Should I get branded or unbranded media

[troyvcd1]

I remember a while back there was a big "discussion" about ordering branded or unbranded dvd media. I look at sites like meritline and rima and all the media seems to be unbranded. Is this media branded or not. It is hard to tell by looking at the pictures. Also is there the truth to the theory that you should buy branded media because it can become scratched through from the top (un burnt on side).

[garryheather]

Quite often the two are the same ! Look at all the posts in these forums regarding media codes and you will see what I mean.

There are relatively few real manufacturers of media, but anyone can buy a load and take it to their local printers and have their own "brand" slapped on the top.

CD-R media is easier to scratch on the top than DVD-/+R media, which suffers more for distortion in the recording layer due to the polycarbonate distorting. So don't worry too much about the surface unless you regularly drop things on them or leave heavy objects with protruding parts on them.