I just got 10 BeAlls at $1.20

[rvl123]

Hey,

My local specialty computer store has BeAlls 2Xs for $1.20/pc.

Here's the complete media code:

00 42 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 50 00 02 57 0E 14 .B...@....P..W..
87 88 80 00 03 42 65 41 6C 6C 20 00 04 47 30 30 .....BeAll ..G00
30 30 31 00 05 88 80 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 001.............

Did I get a good deal?

The salesman said that the prices will probably drop to $1.00/pc in a couple months.

I'll tell all of you the compatability results later.

[defense]

Did I get a good deal?

Well..you didn't get a great deal...and you didn't get a bad deal...so I guess it's an ok deal. Prices online for 2x Beall's aren't much more then that...and if you watch for the weekly sales...you will be able to get 4x media from between $1.20-$1.40.

But Beall's are very good disks...you just could of gotten 4x disks for the same price if you watch for the sales.

[orbital517]

Did I get a good deal?

Well..you didn't get a great deal...and you didn't get a bad deal...so I guess it's an ok deal. Prices online for 2x Beall's aren't much more then that...and if you watch for the weekly sales...you will be able to get 4x media from between $1.20-$1.40.

But Beall's are very good disks...you just could of gotten 4x disks for the same price if you watch for the sales.

What sales are you talking about? I've been ordering online for about a year now and also check online prices weekly, but I have yet to see a sale for media.

Here are the sites that I normally check for media:
rima.com
supermediastore.com
allmediaoutlet.com
meritline.com

Are there other sites that might offer these sales that I am not aware of?

[defense]

@ Orbital...I wasn't referring to "online" sites. I am talking about Major retailers...and over the last two months almost all of them have had excellent sale prices on DVD media. The poster asked if they got a "good deal" .....my response was based on all QUALITY media prices. The price of $1.20 isn't bad for quality 2x media for "ONLINE" sites...unfortuantly for these online sites...their prices are remaining costant while the major retailers have one insane sale after the next.

IF you keep your eyes open you can get excellent quality 4x media for as low as $1.20 a piece. Best Buy two weeks ago had their Memorex 4x DVD+R ricoh manufactured media for $1.20 a piece. So you take that $1.20 vs. the $1.20 rvl spent online and it's obvious where the better deal is. Not only are you getting media which is twice as fast by going with the Memorex media..but you also don't have to pay shipping or even wait for the disks to arrive. You go in to the store, pay for them , and take them with you.

This is just ONE example of many...but the online sites had a nice advantage when their prices were lower on "non brand" name media because major retailers didn't carry it. But times are changing and if the online sites don't lower their dvd prices....they will just continue to lose business. I haven't purchased a single disk online for several months.

Why would I when I can get media twice as fast, better quality and get them without waiting for a LOWER PRICE? lol I believe I just named FOUR REASONS not to buy online right now...but I can come with more.

[rvl123]

@ Orbital...I wasn't referring to "online" sites. I am talking about Major retailers...and over the last two months almost all of them have had excellent sale prices on DVD media. The poster asked if they got a "good deal" .....my response was based on all QUALITY media prices. The price of $1.20 isn't bad for quality 2x media for "ONLINE" sites...unfortuantly for these online sites...their prices are remaining costant while the major retailers have one insane sale after the next.

IF you keep your eyes open you can get excellent quality 4x media for as low as $1.20 a piece. Best Buy two weeks ago had their Memorex 4x DVD+R ricoh manufactured media for $1.20 a piece. So you take that $1.20 vs. the $1.20 rvl spent online and it's obvious where the better deal is. Not only are you getting media which is twice as fast by going with the Memorex media..but you also don't have to pay shipping or even wait for the disks to arrive. You go in to the store, pay for them , and take them with you.

This is just ONE example of many...but the online sites had a nice advantage when their prices were lower on "non brand" name media because major retailers didn't carry it. But times are changing and if the online sites don't lower their dvd prices....they will just continue to lose business. I haven't purchased a single disk online for several months.

Why would I when I can get media twice as fast, better quality and get them without waiting for a LOWER PRICE? lol I believe I just named FOUR REASONS not to buy online right now...but I can come with more.

The beauty of the BeAlls is that I didn't buy online.

Notice I said "specialty computer store" which implies that I bought it in a store.

Also, I only bought 10 pieces. Heck, he woulda let me buy one if I wanted. Additionally, this isn't a sale price. This is his normal price, which will come down soon.

[defense]

The beauty of the BeAlls is that I didn't buy online.

Notice I said "specialty computer store" which implies that I bought it in a store.

Also, I only bought 10 pieces. Heck, he woulda let me buy one if I wanted. Additionally, this isn't a sale price. This is his normal price, which will come down soon.

It's good you were able to get these at a retail store...i'd be very concerned with the amount of phony media id's out there...these may very well be phony. Not saying they are...I guess you'll find out in time.

I understand those weren't a sale price either...but the point is that the amount of sales for 4x media being at the same price of those 2x Beall's is very likely. I suspect this weekend will have another nice sale on DVD media. If sales were few and far between I wouldn't even mention them. But they happen so often when you can get 4x media from TDK/MEMOREX/RICOH for $1.20-1.50 disk you gotta jump on a ton of it when you have the opportunity.

Hopefully your Bealls will be legit....keep us posted....maybe they'll be coming to a retailer near "us" soon.

[rvl123]

Damn!

I just tested my backup of a movie I compressed to 4400MB using DVD2One. It worked perfectly until you get to the end of the disc.

Then it gets all jittery and stuff. Then again, the same thing happened in some Fujis and Optos that I had earlier. In fact the only media that has been perfectly fine at 4400 were the TDKs that were on sale at Target earlier this summer. I think it's just that my Tosh DVD player is finicky.

Anyhow, I'll try again at 4300MB (which is what I used with the Fujis) and let you guys know how it goes.

[defense]

that sucks....as I said though..those disks may not be real Bealls. The Bealls that I used BOTH 2x and 4x were used with over 4.3 GB's of Data on all of them...and never had a single issue. They are right at the top with all the disks i've used. Could be phony manufacturer id's....well..you didn't get too many of them, right? Just use the ones you have and burn less then 4 GB's on them...you should be fine.

[rvl123]

Hey man,

One more thing

I took a look at some real Be-All media at rima (http://www.rima.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=R&Product_Code=1698-1...tegory_Code=GU)

The spindle looks the same and the DVD-Rs are stamped. (they look very legit)

Do media-ID thieves generally steal the spindle art as well as the media label?

Confused

Maybe you can shed some light...[/url]

[defense]

@rvl ....from what i've seen and read...it's usually just the media id which is stolen and used...not the spindle. How does your spindle look? I got 25 Beall DVD-R 2X disks from Meritline and they spindle is clear as well as the disks. I've also never had a single issue with any of them.

How does your spindle look...what does it say?

[rvl123]

@rvl ....from what i've seen and read...it's usually just the media id which is stolen and used...not the spindle. How does your spindle look? I got 25 Beall DVD-R 2X disks from Meritline and they spindle is clear as well as the disks. I've also never had a single issue with any of them.

How does your spindle look...what does it say?

The spindle is an exact duplicate of the spindle shown on the Rima site that I posted.

The guy who sold them to me opened a 50 pack and gave me individual pieces (10). I watched him do this.

The media itseld is white with a cool swirly thing in the center of the disc. It has a number on it as well (DVDR47-VDA). I would think that ID-hijackers would just have silver topped media. Though I have never bought DVD media without manuf. logos.

Anyways, let me know what you think...

[defense]

@rvl ...in that case I'd have to think you did get legit BeAlls. However, having the tops white or silver mean nothing. If a company is going to "hijack" as you call it..a media id...they can produce ink jet printable or non-ink jet printable disks...that really doesn't matter.

Anyway...it seems like you have legit BeAlls...but here's what I suspect. I honestly believe the quality of your BeAlls isn't as solid as those being sold online. I'd have to also wonder why your local retailer has these disks and nobody else does. Here's my hunch...the BeAlls that your local retailer purchased may not of met certain Quality Control standards for sale to sites like Rima and Meritline.

The reason I say this is because it's happened with other disks for many people...and take a look at all the BeAll posts. YOu'll see that those BeAlls are considered among the most solid of all DVD-/+R disks.

People just burn those with a variety of burners and don't have issues. Your disks have freezing issues at the end.....this is due to bad media. Without actually being in these manufacturing plants noone can say for sure how it works...but I've spent countless hours with countless types of media and countless more hours researching..and i'm getting the picture clearer and clearer as to the entire DVD MEDIA PRODUCTION PROCESS.

Good thing for you...you only got 10. Watch out for the next major retailer sale...and jump on a large quantity when the sale happens. As for your other Bealls...just make sure you don't use them for anything over 4 gb's..and you should be smooth sailing with the remaining disks.

[freestyler]

I can't wait til the day you get 10 discs for $1.20. How many years do you think it'll be guys, 3-4 years? I remember back in 1998 paying a dollar per cdr... now they're down to like what, 15 cents a piece sometimes? I bought a spindle of 50 cdrs the other night for about 8 bux, not bad at all since I'm just using em to burn whatever general stuff I need recorded quickly

[FulciLives]

How goes it with the BeAll discs you bought?

You said you were going to try 4300MB as a target size. Did you try that and if so how is it playing?

If it makes you feel any better I have heard that many TOSHIBA brand DVD players have trouble with DVD recordables.

Also what brand/model/make of DVD Burner are you using and are you burning at 1x or 2x speed?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[rvl123]

How goes it with the BeAll discs you bought?

You said you were going to try 4300MB as a target size. Did you try that and if so how is it playing?

If it makes you feel any better I have heard that many TOSHIBA brand DVD players have trouble with DVD recordables.

Also what brand/model/make of DVD Burner are you using and are you burning at 1x or 2x speed?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

They work perfect at 4300MB.

I am using a Pioneer 104 with 1.4 hacked firmware and burning at 2x.

I think I'll go get some more when I run out.

[FulciLives]

They work perfect at 4300MB.

I am using a Pioneer 104 with 1.4 hacked firmware and burning at 2x.

I think I'll go get some more when I run out.

Thanks for the info.
I'm torn over getting the new PIONEER 106/A06 (probably the 106 due to it being cheaper) or just sticking with what I have now.

I thought the PIONEER DVD burners could only do 1x burning on the BeAll discs whereas my PANASONIC does 2x on them.

Maybe your PIONEER can do it because of the hacked firmware?

If I do end up buying the 106 I will have to sell my PANNY DVD burner but I would like the ability to burn at 4x (when I feel like buying more expensive media) and the +R option is nice since I have some people that ask me to transfer VHS to DVD but a couple have DVD players that don't like DVD-R but like DVD+R.

But I'd hate to get the 106 and loose 2x burning on the cheaper BeAll discs.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[orbital517]

I'm looking to get a spindle of Bealls but would like to know how the quality of the disks are. Are they as good or better than Ritek G03 disks? Or are they more along the lines of Princo, Optodisk, etc..?

Also, are the Bealls made by Samsung?

[rvl123]

I'm looking to get a spindle of Bealls but would like to know how the quality of the disks are. Are they as good or better than Ritek G03 disks? Or are they more along the lines of Princo, Optodisk, etc..?

Also, are the Bealls made by Samsung?

BeAlls are suppposedly one of the best cash to quality ratios out there.

As with all media, I will always say that you should get whatever works well for you.

For me, Optodisc worked great.

And yes, BeAll is made by Samsung.

[Saminai]

I've just been buying RItek's from online stores for several months now. But after reading this thread, I guess its time to visit some of my local stores! I gave up on them last year because they never carried DVD-R's. I remember visiting Fry's Electronics and they had a DVD-R for $75 bucks!!! i'm not even kidding! I couldn't believe the price tag I think it was the initial price when it was a brand new technology.