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  1. AccountKiller
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    Last edited by rcvalle; 20th Aug 2013 at 11:27. Reason: AccountKiller
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  2. Member [_chef_]'s Avatar
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    Should be that media then:
    http://www.verbatim.com/prod/optical-media/dvd/dvd-recordable/dvd-r-sku-96248/

    Sadly their quality is bound to the production line (manufacturing country) .............
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  3. Member hech54's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by rcvalle View Post
    it seems it is made in China
    I'm not a fan of China either...but you do realize that most of your computer's components were made there as well?
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    I have heard that Verbatim DVD+R DL made in Singapore are more reliable than Verbatim DVD+R DL made elsewhere, but have no first-hand experience with it.

    I haven't heard the country of origin matters much for the regular AZO single-layer product line. I have bought Verbatim AZO DVD-R made in Taiwan and made in India. I have had no trouble with either. All Verbatim's products sold under the "Life" label should be avoided no matter where they are made.
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  5. Banned
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    Verbatim's DataLifePlus series of discs is still made in either Taiwan (single layer DVD+/-R) or Singapore (DVD+R DL). They've been making CD-Rs as sold in bulk in stores like Best Buy for years now. We've had no hysterical posts about the Made in China discs so maybe they are OK. But if you want Made in Taiwan or Singapore discs, buy the DataLifePlus series online. And please do NOT confuse those with the cheap "Life" series of discs available in stores which are made by low quality manufacturers to save money.
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  6. It really depends more on your burner or standalone dvd recorder. Most PC burners will handle most Verbatim discs, dvd recorders can be much more picky. The Verbatim AZO sold in stores lately has been variable: some users have burning issues, others don't. I find if I set my burning software IMGburn to a manual speed of 6x, Verbatims that failed at 16x burn OK. With standalone recorders, you can't make burn settings, so if the discs fail set them aside for use in a PC. The country of origin is not as significant as it once was: Taiwan, India, Singapore are all making the same exact Verbatims now. The only format where Singapore is crucial is the dual layer DVD+R DL, these are consistently better.

    jman98 made the most important distinction: "DataLifePlus" vs "Life" series. The DataLifePlus is the best grade Verbatim AZO, available now only from online media vendors. The standard "AZO" sold in stores is OK but not quite as consistent. The recent "Life" series that began appearing in discount chains is not "real" Verbatim and does not use the AZO formula, it is the same generic media sold under Staples, TDK, Magnavox and other names. Avoid it if possible.
    Last edited by orsetto; 8th Dec 2010 at 20:17.
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  7. AccountKiller
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    Last edited by rcvalle; 20th Aug 2013 at 11:28. Reason: AccountKiller
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  8. There are two schools of thought regarding "gold" discs: one says "if you can afford it, why not, they might be more archival" while the other says "you're a fool to spend triple the money, there's no guarantee they're truly more durable and many people experience burner problems due to the gold and/or thickness of the discs". If you want to try them buy a couple of 5-paks from a couple of vendors in different states (with luck this will provide a sample from two batches). See if your hardware burns them with no issues and you can play them back on all your players. Regular Verbatim 8x has an excellent rep for good burning, playback compatibility and durability, so if the "gold" reassures you and the price doesn't bother you they should be at least equal.

    Personally I wouldn't bother. Standard Verbatim 8x DataLifePlus or Taiyo Yuden (TY/JVC) 8x Premium are equally "archival" for all practical purposes. I think its better to spread the "durability" risk across two completely different but top quality standard disc formulations than blow it all on one overpriced gold disc. You can buy 200 regular DataLifePlus Verbs and 200 TY/JVC Premium discs for the price of one Verbatim Datalife Gold 50-pak.
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  9. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    There's not been much discussions of those discs in this forum to date.

    But you'll find existing discussion of Verbatim gold DVDs here: The Digital FAQ blank media forum
    Specifically, read this one: Differences between "archival grade" and standard DVDs?

    Worth it? Meh...
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    Last edited by rcvalle; 20th Aug 2013 at 11:28. Reason: AccountKiller
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  11. Some brands have experienced more issues with the inkjet printable white surface, but Verbatim has had very few reports of this. At a certain point these questions become hairsplitting, because there are no clear answers "why" to some of the variables. For whatever reasons, today the DataLifePlus series seems to be the best quality Verbatim sells, and the 8x beats the 16x for easier more accurate burning when used in the typical burner or dvd recorder. I have burned nearly 600 Verbatim DataLifePlus 8x DVD-R over the past year, both white inkjet and silver. Not a single one has failed to burn properly, in a wide variety of hardware. With the 16x I have had multiple failures depending on the burner. I don't see any point to wasting time and worry with the inconsistent 16x if the 8x always works perfectly and costs about the same: I only try it now and then because everyone tells me I'm crazy and their 16x is perfect. For me, the 8x is much less hassle.

    If you want to make this as simple as possible, buy the 8x DataLifePlus, white or silver, and don't look back or worry. Very very few users have reported an issue with DataLifePlus 8x media over the past few years, while the 16x has been controversial since 2007. The 16x is not bad, its the highest quality 16x media you can buy, but if you're going to the trouble of ordering online 8x is the better choice. The only reason to prefer 16x is if you live near a store that sells it and would much rather buy your discs in a store. If this is your situation, and the Verb 16x works well with your gear (no or few burn fails), iit should be as archival as the 8x.
    Last edited by orsetto; 9th Dec 2010 at 02:23.
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  12. AccountKiller
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    Last edited by rcvalle; 20th Aug 2013 at 11:29. Reason: AccountKiller
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  13. Member [_chef_]'s Avatar
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    DVD+R or DVD-R depends on your needs, what do you want to use them for?
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    Last edited by rcvalle; 20th Aug 2013 at 11:29. Reason: AccountKiller
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    If you really want to print to discs, Taiyo Yuden's Watershield line (DVD-R and CD-R only - no DL, no +R) has a shiny surface that produces excellent results on ink jet printers. Verbatim's flat white surface is OK, but the Watershield discs always look better.

    Thermal printable requires a special type of printer that most people do not have. Years ago thermal printers were much cheaper than ink jet printers that could print to discs, but that is not true now. I think thermal printers are limited in what they can print and usually it's just text.

    Silver ink jet printable is a poor choice for anything except text. Hub printable gives you more space to print to, but it doesn't have any impact on the quality of the discs. I burn DVDs at 4x. I'm not in a big hurry when I burn and I feel that I get consistently good results at this speed.
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    Last edited by rcvalle; 20th Aug 2013 at 11:30. Reason: AccountKiller
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  17. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    There's nothing to suggest 8x MCC is superior to 16x MCC, merely some anecdotal stories about DVD recorders not liking 16x due to ancient firmware found in those drives. DVD+R has a potentially superior ECC, but most of that is theoretical and unproven. For all intents and purpose, either DVD-R or DVD+R Verbatim is fine.

    My own personal choice is for DVD+R, but mostly because I get a near-0% coaster rate on my specific burner used heavily for data backup. The DVD-R is closer to around 2-3% on average.
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  18. I will say this until I'm blue in the face: if you want the ultimate potential for burning ease/accuracy and ensuing archival storage, go for the 8x. There is a sufficient accumulation of reports , "anecdotal" and otherwise, that suggest 8x has advantages in many applications if choosing among today's media. Five years ago, it was a different landscape: most 16x media was an extension of the 8x design, and 16x from suppliers like TDK, Sony and Verbatim was problem-free. After 2006, media diverged, with 8x becoming a niche "archival" product that never changed, while 16x became a loss-leader product that was re-formulated and re-fabricated every few months. In its current form, most 16x puts added strain on burner lasers and mechanics regardless of "up to date" firmware and even the best 16x (Verbatim) will have a number of failures per package. I see no point whatever in choosing a potentially faulty product if a known superior product is available from the same source at roughly the same price.

    But the key is to not make assumptions, and perform simple tests with your own gear. I understand that not everyone has easy access to 8x media, especially if they live outside North America. 16x Verbatim with the "AZO" trademark is widely distributed in most countries, and an excellent performer if your hardware exhibits no problems burning it. Try a small package and see if it consistently burns without incident in your hardware. If it does, you can use it without worry. If you find you get more than a couple of failed burns, you should probably make the effort to buy 8x media from an online vendor that will ship to your country. Or, try installing a new burner from a mfr like Samsung that is more compatible with modern 16x media. If you can choose a burning speed with your software, choose 4x, 6x or 8x if the automatic high-speed setting causes problems (I leave mine set at 6x).

    Don't worry too much about this decision or make it more confusing for yourself. There are just two high-quality brands left: Verbatim and TY/JVC. In each case the 8x media is somewhat better than the 16x, but the 16x is perfectly fine as long as it burns without problems in your hardware. Beyond that, all other options are insignificant: as LordSmurf said, DVD+R has theoretical advantages over DVD-R but in the real world they have identical burning and archival performance. The printable and non-printable surfaces have no impact on the media quality, choose whichever version you can get easiest at the best price (unless you do need to print on them). The only versions that should be specifically avoided are the Verbatim "Life" non-AZO, non-Plus series, and the "Value Line" TY/JVC: these are inferior discount products. Also avoid the very expensive "watershield" variations unless you have a specific need for the special coating (if you don't know what it is, you don't need it).
    Last edited by orsetto; 14th Dec 2010 at 12:54.
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  19. Banned
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    Verbatim makes 8x DataLifePlus DVDs that are shiny silver and not suitable for printing. I buy these all the time. You can write on them with a Sharpie. Here is a link:
    http://www.rima.com/prod/1798.html
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  20. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    while 16x became a loss-leader product that was re-formulated and re-fabricated every few months
    That's simply not accurate.
    In fact, it's the "archival" versions of media that were re-formulated and put onto smaller lines.
    I have official documents from Verbatim that state this in clear terms.
    The normal 16x media was an extension of 8x media in materials and workmanship.

    If anything, "shiny" silver discs are a cause for concern: Dangers of "shiny silver" discs?
    Branded discs are better for the consumer.
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  21. Member [_chef_]'s Avatar
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    In that case, you should do a triple strategy.

    Burn it to reliable media, even twice.
    Also back them up to hdd.

    A reliable backup is the only [data] lifesaver.

    Originally Posted by rcvalle View Post
    Hi [_chef_],

    It would be to archive important data. However, I am in doubt about which Verbatim media to use.

    Best regards,
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  22. Banned
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    Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
    If anything, "shiny" silver discs are a cause for concern: Dangers of "shiny silver" discs?
    Branded discs are better for the consumer.
    It's impossible to judge whether this is accurate or not. The post in the link offers no evidence of any kind to back this up other than the poster's assertion that it is as he says.
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    Last edited by rcvalle; 20th Aug 2013 at 11:30. Reason: AccountKiller
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  24. Member [_chef_]'s Avatar
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    You are welcome!
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    Last edited by rcvalle; 20th Aug 2013 at 11:30. Reason: AccountKiller
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  26. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Those are accurate codes for MCC.

    In fact, similar codes are on those new burned-to-order Warner Archives DVDs:
    http://www.superheroes-r-us.com/2010/dukes-of-hazzard-animated-dvd-review/
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    Last edited by rcvalle; 20th Aug 2013 at 11:30. Reason: AccountKiller
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