Matrix Media latest formula's updated

[defense]

As I mentioned in a previous post....shop4techs Matrix disk formula has been updated again. Also, since November 6th, one of the formulas being produced by Matrix once again has the long..ten id. However, there are various differences between the 1st gen long..ten disks and the most current formula. The most noticeable difference is the fact that I am 11 out of 11 with both formulas thus far. The long..ten formula as well as the YiJhan formula. The YiJhan media id is as follows:

00000000 00 6A 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 52 00 02 87 0E 15 .j...@....R.....
00000010 98 9A 90 00 03 59 69 20 4A 68 61 00 04 6E 20 30 .....Yi Jha..n 0
00000020 30 31 00 00 05 CC C0 00 00 00 01 00 06 0B 10 11 01..............


There are 3 different plants where these Matrix disks are now being produced.... 2 of them are in Taiwain and the 3rd is in Hong Kong. The two formulas I am currently testing are from the Taiwainese plants. I will have some from the Hong Kong plant some time next week.

The first thing to understand is that the long..ten id is compatible with most drives.... the Pioneer drives, Sony drives, NEC DRIVES, and TDK DRIVES...as well as most others. The JIYHAN disks are NOT as compatible and are not for the NEC or TDK burners as of yet. They are a newer formula variation of the Matrix disks and they are very compatible with both Pioneer and Sony drives....but not many others at this particular point in time.

Another positive to note is that the physical appearance of the disks is much better then the other versions. The dye from the write side to the sides is very clean and neat. I have also burned both disks for a total of 22 out of 22 @4x with my SONY DRU-510A. Both disks also have
DVD-R 4X inscribed on the inner, write side hub. The earlier gen. disks had some IFP inscribing. The difference between the numbers on the inner hub from the YIJHAN disks and the LONG..TEN Matrix disks are that the YIJHAN etching is DVD-R4X and the numbers are YJ-920918A while the LONG..TEN disks are DVD-R 4X 4XlM9209009

Bottom line is that these disks are far superior to the early generation disks. If these tests continue as positive as they are...I may even be able to use a few of these for myself.....as opposed to just dumping them like I did the first generation disks. I threw out around 60-70 disks....I could of probably sold them on EBAY but didn't even think about it until I already dumped them..and I probably wouldn't of gotten more then $30 for them anyway...with shipping and the hassle..the garbage was the best place for them.

I'll update this post as I continue to test ...and i'm interested in seeing how the Hong Kong manufactured disks measure up as they are apparently of even better quality.

[Faustus]

Very good news, I have a question.

Is the center part of the hub on these disc still thinner then other DVD-rs? I always found it funny that because of that they stuck together so easy.

[defense]

Very good news, I have a question.

Is the center part of the hub on these disc still thinner then other DVD-rs? I always found it funny that because of that they stuck together so easy.

Actually..I never paid much attention to that..because the only time I had these disks stick together was when I got the 25 HQ's from meritline. Although..the first batch from shop4tech was terrible as well..they never stuck together...at least not on me.

I'm convinced the ones in Hong Kong are the highest quality. It's tough to know what you're gonna get..but that's great to know that the formula continues to constantly be improved. That goes with what was said initially when these disks were introduced. I just took a Ritek G04 and compared it's center hub with both of these Matrix disks and they are the same size....so I guess that's changed for the better too.

[jbenj01]

defense-- thanks for the research/info.. Couple of questions:

1. How do you get the disc media ID ?

2. Which are better --> HQ or Matrix ?? I have both, but I have mixed them up and can't tell which is which..

3. And, which b/t HQ vs. Matrix is more compatible with stand-alone DVD players? I've been having problems with most recent batch of burns and cannot tell if they're the HQ's or the Matrix. Thanks.

I just bought a 100-spindle of 4x dics for .59cents each ($59) about 1 or 2 months back.. But I CAN'T remember which brand these are, nor can i remember from where i purchased.. Is ther anyone else here that bought these?? if so, what brand and from where??

Thanks.

[defense]

@ jbenj01 , go to the tools section of the forum...search for a tool called "DVDINFO" and D/L it. Put the blank disk in your writer and hit the info button. You will see the media id. From the drop down box on the right..select "show complete media id." And hit the info button again. You'll have the entire id.

As far as the HQ disks....they are worthless. It's been mentioned numerous times before...those are the 1st generation long..ten disks and they are horrible. I ended up throwing mine out because every other disk had some type of burn error..and even the ones that did burn were "iffy" in terms of SKIPPING. If they burned correctly...the chances of skipping during playback was VERY HIGH. I ended up dumping all the 1st gen disks I had..somewhere around 60-70.

It is POSSIBLE that meritline has the 2nd or 3rd gen disks now..but highly doubtful..because the last post I read ..the poster linked the media id of the first gen disks. So basically..to answer your question..the Matrix disks are better because they have constantly been updated and improved. I'm definitely a believer now..because I've seen first hand the continuous improvements of this media from day 1 until current. I'm still testing...when i'm finished I'll give my overall results.

If you have any other questions...ask away.

[jbenj01]

defense-- sorry to do this to ya'..

Media 1:
00000000 00 6C 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 52 00 02 F7 0E 0B .l...@....R.....
00000010 77 88 70 00 03 4C 4F 4E 47 54 45 00 04 4E 20 30 w.p..LONGTE..N 0
00000020 30 31 00 00 05 AA A2 22 22 20 01 00 06 0B 0F 12 01....."" ......

Media 2:
00000000 00 6C 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 52 00 02 F7 0E 0B .l...@....R.....
00000010 77 88 70 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 00 00 00 w.p.............
00000020 00 00 00 00 05 AA A2 22 22 20 01 00 06 0B 0F 12 ......."" ......

Media 3:
00000000 00 6C 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 52 00 02 87 0E 15 .l...@....R.....
00000010 98 9A 90 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 00 00 00 ................
00000020 00 00 00 00 05 CC C0 00 00 00 01 00 06 0B 10 11 ................


I just bought Media 3 for $59 (4x, 100-spindle).. OK, which media above is Matrix and how do i identify the "good" vs. the "bad & ugly".. ? Do you recognize the other 2?

[defense]

@ jbenj01 ....due to the fact that the disks are manufactured in 3 different plants..the media id's are only part of the equation in determining which of the Matrix disks are solid and which aren't. It may seem crazy, but in actuality, many media manufacturers have numerous manufacturer id's and production plants globally. Verbatim is one of those companies where you can purchase some DVDR media and have it be manufactured by one of 7 or 8 different corps.

The most updated formulas are the ones I listed in this thread, however, you can still have some good media. The only way you'll find out is what your overall results with them are. So burn away and let us know.

My hunch is that all the Hong Kong Matrix media is of a higher quality then that of the taiwainese plants. I will have some of the Hong Kong media here next week to test and i'll see if i'm right. Several months ago when I got some samples...one spindle had absolutely horrific results, while the second spindle had 100% perfect burns and perfect playback. So i'll see this week.

[jbenj01]

I haven't burned any of Media 3 yet.. But Media 1 & 2 are Matrix and HQ, but NOT respectively b/c i failed to make note of which was which when i first purchased (threw away boxes and receipts).

But i can tell you this, I have a Sony DVP-NS700P and had fairly good results with both.. BUT.. i just installed a new Momitsu V880 DVD player and NEITHER media work in the new player! The V880 is very finicky and still needs firmware updates, i believe.. But get this, i still have an old batch of Ritek G03's, which play flawless in the V880.. but they're only 1x..

for testing purposes, i backed up T3 on Media 1, 2 and the Riteks.. Media 1 and 2 failed in the V880 but the Ritek played flawlessly.. Again, it could be the V880 causing this problem because Media 1 and 2 played fairly well in the Sony NS700P..

[defense]

@ jbenj01, if you get a chance, keep this post updated with your results from the media you've burned. That stinks that you mixed up the spindles. I have sticky's on each of my spindles so I know which is which. It's too easy to confuse them.

Now as far as my results go....I am thoroughly impressed with the Matrix improvements as mentioned before. One thing i've noticed is that with the most recent formulas....I don't get any coasters. I did, however, get some playback and skip issues with the JIYHAN Matrix formula....I made shop4tech aware...and they guaranteed that the JiYhan disks will NOT be shipped when someone orders the Matrix disks. They will continuously be improved just like the Matrix disks...until it ulitmately becomes perfected.

So noone will get these JiYhan disks...at least from what I was told. The long..ten media id's are the best. These Matrix disks will have the "MATRIX" name inscribed into them with the next formula which should be one of the last due to the fact that it has become a very solid, stable disk.

I am also impressed with how well the NEC 1300A drive burns these disks...among many others. I got a good deal on this NEC drive..so i'm using it along with my SONY DRU-510A to test different media and see which media burns best in both drives. It also benefits me..because I can use the NEC drive half of the time and the SONY the other half...so that I don't wear out the lasers as fast on either drive.

The NEC drive is much lighter and manufactured much cheaper then is the SONY...it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out....but i'm very impressed with the NECs ability to burn. I've noticed the NECs burn light indicator stays solid as opposed to the Sony's burn process which fluctuates along with the hard drive. Different burners...different processes...just interesting to see. But the NEC appears thus far to be worth the money...and it seems to really like these long..ten disks.

I guess long..ten/Matrix is becoming a player...because when I went to upgrade my NEC-1300A with firmware 1.08 (came with 1.07) I saw that Long..Ten was one of the media added to the NEC database. Here is the link to the latest update: http://www.cdfreaks.com/drive/firmware/809

If you click on the link..just make sure you hit "skip this ad" in the upper right corner, and it will take you directly there.

You can clearly see that Long..ten has been added to the list of media for the NEC-1300A.

So as I mentioned....it's clear that Long..ten has really started to establish itself very nicely. It's been pretty amazing to see the process go from the 1st generation...to improvements every generation thereafter....to where it is now.

Hopefully long..ten will get a heads up on "dual layer" media...and be the first with the lowest prices on dual layer media..just as they were the first to offer 4x media at under $1.00. It will be very interesting to see.

[Faustus]

Good to see the NEC thing. Based on the results of the last 25 matrix I purchased (split a 25 pack with a friend) I'm very impressed, I agree about the dual layer disc thing, it would be nice to have a decent option from the start.

[dmagic1]

@defense

I've read some of your comments about other media such as Ritek and Optodisc. How do these Matrix disk compare to Optodisc? Just tring to make up my mind about which to order.

I use a Plextor 708a now mostly because my SonyDRU500 hasnt burned any disk at 4x I've tried(except some crappy Sonix).

[Faustus]

Optodisc are ok, the only problem I've found is out of the ones my friends and myself have had we got a few bad batches. Other then that I'd say that the matrix I've used are on par or even a little better as far as DVD/CD Speed results.

Only time will tell how good they are over all, but based on my current batch and test batch I think I'll be buying more.

[defense]

@dmagic1, as flaystus said...Optodiscs are ok...they were actually great for me..but more recently..they have had some internal issues and as a result..some poor media has been released. The Matrix disks have been pleasantly improving from day one as I've mentioned...and yes...you'd be fine using them.

Right now at this point..the Matrix disks are more consistent then the Opto's. As long as nothing changes..which is highly unlikely....then they are definitely worth the price.

[dmagic1]

Sorry to bump an old topic.

Does anyone have any idea of the quality of the Matrix DVD+R media? I have heard that this media could be written at 8x with the right firmware for the Plextor.

[doublejack]

I apologize for unearthing an old topic but I wanted to share my experience. Based on the positive feedback of the poster 'defense', and one or two others, I purchased a 100 spindle of the Matrix brand DVDs from Shop4Tech. They cost $69 including shipping. They arrived with the LONG..TEN media code, but with no indication on the packaging as to where they were made.

First off, as touted they do burn with good reliability. I've used about 50 of the discs so far and have zero coasters. Most of the discs have been burned to full capacity too. So on this front I'm quite happy.

When I test the discs using DVDInfoPro the results I get show the discs are flawless. I mean no read errors, results you'd expect to see from a Ritek or Richo and not from a cheappie disc. Again I am pleased.

I have a LG 4040B drive and use Nero and other programs to burn, and the Matrix discs consistently write at 4x with no problem.

Playback on PC DVD drives is perfect, including the 4040B and an 8x DVD-ROM I mainly use for ripping. Using PowerDVD there was no skipping, pixelating, etc.

Now the bad part: The discs play for crap in many stand-alone DVD players. My main player is a Norcent DP311. That player has accepted most of what I've thrown at it including some questionable media like CMC media code Verbatims. But half of the Matrix discs behave so badly they simply won't play, they skip from chapter to chapter only playing a second or two of each one. The other half that does play has frequent skipping and pixelation all throughout and are totally unwatchable. Sometimes they even freeze.

I have tried playing these discs in players made by Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic, Pyle and Initial all with similar results. In fact, there is but one stand-alone player out of the dozen I've tried which will play these discs flawlessly, and that is my brother's Apex which will literally play anything.

So my conclusion is yes the Matrix media will burn reliably, and yes the discs are of good quality if you consider error-free to be good quality. But these are really hard discs for stand-alone players to read and thus are virtually useless to me. I recommend anyone considering this media to spend a little more money and buy some Riteks instead which don't have the readability issues Matrix does.

[dmagic1]

I too have had the same playback problems after trying them. I thought I would get some good media after reading this topic but just wasn't the case. I have a Sony DRU500a, a Plextor 708, and a Lite-On 811. All have the same results burning to them. I even tried to burn at 2x to get better result and that only improved them slightly. I've had playback problems on every DVD player I tried except my Pioneer 5 disk. I ran the disc in KProbe and got huge readings. Even trying to copy the contents of the disk back to the harddrive will sometime slow and have to retry on parts.