TDK -R 8x...good quality?

[HyperYagami]

The ones on sale @ Circuit City this week.

I'm wondering...based on the reviews they look pretty good, but I vaguely remember someone said TDK switched to CMC @ some point. Now I can only find CMC media code TDK with +R but not -R...so I assume TTG02 and TTH02 aren't CMC? What about the media quality?

Thanks!

[Gen-An]

Well, TTG02 made in Taiwan is made at the CMC plant, but using TDK's dye and equipment, so think of it as TDK by CMC.

[Fandim]

TDK's DVD 8x -R code @ Circuit City are currently TDK media. (branded, printed on the hub, and TDK media ID). The +R however, are CMC MAG E01.

[HAMMER30]

Hi I just purchased 3 25 packs of these on Sunday, I have already burned a 25 packed and they burned and played perfect in my stand alone, they are TDK's media code, the Circuit City were I purchased them also had printable's mixed in with non printable's for the same price, but are not the kind that you can print all the way to the hub. Now for the one problem I discovered about them right away is that even though they are labeled 8x they are really 4x, burned with three different burning applications and they all read the media as only going up to 4x, other then that though still think it was a very good deal for the price.

[Fandim]

Hammer, they're TTG02 media? Are you sure it's not just your firmware?

[jaxxboss]

it's his firmware

[Fandim]

TDK TTG02 media from Circuit City -R 8x
http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=258120

TDK CMC MAG E01 media from Circuit City +R 8x
http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=258076

There are links to recent scans of both of these.

[lordsmurf]

TTG02 = awesome 1ST CLASS media ... really excellent stuff, usually 99-100% coaster-free

[HyperYagami]

TTG02 = awesome 1ST CLASS media ... really excellent stuff, usually 99-100% coaster-free

What about TTH02? Any comment about those?

[lordsmurf]

I think TTH02 is just an alias code. Don't quote me on that just yet.

[Gen-An]

TTH02 is the code for the 16x DVD-R discs. TTH01 is a new 8x media code made in Luxembourg. The weird thing about TTH01 is most drives see them as TTG02.

[steve2713]

TTG02 = awesome 1ST CLASS media ... really excellent stuff, usually 99-100% coaster-free

And yet, by comparison, TDK's +R CMC E01 appears to be better media, judging by the tests. This seems to conflict with your 'landfill material, greater than 50% coasters, garbage, junk, crap' theories. This certainly is confusing, how is it that discs that burn BETTER than 'awesome 1ST CLASS media ... really excellent stuff, usually 99-100% coaster-free' be 'landfill material' garbage? I have never been able to figure this out.

I agree these TTG02 discs burn 'OK', but how are they both 'awesome' and yet worse than 'landfill material' at the same time?

[lordsmurf]

I'm afraid your question doesn't make any sense...

TDK media is excellent. Always has been.
TDK, TT codes are all great.

CMC media has always been fairly pitiful.
Although the DVD+R tends to be slightly better,
it's still junk most of the time.

You end up with random rare cases where people can burn ANY MEDIA excellent with a certain spindle on a certain burner during a certain phase of the moon. But it never lasts.

Longevity (how long the code has been good, not that retarded "my data disappeared" thing) and BIG PICTURE are important here. RITEKG04 media started great, but by the end of its production, it was pretty pathetic too. It's low on the 2ND CLASS spectrum, about 80% overall maybe. And that's only because of it's long early quality.

In the grand scheme of things, CMC media sucks.
While TDK media is excellent.

It's that easy.

[steve2713]

It's that easy.

The easy answer is you're unable to admit you're wrong.

[lordsmurf]

It's that easy.

The easy answer is you're unable to admit you're wrong.

About what? I don't have the vaguest clue what the hell you're trying to get at. CMC works for you! Big deal. For most people, they fail miserably. May as well have poured some Aunt Jemima in the drive and let it burn a pancake.

[Ma_Jie]

Lordsmurf, on your web site, in determining the quality of a particular media, what methodology do you follow? What do you benchmark against?

- MJ

[Paul_G]

Speaking of TDK, i purchased a pack of 25 TDK (media ID = TDK 002) x8 +R discs and they burn nicely at 16x without any freezing/skipping on movie playback.

[lordsmurf]

Lordsmurf, on your web site, in determining the quality of a particular media, what methodology do you follow? What do you benchmark against?

- MJ

I've already explained this numerous times in the forum.

[Fandim]

heh...CMC +R media appears to work great for me...burner burns them flawlessly etc...even at 12x in most cases... Good scans, good playback.

Do I trust these discs? Not a chance. I learned my lesson from my 2x Princo phase.

Seth

[Ronaldus]

I searched on TTG02 and TTH01, and this old thread came the closest to answering my questions.

Basically, Lord Smurf said in this thread that TTG02 are first class media (his web page currently only mentions "TDKG02, TTG01" and not TTG02), and then he (and others) said that CMC is fairly pitiful media. It was also mentioned that CMC makes TTG02 for TDK using TDK dye and equipment.

If I understood all of this, it seems the bottomline is many people believe that TTG02 is good media made by a manufacturer that typically makes poor quality media, but apparently TDK's involvement elevates TTG02 above CMC's typically poor media quality. Is that right?

To me it is a little worrisome that some people (including the Media forum comments) have negative comments on TTG02. Currently there are too few comments on TTH01 to tell. Some people have bad Kprobe scans on TTG02, while others have decent scans. (I've also seen some contradictory results on PRODISCF01 media. In the Media comments you'll see lots of negatives under the Fuji brand, but PRODISCF01 under other brands is mostly positive. Aren't they the exact same disc regardless of brand? Sorry to digress...)

If I'm given the choice between TTG02 and TTH01 in a store, which should I pick or is it a toss-up? The reason TTG02 and PRODISCF01 are of concern is that they are the most common 8x -R media found in stores like Best Buy, often $10 per 25 pack. I haven't had any problems myself, but I still get worried when there are such mixed reviews.

I hope Lord Smurf is right about TTG02 (and that TTH01 is basically the same as TTG02). One interesting thing I read in another thread is FulciLives only considers Taiyo Yuden and Maxell -R media made in Japan first class in his book. What about Taiyo Yuden +R? I finally found some TY +R media (I've never seen TY -R). They worked fine, but a majority of discs had big scratches around the outer quarter inch of the disc. That made me wonder about TY's quality control if their machines scratched so many, but people rave about TY quality. Nevertheless the discs work fine even through the scratches. I take that to mean the error correction is pretty good. One of these days I'll have to search for threads about how the error correction works.