Are Mitsubishi "Coated" media more durable?

[snoutmeat]

My friend has a 3-year old who tends to scratch up DVDs, and in my experience, DVD-R discs are even less tolerant of scratches than commercial DVDs. On those "hot deals" sites, I often see deals on "coated" Mitsubishi media. Unfortunately, I can't find a review on this media anywhere -- either here in the forums, in the media section, or anywhere else on the Web. Does anyone out there have experience with this "coated" media? Is it really any different than the Riteks I'm using now? Is it more durable?

Thank you in advance.

[Bob W]

They may be more durable than standard media however I doubt they are 3-year old safe.

[lordsmurf]

Don't let the kid handle DVDs. Kinda stupid, isn't it?

[Josef K]

I recommend, in this order:

• 1. High shelf to store your DVDs
  
  2. Child supervision.
  
  3. Child-sized irremovable mittens.
  
  4. Leather straps and, if need be, muzzle .

Three-year-olds tend to chew anything...

[kcfoulk]

I often see deals on "coated" Mitsubishi media

Do you mean the TDK Armor Plated media (or labeled as "Extra Hard" in Japan)?

http://www.cdrlabs.com/articles/index.php?articleid=23

[Jerry]

Hi,

I bought the "Mitsubishi coated" inkjet printables from Esbuy.com. To me they're not any more "durable". I usually use Riteks and will probably go back to them. My last order of Riteks weren't as good as they had been, maybe just a bad batch.

Jerry

[snoutmeat]

I probably should have gone into more detail -- they record kid's TV shows (Little Bear, etc) onto tapes now, but he just got a DVD burner and I was planning to show him how to transfer shows from his ReplayTV to DVD. The kid likes to choose tapes and operate the VCR by himself, and I thought it would be nice if he could do the same thing with his DVDs. I've seen the destruction a 3-year-old can cause, so I was thinking that it would be nice to have discs that were a little more durable than the regular DVD-R disc, and I'd thought that I read something about super-tough discs. I think I must have read about the "armor-plated" discs, and then when I saw the ads for "coated" Mitsubishi, I assumed these were the same thing. Looks like the "armor-plated" discs are the ones I want...thanks to those who've reported back. Doesn't sound like the Mitsus are any more durable than the Riteks I'm using now -- makes me wonder why they're called "coated"........

[Josef K]

Child with VHS = happy?
Child with DVD = happy?

I'd suggest that a three-year-old wouldn't give a damn what format his TV shows came on - as long as he/she can still see the all-singing, all-dancing purple dinosaur, etc. I'd suggest further that you advise your friend of this and to just leave the situation as-is. If you think how soon they grow up, then the shows he will spend so much time converting/authoring will be soon outgrown by the 'next big thing' in children's television and your friend will have to convert the next batch, ad infinitum.

In my opinion - it's not worth the hassle for two reasons:

DVDs are so easily made useless that you'd end up reverting to the original tapes once the backups are destroyed.

Tapes are so much more durable that you'd more likely trust little grubby hands with them.

Remember, there's a reason why they didn't shout about DVDs being able to withstand any kind of abuse like they did with CDs back in the 80s.

[phelix]

Also, a DVD could become quite dangerous if the kid managed to break one in half.

Stick with VHS. (I can't believe I just said that )

[lordsmurf]

The kid likes to choose tapes and operate the VCR by himself, .

What the kid wants is immaterial. A 3-year-old can't be trusted with anything ... VHS/DVD/dog/toy/etc. Too many parents let the kids run the house.

Anyway, to answer your question, not really. They're meant to be more durable, not child-proof.

Here's better advice for your friend: if the kid ever decided to chew on the tape or the dvd, and he ingested the HAZARDOUS chemicals, he'd be planning a funeral for junior, not a new tape/disc. If touching with fingers then sticking them in your mouth will make you sicker than you can imagine. At least wait until he's 6 or so, and has learned to not eat everything and wash hands.

[snoutmeat]

I still think DVDs are better in this case, and for several reasons:

The parents are both psychology professors, and they're testing some unique theories in raising him. He's on his own most of the time -- no adults helping, though they're constantly watching through one-way mirrors and video cameras. He's expected to be self-reliant, and he's doing a great job -- of course, he can't get into any real harm, because he's being watched by at least one parent (and sometimes grad students, too) at all times.

So far, he hasn't shown any tendency to eat the videotapes, nor to shatter a DVD. In fact, he's done just fine with the kitchen knife he uses to make his own sandwiches.

I think the DVDs will work out better because he likes to pause the action on some of the shows he watches (for whatever reason, he really enjoys cop dramas), and pausing is clearer/more durable on DVD than on tape.

In addition, his parents bought one of those camcorders that records directly to DVD, and they use it to tape themselves reading him stories, singing songs, etc (things he can watch to create the bond with the parents virtually, even though they're not in the room). They already have this camcorder, and they're already using it to burn DVDs for their son, but they were hoping to record to a medium that's a little more scratch-resistant. If those armor-plated discs don't work out, then they may have to revert to videotape.

Thanks for your input!

[Josef K]

...psychology professors, and they're testing some unique theories in raising him... ...constantly watching through one-way mirrors and video cameras.

Gosh! Why do I have the sudden urge to watch Raising Cain...

[TheFamilyMan]

Poor kid...what a miserable way to be "raised" by your parents.

Is this for real????