office Max stores they have the Khypermedia on clearance, $5 for a 25pk, and $10 for a 50pk, but selection and availability probably varies from store to store. I never used Khypermedia DVDs so i can't commend on quality.

Meanwhile, everyone with extra Memorex DVDs please send them to Spyder. He is trying to break a world record in Memorex write failures ;-)

If you want to test either DVD-R or DVD+R on your recorder without committing to a large splindle or cakebox of one type or brand, there is a cheap solution:

For $2 you can get a 3pk of color Maxell DVD-R or DVD+R at Walgreens. They may have them in the back-to-school/office-supplies section instead of the DVD section. The price is high per DVD (67c per), but you only pay $2 total.You have to be a little bit careful with this, because with some brands the discs that are in these individual packages are not the same as the ones in the cakeboxes. As an example, I've seen two types of 8X DVD-R Maxell discs - Made in Taiwan RITEKG05 and Made in Japan MXL RG03 disks. Sometimes looking carefully on the packaging can give you a clue (Made in Taiwan vs. Made in Japan), but it's no guarantee that the discs are identical.

I love the ODP-branded DVD-RWs at 32c per! Almost the same price as DVD-R/+R from Verbatim/Sony/Maxell when on sale/price-matched! I haven't tried the Maxell DVD-RW though. I may give a spindle a try since they are on sale :)

Meanwhile at some Office Max stores they have the Khypermedia on clearance, $5 for a 25pk, and $10 for a 50pk, but selection and availability probably varies from store to store. I never used Khypermedia DVDs so i can't commend on quality.

Meanwhile, everyone with extra Memorex DVDs please send them to Spyder. He is trying to break a world record in Memorex write failures ;-)What speed?

What speed?

I don't care what speed, kelson. All speeds of Memorex fail equally. ;)

All speeds of Memorex fail equally. ;)But don't they fail faster at a higher speed? ;)

They do, Sean. The Memorex that come in contact with me are the speediest ever...65mph out a window. :)

You have to be a little bit careful with this, because with some brands the discs that are in these individual packages are not the same as the ones in the cakeboxes. As an example, I've seen two types of 8X DVD-R Maxell discs - Made in Taiwan RITEKG05 and Made in Japan MXL RG03 disks. Sometimes looking carefully on the packaging can give you a clue (Made in Taiwan vs. Made in Japan), but it's no guarantee that the discs are identical.

Yeah, but this is not as big of an issue for someone paying $2 for a 3-pack to be used for testing, unless of course the discs get abused because of the packaging :)

What speed?

* The Office Depot DVD-RW are 4x
* The Office Depot DVD-R/DVD+R in the 75+25 pack are 8x
* The Khypermedia at Office Max are/were 8x
* The color Maxell 3-packs I don't remember (I didn't buy those, just the colorful paper sleeves)

* The Office Depot DVD-RW are 4x
* The Office Depot DVD-R/DVD+R in the 75+25 pack are 8x
*

Anybody got a Mfg. ID for those OD 75+25pk DVD-R's?? I would love to know who makes those. Please. ;)

* The Office Depot DVD-RW are 4x
Thanks for the tip. I've run out of my spindle of 4X Ritek and have had to use my trusty old memorex-RW, but they only burn at 2X. I think I'll stop at OD on the way home today.

You have to be a little bit careful with this, because with some brands the discs that are in these individual packages are not the same as the ones in the cakeboxes. As an example, I've seen two types of 8X DVD-R Maxell discs - Made in Taiwan RITEKG05 and Made in Japan MXL RG03 disks. Sometimes looking carefully on the packaging can give you a clue (Made in Taiwan vs. Made in Japan), but it's no guarantee that the discs are identical.

The last 50-pack of Maxells I bought turned out to be Taiwan Ritek. After I saw a recommendation in another thread, I also checked out the Sony -R 50-packs. Of the dozen or so on the shelf at the local Wally, two were made in Japan, the rest Taiwan! Not worth the hunt and the uncertainty.... I have TY on order from Supermediastore.

Starting Sunday September 10, there are some DVD sales in the 20s:

* 100pk Fuji $30 $25 at Best Buy (25c per)
* 30pk Verbatim DVD+R Lightscribe $20 at Best Buy (67c per)
* 10pk Memorex MINI DVD+RW $20 at Best Buy
* 25pk Memorex DVD+R DL $40 at Circuit
* 50pk 16x HP $13 at Circuit (26c per)
* 50pk Sony $13 at Staples (26c per)
* 50pk 16x Verbatim + free optical-mini-travel-mouse $17 - 34c per assuming the mini-mouse is priceless ;-)
* 50pk 16x OfficeMax branded $12 @ Office Max (24c per)
* 50pk 16x Office Depot branded $12 @ Office Depot (24c per) COPYCATS!



* Note: unless otherwise specified, both DVD+R and DVD-R are available.

Hey Spyder696969:

I recently bought an Epson Stylus Photo R340 Printer (because it prints on printable CD/DVD's). It came with a free Printable CD so you could test it out. The brand...Memorex!!!

"LOL" suplex,
I bought my Epson R320 December of 04 and never tried the disc printing but now I had to look to see what free printable CD they sent and sure enough, it is a Memorex! No wonder I didn't try it? "LOL"


I love the printer by the way, it makes beautiful DVD's.

suplex

Is it easy enough to know how?
Does it slobber ink all over to mess up the printer?

I just made a label & jacket using SureThing, of a movie I burned as a keeper!
Wish I knew how to post a "clicker" instead of the graphics to show you.
The graphics take up so much room here.

Urlee, "who LOVES PSP & Recorders!"

Do you people buy blank DVD's by the "Spindle" and if so, do you then put them in their own separate cases, and if so, which do you prefer, the thin or regular?

Urlee

Urlee:

With printing on DVD's, I use Epson Print CD which is software that came with my Epson printer. It prints beautifully and very clean and does not make a mess where you get ink all over everything if you print something else after it, so no worries there.

About Blank DVD's, I buy them in a spindle and leave them in a spindle until I use them. Then I place them in one of those CD/DVD Wallets from Case Logic. I have four "Wallets" (that hold over 200 each) and soon will need a fifth one.

Mine stay in the cakeboxes until use, then go in paper sleeves and archival boxes like THESE (http://www.gaylordmart.com/adblock.asp?abid=389&sid=682D7CFE93CB4CD9902D6B095E7374&search_by=desc&search_for=cd) from Gaylord.

On a related note, I'd like to find a labeling method better than ye olde Sharpie, but I don't want anything as elaborate as an inkjet. has anyone tried some of the small thermal labeling machines like the Casio and Primera units HERE (http://www.supermediastore.com/cddvdprinter.html) at Supermediastore? I don't need graphics, something that would do a few lines of plain, clear text would do. Also, do they work on the generic T-Y silver thermal lacquer discs (tho I have a strong suspicion that's what "thermal lacquer" is for! :rolleyes: )?

Here are the labels I made for a "Keeper" I burned to disc.

Mine stay in the cakeboxes until use, then go in paper sleeves and archival boxes like THESE (http://www.gaylordmart.com/adblock.asp?abid=389&sid=682D7CFE93CB4CD9902D6B095E7374&search_by=desc&search_for=cd) from Gaylord.

On a related note, I'd like to find a labeling method better than ye olde Sharpie, but I don't want anything as elaborate as an inkjet. has anyone tried some of the small thermal labeling machines like the Casio and Primera units HERE (http://www.supermediastore.com/cddvdprinter.html) at Supermediastore? I don't need graphics, something that would do a few lines of plain, clear text would do. Also, do they work on the generic T-Y silver thermal lacquer discs (tho I have a strong suspicion that's what "thermal lacquer" is for! :rolleyes: )?

I haven't tried those units myself, but have also always been interested in how they work. I would say...Give it a shot. I'm sure they would do a very nice job for what you are looking for.

The method I used...and still use soemtimes...before getting an Epson printer that prints on the DVD's, was using Hub Labels that go directly over the stacking ring. It's just enough to give you space to type in what the disc is and it's a clean look. You can find Hub Labels and software (to print on the special little labels) at SureThing.com.

Woo hoo! 100-pack of MEMOREX DVD-/+R discs for only $10! :rolleyes:

(Sorry, I can't remember the store, and the gf threw out the paper before I could look it up again)

On a serious note, this might be a good thing, if indeed Memorex has been bought out and they are trying to get rid of the old, s#!t discs as quickly as possible to make room for the new. :)

They're 16X -R or +R at Office Max. These are the last Memorex you'll be able to honestly trash...end of an era...historical significance...you should buy some for your stash of memorabilia...put them right next to your pics of John Smith's 32nd wife!?

LOL! Even though it's Joseph Smith, not John, that was spot on!

(I don't think I'd want pics of Smith with his many 13-16 year-old wives though. :eek: )

Even if these are the last of the crap BlemorEx discs, how long will it be until the trillions of old, rotten ones are cleared off the shelves? I get the feeling I'll still be able to hunt this white whale for quite some time. :D

Mine stay in the cakeboxes until use, then go in paper sleeves and archival boxes like THESE (http://www.gaylordmart.com/adblock.asp?abid=389&sid=682D7CFE93CB4CD9902D6B095E7374&search_by=desc&search_for=cd) from Gaylord.

On a related note, I'd like to find a labeling method better than ye olde Sharpie, but I don't want anything as elaborate as an inkjet. has anyone tried some of the small thermal labeling machines like the Casio and Primera units HERE (http://www.supermediastore.com/cddvdprinter.html) at Supermediastore? I don't need graphics, something that would do a few lines of plain, clear text would do. Also, do they work on the generic T-Y silver thermal lacquer discs (tho I have a strong suspicion that's what "thermal lacquer" is for! :rolleyes: )?

I use a sillier but simple and it has proven to be an effective method by my standards :-):

PostIt Stickies of various colors and sizes!!!!

One year later and they are all good (eg they haven't fallen of). They go on the paper sleeve or slimline/jewel case so I don't have to worry about inks on the DVDs. :-)

Woo hoo! 100-pack of MEMOREX DVD-/+R discs for only $10! :rolleyes:

(Sorry, I can't remember the store, and the gf threw out the paper before I could look it up again)

On a serious note, this might be a good thing, if indeed Memorex has been bought out and they are trying to get rid of the old, s#!t discs as quickly as possible to make room for the new. :)

Memorex DVDs are a stealth copyright protection method since they are guarantee to toast :P

Over at Meritline.com they are offering a 100-pk of Prodisc 4x DVD+R media for $25.99 and they have a coupon code for $6.00 off making the 100-pk $19.99.

The coupon code is: MD1040986OFF

This would be a great opportunity for anyone who likes +R instead of -R and for people who still need the lower speed of 4x media, which can be more difficult to find.

They are also White Thermal Printable, and are printable all the way to the hole in the center. Prodisc is a very good brand as well.

TDK 16X DVD-R Media 100 Pack in Cake Box Spindle (Two 50-Pack) $24.99 at supermediastore.com (http://www.supermediastore.com/tdk-16x-dvd-r-media-cake-box-spindle-100-pack.html)

It looks like prices are falling across the board! Shopping spree!!!!

For those looking to buy just ONE DVD-RW or DVD+RW Walgreens has the TDK DVD-RW and DVD+RW on sale for 99c each. They come in a tall semi-transparent AllyMcBeal-slim case. The price is too high if you are buying more than a couple, but if you want to get 1-2 just for testing purposes you can't beat 99c :-)

Sunday paper ads (Sept 17-23):

* 50pk TDK DVD-R or DVD+R $13 (26c per DVD!) @ Circuit
* 50pk Sony $13 @ CompUSA (26c per)
* Two 50pks of Maxell (Buy 1 Get 1 Promo) for $25 (25c per) @ Office DEpot
* 25pk Office Depot branded DVD+R DL $40 @ Office Depot (price under $2 per DL, $1.60 per)
* 15pk HP Lightscribe DVD+R $10 @ Circuit
* 100pk Memorex $10 @ Office Max (it is Memorex, so buyer beware)
* 100pk office-max branded slimcline jewel cases $14 (a bit pricey but if you need them)


<u>Rewriteables</u>
* 15pk Maxell DVD-RW or DVD+RW $8 @ Office Depot (over 50c per RW)
* One TDK DVD-RW or DVD+RW in tall slim case at Walgreens for 99c


I wonder how soon it will be before they start advertising blank HD-DVD or Blu-Rays? :-)

Sunday Sept 24 - Saturday Sept 30

# Staples: 100pk blank Sony DVD-R or DVD+R $25 (25c per) - bulk saves $$$
# Staples: 50pk blank Sony DVD-R or DVD+R $15 (30c per)
# OffiCeDepot: Imation 100pk 16x DVD-R/DVD+R $10


<u>Rewritables</u>
# OfficeDEPoT: OfficeDepot-branded 25pk DVD-RW and DVD+RW $8 (32c per!!!!)


# More coming later :-)

I wonder if those Imations are any good. 10 cents per is about the cheapest we've seen since the Playboyz discs.

I wonder if those Imations are any good. 10 cents per is about the cheapest we've seen since the Playboyz discs.
I've used ~200 Imations (from Wal-Mart, ~$30/100) in my Pio 531 and 640 with no coasters, and the oldest still plays (~1 yr old, all HS burn).

Sunday Sept 24 - Saturday Sept 30

# Staples: 100pk blank Sony DVD-R or DVD+R $25 (25c per) - bulk saves $$$
# Staples: 50pk blank Sony DVD-R or DVD+R $15 (30c per)
# OffiCeDepot: Imation 100pk 16x DVD-R/DVD+R $10


<u>Rewritables</u>
# OfficeDEPoT: OfficeDepot-branded 25pk DVD-RW and DVD+RW $8 (32c per!!!!)


The Office Depot price is for a 50 pack in my ad

Best Buys: 50 pack Verbatim, $12.99. I'll take two!

Best Buys: 50 pack Verbatim, $12.99. I'll take two!

Does anyone know whether these Verbatim discs are made by MCC? ie. high quality.

They are made in Taiwan. I have burned about 200 of them, with no coasters. But, I don't have a computer to identify them.

They are made in Taiwan.

:eek:

According to what I read on digitalfaq, some Japanese companies have built factories in Taiwan, and maintain the same standards as their Japanese factories. So, yes, a lot of trash discs are made in Taiwan, but not all discs made in Taiwan are trash.

The Office Depot price is for a 50 pack in my ad

Do you mean of DVD-RW or DVD-Rs? (there were two different OD prices in the section you quoted)

I checked the online ad for my zip code, and for the DVD-RWs, it's a 25 pack.

I don't remember for sure (and can't tell in the image) whether OD's house brand when to 4x DVD-RWs or not. (I seem to remember that when they had the Maxell deal a few weeks back, Maxell were 2x, but OD had gone up to 4x.. which is bad.)

Office Depot- brand was -Imation 50 pack in my ad. DVD-R

Do you mean of DVD-RW or DVD-Rs? (there were two different OD prices in the section you quoted)

I checked the online ad for my zip code, and for the DVD-RWs, it's a 25 pack.

I don't remember for sure (and can't tell in the image) whether OD's house brand when to 4x DVD-RWs or not. (I seem to remember that when they had the Maxell deal a few weeks back, Maxell were 2x, but OD had gone up to 4x.. which is bad.)

All the Office Depot brand DVD-RW I bought have been 4x. I do not have a PC DVD reader to test their actual speed or ID, but they have been about as reliable as the Sony 2x -RW I have also been using.

I saw my first high def recordable media the other day at Staples.

The prices are way way high )obviously( and only for early adopters with deep pockets or credit lines :)

Sony BD-R (write once BluRay) is $20 (!!!!), while BD-RE (rewriteable) is a bargain comparatively at $25. They also had *GASP* Memorex *GASP* HD-DVD-R, but no price was listed. Maybe they were freebies? :-)

Aw, Hell. I forgot to post that I'd seen those same discs. Me, of all people, forgetting to rip Crap-or-X! :eek:

Aw, Hell. I forgot to post that I'd seen those same discs. Me, of all people, forgetting to rip Crap-or-X! :eek:

LOL. You'll get plenty more chances with next week's ads. Someone is bound to have them on sale!

I keep checking their Playazo, Staples refused to put them on clearance and they refuse to sell at $15 per 50pk. A stalemate (or whatever they call it)! I should suggest to the manager that no one will buy them at that price but i will take them off their precious shelf space for $5 per :P

Today (10/01/06) I went to OfficeDepot to get a new 19" LCD Monitor (I love it by the way), and I noticed in their circular they are selling their own brand (OfficeDepot) of DVD-/+R 100-pks for $19.99.

The only trouble of course, is we don't know the Media ID unless someone bought them and can check it. I would also assume that it might be the kind of deal where one pack is one ID, and another pack might be different.

As far as the Office Depot DVD-R brand, I have used plenty of them, but I don't have a PC drive to check their MediaID. They have been as reliable as most other brands I have used.

Default: DVD-R and DVD+R, unless otherwise specified below:

* 50pk TDK $12 @ Circuit City (24c per!)
* 100pk OfficeDepot branded 16x mentioned above, $20 at ODP
* If you want media with jewel cases, here's a complex deal: Buy 1 Get 2 Free of Office Depot 10pks for $11. In summary: 30 blank DVDs with jewel cases for $11 (34c per) which is a good price if you don't want to buy jewel cases separately
* Staples: same as last week
* 50pk Verbatim + free optical mini travel mouse ($20 listed value) $17 @ Office Max (34c per with mouse as bonus)
* buy 1 get 1 100pk slimline jewel cases at Office Max. Summary: 200 slimline cases for $30. (15c per case)
* Two 25pks of Sony for $20, and you get a $5 cash coupon instantly at checkout to be used as cash for your next purchase. In summary: 50 DVDs for $15 (30c per) counting the coupon; @ Walgreens
* 3pk Maxell colorful $2 (ideal for those looking for a couple for quick tests of -R or +R drives) @ Walgreens
* 6pk T120 VHS or 4pk T160 VHS Maxell $7 @ Walgreens (VCR tapes advertised!!!)
* 3pk Fuji DVD-R MINI $6 @ Longs (not sure if this is actually a bargain but it is advertised in the sunday paper ad)
* new Killers CD is out on Tuesday!
* 25pk silver Fujis $7 @ Best Buy (28c per)
* 10pk Memorex Lightscribe CD-R specifically for Spyder! @ best Buy
* Target: 50pk Imation $12 (24c per)
* $50 Toshiba DVD player SD-3990 at the softer side of Sears
* No rewritables advertised this week :-(

what are the differences between the +/- DVD's? I know the + are best suited for the newer PC DVD drives and the - are best suited for the older drives, is this true for the home DVD recorders as well? thanks

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=difference+between+%2B++-+DVD&btnG=Search

Bottom line, very little difference other than technically. Apparently +R can do a little more in VR mode.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=difference+between+%2B++-+DVD&btnG=Search

Bottom line, very little difference other than technically. Apparently +R can do a little more in VR mode.




hey thanks, no wonder the - DVD's are more in price than the + ones, but just to be safe I will get more of - DVD's for now since I have 200 of the Verbatim DVD +(16X) being shipped to me from Newegg

BrandsMart USA South FL & Atlanta, GA
Etec DVD Player $14.88
Sylvania DVD Recorder $58.88
Samsung VCR/DVD Combo $48.88
Haier 7 Inch Portable DVD Player $58.88

All Good Through Tursday 10-03-06

Office Depot 16x DVD +/-R 100 for $20
I haven't bought any yet this weekend, but in the past the media id has been Ritek F1.
I've had maybe five coasters in 250 burns.

Mike

what are the differences between the +/- DVD's? I know the + are best suited for the newer PC DVD drives and the - are best suited for the older drives, is this true for the home DVD recorders as well? thanks

There are some differences, but for the purposes of DVD recording, i think the biggest factor is the manufacturers alignment. If you are using a recorder from a -R aligned manufacturer (Panasonic, Pioneer, etc) they are more likely to offer more features and be more fine-tuned for -R/-RW/-RAM. If you are using a recorder from a +R aligned manufacturer (Philips, Chinese models, etc) they are more likely to offer more features and be more fine-tuned to +R.

Price-wise they are actually the same now. All the ads I have seen have the same price for DVD-R or DVD+R and likewise for DVD-RW or DVD+RW.

DVD+R DL seems to be more readily available and cheaper than DVD-R DL but I haven't looked actively for those, so I can't really make a definite comment.

BrandsMart USA South FL & Atlanta, GA
Etec DVD Player $14.88
Sylvania DVD Recorder $58.88
Samsung VCR/DVD Combo $48.88
Haier 7 Inch Portable DVD Player $58.88

All Good Through Tursday 10-03-06

Wow VCR-priced DVD recorder! I guess it can't hurt to have a backup stashed away just in case :-) Too bad i'm on the other side of the galaxy for those deals

The Etec price is interesting: The DVD player costs less than an average DVD movie!!!!

Wow VCR-priced DVD recorder!...The Etec price is interesting: The DVD player costs less than an average DVD movie!!!!

Weird. I have 4 DVD players that cost me <$10 each; a Sony, JVC, Panasonic, and an Apex. The most I've ever paid recently was $22 shipped for a new Bravo D1 that pairs up with my PJ for pixel mapping over DVI.

My DMR-E80H workhorse DVD recorder cost $58. The backup, DMR-ES40V was $36.

My last VCR, a JVC HR-S9900U, I sold for $350! Talk about bass-ackwards... :D

Weird. I have 4 DVD players that cost me <$10 each; a Sony, JVC, Panasonic, and an Apex. The most I've ever paid recently was $22 shipped for a new Bravo D1 that pairs up with my PJ for pixel mapping over DVI.

My DMR-E80H workhorse DVD recorder cost $58. The backup, DMR-ES40V was $36.

My last VCR, a JVC HR-S9900U, I sold for $350! Talk about bass-ackwards... :D

Wow, the obvious question is, how do we get them too at that price? :-)

Move to Utah, and I'll take you down to where I get them.* ;)

Utah...

Pros: Great skiing, climbing, camping, fishing, low taxes, cheap homes, low unemployment, etc.

Cons: Lots of Morons...er, I mean, Mormons.

It's a wash. :)

There are some differences, but for the purposes of DVD recording, i think the biggest factor is the manufacturers alignment. If you are using a recorder from a -R aligned manufacturer (Panasonic, Pioneer, etc) they are more likely to offer more features and be more fine-tuned for -R/-RW/-RAM. If you are using a recorder from a +R aligned manufacturer (Philips, Chinese models, etc) they are more likely to offer more features and be more fine-tuned to +R.

Price-wise they are actually the same now. All the ads I have seen have the same price for DVD-R or DVD+R and likewise for DVD-RW or DVD+RW.

DVD+R DL seems to be more readily available and cheaper than DVD-R DL but I haven't looked actively for those, so I can't really make a definite comment.



thanks for the information here :)

All the Office Depot brand DVD-RW I bought have been 4x.

They used to be 2X, I've still got an unopened pack at home.

What a shame.. Now I guess Maxell is the only one that goes on sale every once in a while.

I mean the only 2x ones.

Tower had a long-standing media sale of TDK and Maxell DVD-R/DVD+R, but a couple of days ago when I visited them they seemed to have thinned out their supply of blank media and the long-standing sales were gone. I don't know if this is a regional thing or just an inventory thing or a nation-wide thing.

Their long-standing media sale was up to par with the weekly sales at the electronics/office superstores...

(Don't know if this has anything to do with their chapter 11)

They used to be 2X, I've still got an unopened pack at home.

What a shame.. Now I guess Maxell is the only one that goes on sale every once in a while.

I mean the only 2x ones.

All the golden Sony DVD-RW I have are also 2x (I usually get them from Staples). I haven't observed any difference between 2x and 4x but my recorder only burns at real-time. But I am not sure what the pattern is for Sony DVD-RW sales. Sometimes they happen back-to-back, sometimes it takes a while...

Move to Utah, and I'll take you down to where I get them.* ;)

Utah...

Pros: Great skiing, climbing, camping, fishing, low taxes, cheap homes, low unemployment, etc.

Cons: Lots of Morons...er, I mean, Mormons.

It's a wash. :)

Everything is about trade offs it seems :-)

CompUSA sent out an ad in my paper with a 4-hour sale tomorrow, 6-10 PM. 3 X 25 packs =75 DVD+/-R discs for $9.99 (14 cents each). It didn't specify what brand. So long as it's not MemorSux, that's not a bad deal.

Mattack,
Sony DVD-RW on sale at Staples starting this Sunday Oct 8! 25pk of DVD-RW or DVD+RW for $13 (52c per). Since it will be in their sunday paper ad, people can take the ad to their favorite retailer and ask for a price-match, and some stores will give you 110% price match even. The Sony -RW are usually 2x.

They also have 50pk of Sony DVD-R/DVD+R for $13 (26c per). I think it is a mix of made-in Japan and Taiwan boxes. Most of the ones I've seen are from Taiwan, but i've found some Japan as well.

Reported in the main forum: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=732526

5pk Fuji DVD-RAM $8 at Best Buy sale under way right now...

All the golden Sony DVD-RW I have are also 2x (I usually get them from Staples). I haven't observed any difference between 2x and 4x but my recorder only burns at real-time. But I am not sure what the pattern is for Sony DVD-RW sales. Sometimes they happen back-to-back, sometimes it takes a while...

I don't remember what recorder you have, and I know you've been around here a long time so you probably know this..

But there is a major change at some level in the DVD-RW format above 2x. The drives need new firmware (IIRC) to support over 2x.

So some of us, like those of us using Toshiba XS32s (and maybe newer ones?) are stuck using only 1 or 2x DVD-RWs.

Hmm, 25 for $13. Not *great*, certainly not the $.33-ish price I think is the lowest we've seen. But since they're Sony, I'd also get the 3% back in Sony rewards (minus the cost of a stamp of course) with my sony credit card.. So I may actually end up spending some accumulated Sony points on these.

Only recently have I been doing what I should have done long ago -- start recording some of my OOOOLD Tivo song recordings (literally some from 2003 and 2004!) to DVD-RW. I was doing them directly to DVD-R for a while, but now have some unfinalized DVD-Rs that I can't finalize now. The data still seems to be there.. so I can eventually copy off the DVD-Rs to others.

So now I have another use for cheap DVD-RWs.. Copy in batches to DVD-RW.. finalize just in case.. then unfinalize to add more stuff.

Reported in the main forum: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=732526

5pk Fuji DVD-RAM $8 at Best Buy sale under way right now...


I had to go to a couple of stores to find these (I guess they were already picked over). At one store where they were out, the manager said I could buy the one remaining 5-pack of Panny RAMs (with 'scuffed' packaging) for three bucks. :cool:

This week at Office Max: Sony -RWs, or +RWs, $12.99 for 25 pack. That's the cheapest I've seen RWs! Now, if I can only spot a deal on DL discs...


OOPS! They are at Staples, not Office max. Sorry.

I don't remember what recorder you have, and I know you've been around here a long time so you probably know this..

But there is a major change at some level in the DVD-RW format above 2x. The drives need new firmware (IIRC) to support over 2x.

So some of us, like those of us using Toshiba XS32s (and maybe newer ones?) are stuck using only 1 or 2x DVD-RWs.

Hmm, 25 for $13. Not *great*, certainly not the $.33-ish price I think is the lowest we've seen. But since they're Sony, I'd also get the 3% back in Sony rewards (minus the cost of a stamp of course) with my sony credit card.. So I may actually end up spending some accumulated Sony points on these.

Only recently have I been doing what I should have done long ago -- start recording some of my OOOOLD Tivo song recordings (literally some from 2003 and 2004!) to DVD-RW. I was doing them directly to DVD-R for a while, but now have some unfinalized DVD-Rs that I can't finalize now. The data still seems to be there.. so I can eventually copy off the DVD-Rs to others.

So now I have another use for cheap DVD-RWs.. Copy in batches to DVD-RW.. finalize just in case.. then unfinalize to add more stuff.


I have a Panasonic ES20 (2005 model, no HDD); I don't remember if the manual supports 4x -RW formally, but I haven't had any issues with it.

Yeah the 32c per at Office Depot was the lowest -RW/+RW I have seen, but the Sony's won't sell for that low. You can get them for 10% less if you can price-match at some of the other electronics/office-superstores if they dont have them on sale. Or if you have any of those $10 off $50 etc etc coupons they send if you are part of their rewards programs.

In addition to what is posted above for this week:

* GQ (not the magazine) 16x 50pk DVD-R $9.50 at Fry's (19c per) [limit 1 per customer]
* GQ 15pk DVD+R DL $22.50 at Fry's (1.50 per) [limit 1 per customer]
* 320 cd wallet $13; 3-ring binder with removable pages [limit 1 per customer]
* 100pk slimline MEMOREX jewelcases $15 @ Fry's
* 25pk Memorex DVD+RW $10 @ CompUSA
* 15pk Memorex DVD+R DL $20 @ CompUSA
* 10pk Memorex mini-DVD+RW $20 @ Best Buy
* 15pk Memorex DVD+R DL $25 @ Circuit
* 3pk Sony mini DVD+RW $11 @ Circuit City - a reverse bargain? :-)
* 50pk Nexxtech $10 @ Circuit CiTy
* free 10pk of Verbatim DVD-R or DVD+R at Best Buy with a catch: The CATCH? You have to buy a DVD recorder!

* 320 cd wallet $13; 3-ring binder with removable pages [limit 1 per customer]

Was this at Fry's? Or GQ? (What is GQ anyway?)

Was this at Fry's? Or GQ? (What is GQ anyway?)

GQ (for Great Quality) is Fry's house brand. Hit And Miss Quality would be a better name for their media.

Just corrected my post above, because I listed the wrong store. :o

This week at Staples $12.99 for Sony discs, 50 +R, or -R, or 25 +RW, or -RW.

So now I have another use for cheap DVD-RWs.. Copy in batches to DVD-RW.. finalize just in case.. then unfinalize to add more stuff.

Could someone please elaborate on what "finalize .. then unfinalize" does?
Thanks, Bob r.

Unfinalizing puts an RW disc back in the state it was in before it was Finalized.

When it is NOT finalized (i.e. unfinalize undoes the finalization), you can add more stuff to it, delete recordings, etc..

When it is finalized, it's essentially just like a commercial DVD, and will play in many/most current DVD _players_.

Unfinalizing puts an RW disc back in the state it was in before it was Finalized.
What if the disc never crosses the border? What happens then? ;)

Unfinalizing a BlemorEx disc means putting all the smashed little pieces back together. :D

This week at Staples $12.99 for Sony discs, 50 +R, or -R, or 25 +RW, or -RW.
Just bought these at my local Staples ... Sony 25DDMW47LS 2x/1x dvd-rw at the 12.99 price. My PC doesn't speak DVDese so if anyone happens to buy these and check the media code I'd appreciate some feedback.
Thanks, Bob R.

All my local Staples' Sonys were MiT. I did pick up some +RWs and will post the MID once I check it.

Edit: The Sony +RW are SONY S11. The 16x -R are SONY16D1.

SONY16D1 burned at 16x, scanned very well for me. I should've picked up the +R as well.

epsilon,
Staples Online shipped me 4 packs of +RW that were RICOHJPNW11, not the far superior SONY S11. YMMV

Nero CD-DVD Speed 4.50 tests:
RICOHJPNW11 Quality Score = 15
SONY S11 Quality Score = 93

The RICOHJPNW11 disc sampled had
PI (unrecoverable) Failures
Max = 24
The SONY S11 disc sampled had
PI (unrecoverable) Failures
Max = 3

Quite a difference in quality!

Thanks for the info Gary, I'm glad the ones at the store were S11. I think I'll make another trip to pick up some more, along with a pack of the +Rs to see how they test out.

Thanks for the Staples feedback info. I'm still trying to figure out what MiT means but it might be "NTK" info and I might not need to know :D
Bob R.

bob, MiT = Made in Taiwan...and you DO need to know.

LOL. MIT=Made in Taiwan; MIJ=Made In Japan. In general, MIJ media has been considered to be of higher quality and, in particilar, Sony MIJ is TY (Taiyo Yuden), about as good quality media as you can get. These are not hard rules and, judging by my recent experience with the MIT -R Sonys, the quality gap may have diminished.

LOL. MIT=Made in Taiwan; MIJ=Made In Japan.
Thanks - I'm burning my first MiT ;-)
Bob R.
____________________OOOOPS .. can't unfinalize_____
Is unfinalize possible on DVD-RW? MY EH55 pan doesn't offer anything but reformat. Maybe I didn't need to finalize to view on a standalone player?
Thanks for any ideas, meanwhile back to the search :confused:

So now I have another use for cheap DVD-RWs.. Copy in batches to DVD-RW.. finalize just in case.. then unfinalize to add more stuff.
That doesn't seem to work for me ... I tried to find the "unfinalize" button :p and my only option seems to be format disk :mad: (Panasonic EH55)
Bob R.

Not all DVD Recorders can unfinalize a DVD+/-RW disc.

Not all DVD Recorders can unfinalize a DVD+/-RW disc.
So I can't take everything you guys say as "gospel" ?? :D
Bob R.

Not all DVD Recorders can unfinalize a DVD+/-RW disc.

Do you know of any specific DVD Recorders that can unfinalize?

Do you know of any specific DVD Recorders that can unfinalize?
To me this is another vote for DVD-RAM ... at least on Panny recorders. But then that's just me.
Bob R.

Do you know of any specific DVD Recorders that can unfinalize?

Toshiba XS32 (and presumably all newer generations) can.

Was this at Fry's? Or GQ? (What is GQ anyway?)

Yes, this was at Fry's! I forgot to mention that. GQ stands for Great Quality I think, I don't know if it's a Fry's-exclusive brand or a general-purpose generic brand.

GQ could also stand for Garbage Qualify if they have problems :-) I never used them so I can't comment on them.

A few more:

* 25pk Maxell $10 at Rite Aid
* 25pk Maxell $9 at Walgreens
* Tower going-out-of-business clearance sale, currently 10% off blank DVD media. As the days go by, the discount may increase.

Do you know of any specific DVD Recorders that can unfinalize?

Pio 640 will unfinalize, under most conditions, but not "Disc backup." Unfinalize allows you to add more things to the disc. You can also "initialize" a finalized RW disc, to use it again, but you will lose the existing content.

My Toshiba D-KR2 (older non-HDD model) will unfinalize a DVD-RW. I think I've used the feature once in an extraordinary case, to redo a menu. Normally I would not have any need for that feature since I just use DVD-RW to transfer material to PC, then erase and start over.

If the Pioneer 640 can unfinalize then maybe my 633 can too. I rarely use DVD-RW and haven't had a need to unfinalize a DVD-RW since getting the 633.

For fellow Canadians: Staples has 100 pack spindles of Verbatim DVD-R or +R for CDN $29.99 this week.

As if it isn't hard enough to choose a brand,
Now they stick the word "Branded" in there?

What does that mean for when ordering?
I want to order Verbatim DVD-R for my Pio 640 and am confused?

Planned on 8X but they advertise:

New, Verbatim (95102) 16X Branded DVD-R Media 4.7GB Blank DVDR Discs on Spindle, 100, 200, 500 Pack

As Low As $0.35 Each

Help!
Urlee :confused:

As if it isn't hard enough to choose a brand,
Now they stick the word "Branded" in there?

What does that mean for when ordering?
I want to order Verbatim DVD-R for my Pio 640 and am confused?

Planned on 8X but they advertise:

New, Verbatim (95102) 16X Branded DVD-R Media 4.7GB Blank DVDR Discs on Spindle, 100, 200, 500 Pack

As Low As $0.35 Each

Help!
Urlee :confused:Hi Urlee: I believe that means each DVD has the name "branded" on it on the label side rather than having nothing at all printed on it.

Hi Urlee: I believe that means each DVD has the name "branded" on it on the label side rather than having nothing at all printed on it.

Thanks ACPewty,
Just so they aren't all different colored ones.

Now my twisted mind is thinking Taiyo Yuden?

Oof, I wonder about being an owner of a DVR? :D

Urlee

Not on sale but is this a good one for me to order for the Pio 640?
What do they mean by "No stacking ring"?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v94/urlee/BlankTY.jpg

Urlee

Not on sale but is this a good one for me to order for the Pio 640?
What do they mean by "No stacking ring"?

Urlee

"No Stacking Ring" is a term used for certain printable media (the Taiyo Yuden's you selected are the kind you can print on).

What that means is that you can print all the way to the hole in the center of the disc, and the printable surface doesn't only go to the hub, but all the way to the hole directly.

If you look at this picture of a DVD...

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/meritline_1919_7316927

That one has a larger space in the center that can't be printed to. (Even though it's not even the printable type, just a reference picture)

Then if you look at this picture of a DVD...

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/meritline_1918_460101768

That one has "No Stacking Ring" and has a larger printable surface.

To answer about using them in the 640, they are 8x that you selected and not 16x, so they should be just fine. I imagine that a good brand of 16x would also work, but 8x shouldn't yield any troubles at all.

Now my twisted mind is thinking Taiyo Yuden?

Urlee

Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim are both excellent choices. If you go with Taiyo Yuden there are two different types you have to look out for, "Premium" Line and "Value" Line.

Premium will be a little more expensive, but get those instead. I have used many "Value" line TY's before, but when I am ready to get new ones...I will go with Premium from now on.

(Just incase they last longer down the road)

And as a further explanation regarding the Stacking Ring, it is meant to keep the discs from rubbing each other (on their data surface) when they are stacked. Such a ring on the top is what is referred to when they say No Stacking Ring, there is still one on the bottom that seems to serve the purpose well enough though.

For fellow Canadians: Staples has 100 pack spindles of Verbatim DVD-R or +R for CDN $29.99 this week.

Hmm, interesting. I just picked up a 100 pack of Maxell DVD-R for CDN $29.99 at Futureshop along with a 20 pack spindle of Verbatim DVD+R DL for 34.99 (on sale from $64). I'm wondering if I should take the Maxell's back (unopened so far) and get the Verbatim's from Staples. The Verbatim 100 packs were $60 -ish at FS.

Now the Maxell's are Made in Taiwan so they may not be the best but I figure they might be better than Memorex and better than the off name brand stuff. I also noticed the Verbatim 100 pack DVD-R's at FS were made in Taiwan also so are they really going to be any better than the Maxell's? Worth getting them instead?

As an aside the Verbatim DVD+R DL's I got are made in Singapore.

Oh, I could not find any Made in Japan discs at FS at all.

Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim are both excellent choices. If you go with Taiyo Yuden there are two different types you have to look out for, "Premium" Line and "Value" Line.

Premium will be a little more expensive, but get those instead. I have used many "Value" line TY's before, but when I am ready to get new ones...I will go with Premium from now on.

(Just incase they last longer down the road)

Bless you Suplex for the pictures and info,
Thank you also Bobkart as I am just starting to purchase those spindle thingys!
I always bought the ones in a plastic case.

Suplex, I surely am aiming for the best ones so will definitely get the Premium line even tho it means I will be eating pork'n beans for supper!
I don't want the printable ones thinking they cost more and am satisfied with not.
Will have to go back and see if I can find the right ones to order.
THANKS again!

Urlee

Hmm, interesting. I just picked up a 100 pack of Maxell DVD-R for CDN $29.99 at Futureshop along with a 20 pack spindle of Verbatim DVD+R DL for 34.99 (on sale from $64). I'm wondering if I should take the Maxell's back (unopened so far) and get the Verbatim's from Staples. The Verbatim 100 packs were $60 -ish at FS. Now the Maxell's are Made in Taiwan so they may not be the best but I figure they might be better than Memorex and better than the off name brand stuff. I also noticed the Verbatim 100 pack DVD-R's at FS were made in Taiwan also so are they really going to be any better than the Maxell's? Worth getting them instead? As an aside the Verbatim DVD+R DL's I got are made in Singapore. Oh, I could not find any Made in Japan discs at FS at all.

You're thinking brand names.

Maxell made it Taiwan (MIT) media are RITEK discs. Not very good.
Maxell made in Japan (MIJ) media are the only MAXELL media. Very good.
Verbatim MIT are Mitsubishi, excellent media, one of the best.
Memorex is all over the map, mix of Prodisc, CMC, Ritek, etc.

Verbatim DVD+R DL media is also Mitsubishi, from the main Singapore plant.

See www.nomorecoasters.com to learn more about blank media. :)

Bless you Suplex for the pictures and info,
Thank you also Bobkart as I am just starting to purchase those spindle thingys!
I always bought the ones in a plastic case.

Suplex, I surely am aiming for the best ones so will definitely get the Premium line even tho it means I will be eating pork'n beans for supper!
I don't want the printable ones thinking they cost more and am satisfied with not.
Will have to go back and see if I can find the right ones to order.
THANKS again!

Urlee

You're welcome for the pictures (I figured I saved about 2000 words...lol). As to the pork and beans I don't think it will wind up resulting in that...at least I hope not...in order to get yourself great media.

I checked over at Meritline.com and they have Premium Taiyo Yuden for a 100-pk at $33.99 for 8x Speed, and the same but Value line would cost $26.95 so it's really only costing you $7.04 more for Premium line.

Oh, and incase it doesn't label "Premium" (the way I think SuperMediaStore does) if it doesn't say "Value" then it's Premium.

When it comes to the white top printable ones, if they happen to be cheaper then get them as the printable factor won't alter their recordability in any way. Sometimes they are even better as you can't leave fingerprints on the tops of them.

I checked over at Meritline.com and they have Premium Taiyo Yuden for a 100-pk at $33.99 for 8x Speed,
Oh, and incase it doesn't label "Premium" (the way I think SuperMediaStore does) if it doesn't say "Value" then it's Premium.

When it comes to the white top printable ones, if they happen to be cheaper then get them as the printable factor won't alter their recordability in any way. Sometimes they are even better as you can't leave fingerprints on the tops of them.

Suplex,
Those are the same ones I posted above which you said are the printable ones?
It didn't say printable in the write up so that is what I picked?
Also, No stacking ring? Does that make it a cheaper product?

I read once but forgot what the X's meant. Is 16X better than 8X?
Something to do with speed burned?

Urlee

The X's do have to do with the speed to which it burns the DVD.

If a movie is 2 hours long and you burn it at 1x it will take 2 hours to make the copy, if you go at 2x it would take 1 hour, so everytime you double the "X" you cut the time of the burn in half.

I don't think not having a stacking ring would make it cost less. In some cases it might cost more as people desire that so if they pick printable discs, they have a larger surface that will print.

There are discs that are printable but without a white top, what they call "Thermal" printable. I can print on white top "Inkjet" printable discs with my Epson R340, but you would need a special machine (and probably very expensive) o print on Thermal ones.

However none of this "print" stuff makes a difference in how the discs will work, meaning you can use printable media and then not print on them at all...you don't HAVE to print on them, so if you find a great price...and they happen to be printable...buy them.

Did you go with Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim? If you went with TY, did you get the "Premium" Line?

Speeds for burning a 2-Hour Movie

1x = 2-Hours
2x = 1-Hour
4x = 30 Minutes
8x = 15 Minutes
16x = 7 Minutes, 30 Seconds

Actually what takes about an hour at 1X is high-speed burning a full (single-layer) DVD, regardless of what recording speed (XP, SP, LP, ...) was used to record the material. At 4x it's around 15 minutes, but somehow it gets nonlinear (a little off) at speeds above that, 8x is not 7.5 minutes but more like 10 and 16x is more like 6-7 than 3.75. Not sure what causes that, I think at 8x and 16x there is an average speed that is maybe 2/3 of the maximum speed (CAV versus CLV?) and it doesn't burn at 16x the whole way through.

bobkart:

Is that DVD Recorder speeds you're referring to, or DVD Burner (in a PC) speeds? Come to think of it Urlee might have very well been asking me about using the DVD's in his DVD Recorder, but I had a computer DVD Burner on my mind when I was replying to him.

Would it make that much of a difference?

suplex

Suplex,
Those are the same ones I posted above which you said are the printable ones?
It didn't say printable in the write up so that is what I picked?
Also, No stacking ring? Does that make it a cheaper product?

I read once but forgot what the X's meant. Is 16X better than 8X?
Something to do with speed burned?

UrleeThe X's have nothing to do with recording time or how much will fit on a DVD.

1X for DVDs is a transfer rate of ~1350KB/sec. A 1X burn rate will fill a standard 4.7GB DVD in a little under 60 min. 4X will burn it in a little under 15 min. 8X and 16 X may not linearly scale depending on the quality of the burner. Many burners will start burning at 4X because they can't spin the disk fast enough to achieve 8X or higher burn rates at the inner part of the spiral track near the hub. They may burn the first GB at 4X then ramp up the speed as the burn progresses. I have an LG 16X burner that is like that -- it starts at 4X then ramps to 6X and finishes at 8X (for 8X media).

As a comparison, 1X for CD-R media is 150KB/sec.

edit: it appears bobkart posted while I was composing

Is that DVD Recorder speeds you're referring to, or DVD Burner (in a PC) speeds? Come to think of it Urlee might have very well been asking me about using the DVD's in his DVD Recorder, but I had a computer DVD Burner on my mind when I was replying to him.It's really about the media itself, and the ratings on the drives use the same 'X' factor. (And PC drives are the same as DVD Recorder drives in that regard.)

So 4x media can be filled up in 15 minutes, assuming the drive can burn at 4x. You pretty much had everything right except you were taking the original recording speed (XP, SP, LP, ...) into consideration when it really does not matter, it's about how much data is involved in the copy, not how much program duration that data represents.

Also, DVD recorders don't write at an "x" speed, it's packet-written at a rate that is slower than DAO 1x-16x. However, some "high-speed" HDD-to-DVD transfers can go 1x-4x speeds.

Yeah, I know, big words and random letters, it's techie talk. :p

Also, DVD recorders don't write at an "x" speed, it's packet-written at a rate that is slower than DAO 1x-16x. However, some "high-speed" HDD-to-DVD transfers can go 1x-4x speeds.

Yeah, I know, big words and random letters, it's techie talk. :p
Wow! I am so impressed! Could you speak down a little louder from up there, where you are, it's hard to hear down here! :rolleyes:

Starting Sunday, October 15:

* 50pk TDK $13 (26c per) at Radio ShaQ
* 50pk Sony $15 at Best Buy
* 25pk Fuji DVD+R DL $40 @ Best Buy
* Pioneer 16x internal drive +/-RW $60 (oops! this is not blank media!) @ Best buy
* free mini DVD-RW or miniDV with purchase of camcorders @ best buy
* 25pk 16x HP $6 (24c per) at Circuit City
* 100pk HP $25 @ Staples
* 25pk Memorex DVD+RW $10 @ Office DePoT and some more Memorex
* 50pk Sony $17 @ Walgreens - they should call them DVD-RX and DVD+RX instead ;-)

Another thread got me to look at the Panasonic direct site after a few weeks/months.

There is a (new to me) 25pk of DVD-RAM 2x-3x in a spindle LM-AS120LU25 for $30 ($1.20 per).

The 15pk is still around for $20 ($1.33 per) which includes a slim jewel case per DVD. (LM-AF120LU15), also 2x-3x.

The 5x are in smaller packages and at higher prices (no surprises there).

There are discs that are printable but without a white top, what they call "Thermal" printable. I can print on white top "Inkjet" printable discs with my Epson R340, but you would need a special machine (and probably very expensive) o print on Thermal ones.

However none of this "print" stuff makes a difference in how the discs will work, meaning you can use printable media and then not print on them at all...you don't HAVE to print on them, so if you find a great price...and they happen to be printable...buy them.

Did you go with Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim? If you went with TY, did you get the "Premium" Line?

Bless you AGAIN for this powerful info you posted for which I am saving to print out.
I didn't order yet.
I was looking at meritline.com, clicking on Taiyo Yuden HOT, for that graphic I posted previously.
I should get printable like you got because I have an Epson R320 which has an attachment for disc printing but I am too nervous to try it?
Was planning on ordering from meritline and hope I can tell which are the premiums?

Urlee

I should get printable like you got because I have an Epson R320 which has an attachment for disc printing but I am too nervous to try it?

You will LOVE printing on the discs, it looks so professional it's not even funny. Once you try it, your only problem will be you'll run out of ink faster for all the disc printing you will want to do.

Was planning on ordering from meritline and hope I can tell which are the premiums?

Urlee

You can tell what is Premium by checking some things. Look for "Value" labeled ones and note the price, when you see Taiyo Yuden's that don't say "Value" and are a little more expensive than ones that DO say "Value", they're Premium.

Another thread got me to look at the Panasonic direct site after a few weeks/months.
There is a (new to me) 25pk of DVD-RAM 2x-3x in a spindle LM-AS120LU25 for $30 ($1.20 per).
I bought some of these at 24.99 in September. They've worked great. We should watch for another sale! :cool:
Bob R.

See www.nomorecoasters.com to learn more about blank media. :)


lordsmurf,

Thank you, Thank you,
For posting this URL!

Loaded with so much information I hardly have time to read it.
That's when a laptop comes in handy to where I would be able to sit in my recliner and read 'til my hearts content!
Only thing is, the laptop would "burn up". "LOL"

Thanks again,
Urlee

Ye Gads!

I was just about to order some blank DVD's when I encountered another problem!

Shrink Wrap
Tape Wrap
Spindle

Safe to order any of them or will the wrap ones twist, rub together and spoil in shipping?

Urlee

I've gone through ~300 tape-wrapped Taiyo-Yudens (Value Line) with but one coaster.

Ye Gads!

I was just about to order some blank DVD's when I encountered another problem!

Shrink Wrap
Tape Wrap
Spindle

Safe to order any of them or will the wrap ones twist, rub together and spoil in shipping?

Urlee

In the event that you don't already have a spindle lying around from a previous 100-pk, I would suggest getting your first 100-pk with a spindle. Because I have a spindle (actually several of them) I have no problem buying them tape/shrink wrapped as when I open the shrink wrap, I then place them on a spindle.

If you don't have a spindle already make sure you buy DVD's that come on one as they will just be loose and all over the place otherwise. Then save it, and buy future ones Shrink Wrapped.

suplex.

You're thinking brand names.

Maxell made it Taiwan (MIT) media are RITEK discs. Not very good.
Maxell made in Japan (MIJ) media are the only MAXELL media. Very good.
Verbatim MIT are Mitsubishi, excellent media, one of the best.
Memorex is all over the map, mix of Prodisc, CMC, Ritek, etc.

Verbatim DVD+R DL media is also Mitsubishi, from the main Singapore plant.

See www.nomorecoasters.com to learn more about blank media. :)

Yeah I know that brand names can be misleading that's why I posted the question to see if one is known to be better, etc. With the info that the MIT Verbatim are much better than the MIT Maxell I went back and exchanged the 100 Maxell spindle for a 100 spindle of Verbatim (after price matching Staples to get the Verbatim for the same 29.99 CDN). I feel better burning onto quality discs especially at the same price as the poor Maxell's! Thanks for the info!

In the event that you don't already have a spindle lying around from a previous 100-pk, I would suggest getting your first 100-pk with a spindle. Because I have a spindle (actually several of them) I have no problem buying them tape/shrink wrapped as when I open the shrink wrap, I then place them on a spindle.

If you don't have a spindle already make sure you buy DVD's that come on one as they will just be loose and all over the place otherwise. Then save it, and buy future ones Shrink Wrapped.

suplex.

Hi Suplex,
My worry was about the shipping.
Do they twist and rub with movement?

I buy cases for them to store.
I do not have a spindle to hold them but, hey, how about a "Dowel" stuck in a hole drilled in a board? :)
Slip a baggie on them?

Urlee

Here is a good one, Verbatim 16x DVD-R 100 pack spindle from Buy.com

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?loc=101&sku=10412809

The price is $39.99 with free shipping, use Google checkout to save $10 instantly, then it has a $14 mail in rebate to bring the final cost down to $15.99, that is $8 per 50 discs or .16 per QUALITY disc.

What's with this Taiwan?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v94/urlee/VerTaiwan.jpg

I thought made in Japan was supposed to be what we watch out for to buy?

I am still searching what to buy and this is at Meritline.
I figured I try the printables.

Urlee

What's with this Taiwan?

I thought made in Japan was supposed to be what we watch out for to buy?

I am still searching what to buy and this is at Meritline.
I figured I try the printables.

UrleeAll my Verbatims are made in Taiwan and their record so far is still perfect. I think it's for TYs that you have to watch for MIJ.

Hi Suplex,
My worry was about the shipping.
Do they twist and rub with movement?

I buy cases for them to store.
I do not have a spindle to hold them but, hey, how about a "Dowel" stuck in a hole drilled in a board? :)
Slip a baggie on them?

Urlee

Oh then that would be fine, and the dowel thing would work just fine as well. They will ship properly (I buy them like that a lot) so don't worry about that.

As for the Taiwan thing (the picture you posted about the Verbatims) you really need DVD Info, or DVD Identifier on your computer (free software you can download) this way you can put a blank DVD in your drive (the one that can also burn to them) and you can use the software to detect what the Media ID of the DVD is.

If you get Verbatims that are labeled from Taiwan, but the Media ID starts with "MCC" then they are the good ones.

...you really need DVD Info, or DVD Identifier on your computer (free software you can download) this way you can put a blank DVD in your drive (the one that can also burn to them) and you can use the software to detect what the Media ID of the DVD is.

If you get Verbatims that are labeled from Taiwan, but the Media ID starts with "MCC" then they are the good ones.

Both DVDecrypter and IMGBurn (both free) will give you the media codes, also.

In the event that you don't already have a spindle lying around from a previous 100-pk, I would suggest getting your first 100-pk with a spindle. Because I have a spindle (actually several of them) I have no problem buying them tape/shrink wrapped as when I open the shrink wrap, I then place them on a spindle.

If you don't have a spindle already make sure you buy DVD's that come on one as they will just be loose and all over the place otherwise. Then save it, and buy future ones Shrink Wrapped.

suplex.

Is it safe to transfer blank DVDs from one spindle to another? (providing that they don't get dropped on the floor or get dirt on them).

Maybe there is a market for empty spindles? I have enough to become the Andy Warhol of the DVD era ;-)

I bought some of these at 24.99 in September. They've worked great. We should watch for another sale! :cool:
Bob R.

Interesting indeed! On-sale + free shipping and possible 10% coupon du jour, would bring them around 90c per DVD-RAM!

Is it safe to transfer blank DVDs from one spindle to another? (providing that they don't get dropped on the floor or get dirt on them).

Maybe there is a market for empty spindles? I have enough to become the Andy Warhol of the DVD era ;-)

I transfer blank DVD's from spindle to spindle regularly without any problem. As the stack shrinks I transfer them to smaller spindles. I have dropped blank DVD's and the only time they get ruined is when they land on the edge. If I am lucky enough to have them land flat they are okay.

Is there a thread that just talks about repairing scratched DVD's?
I have a DVD that somehow (guest or kid) got a deep scratch.
Now I tried using Brasso and it does clean but the scratch is too deep.
Next tried tooth paste, and it put more fine scratches on the DVD, yet still does not fix it.

Anyone with experience have more idea's?

George33027, find a company near you that specialized in disc re-surfacing work. Where I am, there is a private VHS-DVD rental shop that offers this service. It's professionally done, it's not one of those junky "disc doctor" things being used.

And for anybody looking for good discs this week, Best Buy has SONY DVD-R and DVD+R on sale for $13 per 50-pack. Good deal, great media. I prefer the DVD+R. And get the Japanese ones if you see them, but the Taiwanese ones work well too (all are using the SONY media code).

Good luck. :)

Is there a thread that just talks about repairing scratched DVD's?
I have a DVD that somehow (guest or kid) got a deep scratch.
Now I tried using Brasso and it does clean but the scratch is too deep.
Next tried tooth paste, and it put more fine scratches on the DVD, yet still does not fix it.

Anyone with experience have more idea's?I had luck with a deep scratch on a CD using toothpaste, but it took a lot of patience to finally smooth down the surface of the disc. It does add fine scratches that make the surface look cloudy, but the laser still reads through it. (bobkart suggested finishing with felt to restore the shiny surface. I didn't need to bother because mine reads fine as is.)

Of course, the scratch can't be so deep as to penetrate the substrate. If it does, at least the disc may make an interesting christmas tree decoration? :(

I haven't had to use toothpaste on a DVD, but others reported success. Some use car polish too but it would of course have to be clear.

Yeah the felt thing is the final step in the directions for the Skip Doctor (which goes by many other names). They even include a small piece of felt. It works as far as (fairly well) restoring the shiny surface of the plastic, but may be unnecessary in terms of readability of the disc.

Agreed with finding a company that can do the repair, if possible. There are a number of places here that do it. Turnaround time is typically 1-3 days, and cost is $2 per disc, whether it's a DVD, game, or CD. Cheap.

Is there a thread that just talks about repairing scratched DVD's?...Anyone with experience have more idea's?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7888999#post7888999

Here is something they are offering at SuperMediaStore.com:

"Taiyo Yuden Premium White Inkjet Hub Printable 8X DVD-R Media 200 Pack in Tape Wrap with 200 Pack Paper Sleeves (Premium Line) - Free Ground Shipping"

So you're getting 200-qty of TY's Premium Line 8x DVD-R's...and they are printable to the hub..., with Free S&H and a 200-pk of Paper Sleeves for Free as well for $67.99.

That comes out to about 17 cents each for the DVD's and the Paper Sleeves.

Here is the link, but just one thing it expires (the coupon) on 10/23/06. So you have the rest of today and tomorrow.

http://www.supermediastore.com/taiyo-yuden-white-inkjet-printable-8x-dvd-r-media-200-paper-sleeves.html?WT.mc_id=videohelp468x6061017

Coupon Code: tai15poff

Comes out to about 17 cents each for the DVDs and the paper sleeves?

No, it comes out to about 34 cents each for the DVDs and paper sleeves.

If only SMS would pack the boxes so they don't rattle around inside I would once again
buy from them. Instead I will pay about 35 cents a disc and no paper sleeves and buy them from Rima.com...

wcpaeb

wcaeb,

To suplex's defense, he may have been counting the sleeves and dvds separately (i.e., 400 items) that means the DVDs come out to 17 cents a piece and the sleeves come out to 17 cents a piece (i.e., 34 cents for a DVD/sleeve pair). The wording is a little unclear so it could just be semantics rather than a math error.

Comes out to about 17 cents each for the DVDs and the paper sleeves?

No, it comes out to about 34 cents each for the DVDs and paper sleeves.

If only SMS would pack the boxes so they don't rattle around inside I would once again buy from them. Instead I will pay about 35 cents a disc and no paper sleeves and buy them from Rima.com...

wcpaeb

wcpaeb:

I have heard about problems...as you suggested...with SMS's packaging, I just didn't know that they still had problems. Another great site...and Rima deserves that title as well...is Meritline.com.

Also, I did mean that you would pay about 17 cents each if you counted the Sleeves. 17 cents per DVD and per Sleeve.

(Thanks vferrari)

suplex

Whooo Hoooo! All Memorex, all week, "on sale" at Staples!

"Lolly, lolly, lolly, get yer coasters here..."

Whooo Hoooo! All Memorex, all week, "on sale" at Staples!

"Lolly, lolly, lolly, get yer coasters here..."

That's just beautiful (the reference to School House Rock). What makes it WORSE (Could something be worse than Memorex?) is that they're on sale at Staples.

Never buy anything important at Staples. Even if you have the receipt, you practically can't return it.

Sick of Staples? It's Office Depot to the rescue! This week, 100 Sony -R or +R discs on spindle, $24.99. That's the cheapest I've seen them.

Also this week, 50 Verbatim -R or +R, $12.99 at Inkstop. This chain is new to my area, so I don't know how much of the country they cover...

You mean....there's something wrong with Memorex? :p

Whooo Hoooo! All Memorex, all week, "on sale" at Staples!

"Lolly, lolly, lolly, get yer coasters here..."

Maybe they'll have Memorex representatives for a special in-store sale-a-bration, passing out coasters and promo materials ;-)

If that's true, then the representatives won't be working 99% of the time either. ;)

If that's true, then the representatives won't be working 99% of the time either. ;)

That sounds like my dream job :-)

Recap of newspaper advertised sales for this week, starting Sunday October 22:
=== If no media type is mentioned, it means both DVD+R and DVR-R are advertised (or I forgot to type it).


* 100pk Sony $25 at Office Depot (25c per)
* 15pk GQ (Great Quality Brand name) DVD+R DL $21 @ Fry;s ($1.40 per)
* 50pk GQ 16x DVD+R $9.50 Fry's (19c per)
* 50pk TDK $13 @ CompUSA (26c per)
* 25pk Verbatim $7 @ Best Buy (28c per)
* JVC 5pk mini-DVD-R $5 @ Best Buy (i am not familiar with mini-DVD* prices, so I don't know if that's actually a high price or a good price)
* Two 100pk 16x Magnavox $50 Buy 1 Get 1 sale (25c per)
* Two 50pk 16x Magnavox $25 Buy 1 Get 1 sale (25c per)
* Two 25pk 16x Magnavox $13 Buy 1 Get 1 sale (26c per)
* 50pk 16x Philips $11 @ Circuit (22c per)
* Memorex Day @ Staples
* 5pk TDK 16x $4 @ Walgreens (80c per); high price, but these may be good for testing purposes (without committing to a larger spindle or larger $ amount)


<u>Rewriteables</u>
* 25pk Sony DVD+RW $10 @ Office DePoT (40c per)
* Two 25pk (total of 50) Magnavox 4x DVD+RW $30 (60c per) Buy 1 Get 1 sale
* 25pk Panasonic 2-3x DVD-RAM $30 ($1.20 per) @ Club Panasonic (Panasonic direct website); coupons and free shipping specials may be available
* 3pk Fujifilm T160 $5 @ RiteAid (these are VHS tapes!)
* 2pk Sony DVD+RW (maybe DVD-RW) too $4 at Longs; the ad is inconsistent, so your mileage may vary. Very high price per DVD, but again may be a cheap way to test your recorder

* 25pk Panasonic 2-3x DVD-RAM $30 ($1.20 per) @ Club Panasonic (Panasonic direct website); coupons and free shipping specials may be available

Note about the above. Pretty good price (I jumped on it) but note that 25pk is a spindle (i.e., no jewel cases) which is the first time I've ever seen Panasonic offer DVD-RAM that way. Note that Club Panasonic also offers a 15pk with Jewel Cases for $20 so at $1.33/disc you are paying about a 13 cent premium per disc for the jewel case vs. the spindle price.

Sick of Staples? It's Office Depot to the rescue! This week, 100 Sony -R or +R discs on spindle, $24.99. That's the cheapest I've seen them.

Also this week, 50 Verbatim -R or +R, $12.99 at Inkstop. This chain is new to my area, so I don't know how much of the country they cover...
Does anyone know if these are mij or mit? Media code?
Thanks, Bob R.

SONY is mostly SONY media ID, maybe a few TY/YUDEN discs.
VERBATIM is all MCC media ID.

All are good media. Some from Taiwan, Japan and Singapore.
Remember the "Taiwan rule" has many exceptions. SONY and MCC are two of them.

This week is 25-packs of VERBATIM for $6.99 @ Best Buy.

Lordsmurf you are no doubt the king of all media! Nice no coasters site by the way.

Sick of Staples? It's Office Depot to the rescue!

That says it all right there, I love Office Depot.

That says it all right there, I love Office Depot.

For all office supplies, they have a much bigger inventory than Office Max, or Staples. I find things there that no one else has.

So you're getting 200-qty of TY's Premium Line 8x DVD-R's...and they are printable to the hub..., with Free S&H and a 200-pk of Paper Sleeves for Free as well for $67.99.
I got an email today with a halloween offer for these at 59.99 free shipping. coupon code "bloodie"
I GUESS it's ok to pass this along since it was "unsolicited" :cool:
Bob R.

Note about the above. Pretty good price (I jumped on it) but note that 25pk is a spindle (i.e., no jewel cases) which is the first time I've ever seen Panasonic offer DVD-RAM that way. Note that Club Panasonic also offers a 15pk with Jewel Cases for $20 so at $1.33/disc you are paying about a 13 cent premium per disc for the jewel case vs. the spindle price.

Indeed, it's the first time i saw 25packs as well. 13c is not a bad price for those who don't have extra jewel cases but need them; Those who don't need them or have plenty of them or use other storage methods, obviously the 25pk is cheaper, unless:

Would there be any risk on the blank DVD-RAMs because of the splindle storage -vs- the jewel case of the 15pk? I notice that on some (not all) of the DVD-R/DVD+R spindles i am more likely to get media issues with either the top or bottom DVD. I am not familiar with the physical design of the various media so i don't know if DVD-RW/+RW and DVD-RAM would have similar risks or not...

I just checked the Panasonic Direct website. They have two different DVD-RAM packages at $1 per disc. One <b>word of caution!</b>: The speed of the media is not mentioned!!!

LM-AF120U3 is a 3pk of DVD-RAM for video recording (green cover) for $2.99
LM-AF120U is a single DVD-RAM for video recordings (green as well) for 99c

If anyone knows what the speed is, please let us know :-)

This is a lower price per disc than the 15pk and the 25pk which goes against conventional wisdom...

This is a lower price per disc than the 15pk and the 25pk which goes against conventional wisdom...
Maybe they make more on the shipping?

I just checked the Panasonic Direct website. They have two different DVD-RAM packages at $1 per disc. One <b>word of caution!</b>: The speed of the media is not mentioned!!!

LM-AF120U3 is a 3pk of DVD-RAM for video recording (green cover) for $2.99
LM-AF120U is a single DVD-RAM for video recordings (green as well) for 99c

If anyone knows what the speed is, please let us know :-)

...
Apparently, it's 2X. (http://www.epinions.com/Blank_Media-All-Panasonic_LM-AF120U_DVD-RAM_Disc_For_Video_Recording_120_Minutes_4_7GB_Without_Cartr idge_3_pack_LMAF120U3/display_~full_specs)

Maybe they make more on the shipping?

They do take-up more space individually, although I think "Club members" (free membership) typically get free shipping.

I have the green-box 5-packs but their model name is LM-AF120LU5 - their box says "2-3x Speed/Vitesse" on the front


Thanks wabjxo for the link!

For non-HDD recorders, would the speed make a difference when fast-forwarding at higher speeds or does this only affect high-speed burning?

Best Buy: 100 Sony -R or +R, $24.99. Same deal as last week at Office Depot.

Radio Shack in my area has the 50PK Sony -R & +R for $12.99 until 11-11-06

Just incase you want to use them to make somebody PRICE MATCH :D

I don't know where they were made or what speed they are though?

$12.99 seems now to be the "Regular" Sale Price on Sony 50PKs :)

Office Max: 10 Verbatim +R DL's for $14.99!

Also, 50 Verbatim +/-Rs for $12.99

Anyone see any great deals on good CDs recently? Seems like the gf has been powering through them at a high clip. Since I only use them for small amounts of data, such as owner's manuals, I don't look for them often. Thanks.

Are the brands of CDs typically congruent with DVDs in regard to quality? Or can it differ? As in, "Sony makes a great DVD, but their CDs, not so much." Or the other way around.

Anyone see any great deals on good CDs recently? Actually I was in the market myself, so guess what. Taiyo Yuden makes CDs too that you can buy at Supermediastore.com. Might be overkill for what you want, but I am in the middle of a project to digitize my old LPs so I want quality blanks if I'm going to put in all that work.