Primer on CD/DVD quality?

[sentinel]

Does anyone know if anybody's writen a good, accurate, concise article which teaches newbies about what DVD/CD brands are good/bad?


Ya i know dolphin has his faq, but it's a little too vague and spread out for the average user to wade through.

And I guess it's not really a science, persay, in that one brand won't necessary always better or worse then another, etc, but there is still a lot that can be said.

This is the kind of thing i'm looking for. If it exists, that's great! If someone wants to write it i'm sure everyone would love u, and sites such as RFD would pay/thank you for it. I would write it, but i just plain don't know enough.

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General intro, teaching the reader that, in terms of recordable media, more expensive or "brand name" does NOT always equal better.

Then, go through the mactufacturers' names, history, and current situation, etc.....
(ex: "BlahBlah manufacturters out of taiwan, When they 1st started making CDs, they were really crappy. The CDs got much better. Their DVD discs are pretty good...... Now, they are generally regarded as ******.... You may also see these called *****. they are rebranded most coimmonly by ****. if you see ***, you are likely really buying these, most burners work well with these, but people have had bad luck using****.... for the price point they are usually a good deal.....")
I dunno, i guess maybe a paragraph for each of the most common ones. (ty, cmc, ritek, optodisc, etc)

Then i would say go through the common rebranders (memorex, maxell, verbatim, staples, etc...) and say which manufacturers they most comonly use, and how to tell what you're really buying.

I guess you could close with links to testing to back all this up and offer more info.
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...just a thought, i know a lot of people that would gain a lot from reading this, but may not be willing to do the reasearch.

I see too many people buying verbatim cds when the staples brand are cheaper and they're both made by CMC. Or those who confidently pay $1+ each for memorex DVDs, when they don't realize that they can get Ritecks which will work just as well for like $0.30 .... you get the idea...(just a random example, don't flame me if i'm wrong...)

[ProfessorChaos]

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

[Jucius Maximus]

http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/91

(Yeah, I'm sure that posting links to cdfreaks is taboo on a board where the dolphin posts. :P )

[AllWheelDrift]

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

I have to disagree with some things on that list. DAXON (BenQ) media in particular. BenQ 4x +R burnt better than anything else I tried on my TDK 840G (Plextor 708A OEM).

Anyhow, you won't find a simple list because what works well for you tends to depend on your burner and it's firmware. Best is to see what kind of results people with the same burner as you are getting on various media. Also, 1/2 the time you don't know what you're actually buying until you pop a disc in you burner.

Having said that, the general rule of thumb is try to get MIJ media. Failing that, I'd stick to Sony (never actually burned one yet, but good reputation), Maxell, or Fuji. Stay away from Memorex as even though you'd expect them to be a reputable brand, they sell trash.

[sentinel]

Wow, that was fast. These are good links, thanks guys! I think the 1st one is exactly what i was looking for, but the rest is great too. If anyone thinks of more, plz lemme kno.

[The Digital Dolphin]

I have to disagree with some things on that list. DAXON (BenQ) media in particular. BenQ 4x +R burnt better than anything else I tried on my TDK 840G (Plextor 708A OEM).

Anyhow, you won't find a simple list because what works well for you tends to depend on your burner and it's firmware. Best is to see what kind of results people with the same burner as you are getting on various media. Also, 1/2 the time you don't know what you're actually buying until you pop a disc in you burner.

Having said that, the general rule of thumb is try to get MIJ media. Failing that, I'd stick to Sony (never actually burned one yet, but good reputation), Maxell, or Fuji. Stay away from Memorex as even though you'd expect them to be a reputable brand, they sell trash.

You are 100% correct. the Digital FAQ list is VERY outdated, and doesn't take MANY common factors into consideration at all. I also have to agree about sticking with media made in Japan, and staying away from Memorex.

No comment on the CDFreaks link