DVD–R with Verbatim question

[LT9000]

Hey you guys who burn DVD–R with Verbatim, is there anything more specific to look for in getting the best Verbatim media? Such as location or numbers on the label to look for to get the best Verbatims? (I’m not talking about rated burn speeds here) Or are all Verbatims of the same quality? Reason I ask BB has a spindle of 50 for 15 bucks. Over to the side they have ones with movie reel packaging on them that are more expensive. Any difference?

Secondly, the burn speeds in this $50 for 15 stack they have vary from max 4X to max 16X. My external LG GSA 2166d (connected via USB 2) claims a max of 16X DVD-R. I have been burning successfully Sony Japan DVD-R (TY) 1X thru 8X media at 4X so far with good results. What speed would you recommend picking out of the bunch? (No brainer for the 16X?)

Thanks for any input.

[LT9000]

Forgot to mention I'm talking single layer on all this.

[LT9000]

Anybody? Are all Verbatims of the same quality?

[Treebeard]

Im assuming this is the media at BB thats on sale, only 16x media in the database. read here -> https://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia.php?selectmedia=2986#comments

[ROF]

The only thing I look for is brand name and speed. If it's not 16x I gnore it unless it's 8x which is on sale for a great price. If brand X is on sale at a great price I'll buy it. If it don't work I'll either return it or give it away to someone else. There are some people who only buy made in Japan discs which is great because these people leave plenty of excellent media on the shelf for me to buy.

[Noahtuck]

I picked up two 50 packs of the -R yesterday at BB and they have the MCC code which is considered 1st rate according to www.nomorecoasters.com along with the MKM double layer verbatims.

I used to use verbatim exclusively and never had a problem with them.
Sony anything, never happen just out of principle (nothing to do with their copy protection, been that way for 20 years because of their two faced standards & crappy merchandise)

And name brand does not always mean good media 8)

[jman98]

I don't know of a way to tell exactly where your Verbatim discs were made without opening the package, but I only buy Verbatim now and I've never had any problems with them. All of their media is the most reliable I have ever used. With regards to the Movie Reel DVDs, I think you are paying only for the look of the label side of the DVD. It probably costs more to make that movie reel look. I don't think there is any difference in quality. These days all Verbatim media seems to be high quality, but my understanding was that in the past they briefly switched to another manufacturer they don't use anymore and there were some quality problems.

[LT9000]

Im assuming this is the media at BB thats on sale, only 16x media in the database. read here -> https://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia.php?selectmedia=2986#comments

Yes, but they have 4x, 8x, and 16x all mixed in. Although my LG is supposed to burn at 16x for dvd-r, I'm not sure I should go for the 16x since I've heard people have had problems with that media where they weren't with 8x.

[OneSickPup]

Im assuming this is the media at BB thats on sale, only 16x media in the database. read here -> https://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia.php?selectmedia=2986#comments

Yes, but they have 4x, 8x, and 16x all mixed in. Although my LG is supposed to burn at 16x for dvd-r, I'm not sure I should go for the 16x since I've heard people have had problems with that media where they weren't with 8x.

Just my 2 cents but I would avoid the movie reel stuff for two primary reasons: 1) It normally is way overpriced. 2) I hate trying to write with a Sharpie on the stupid Movie Reel side of disc.

You are in the US so identifying what you want is easy. Verbatim only distributes Made in Taiwan MCC coded media in the US. None from India (Moser Bauer). Anything packaged as 8x (MCC 02RG20) or 16x (MCC 03RG20) with a Verbatim DataLifePlus or just Verbatim labeling will do fine. Those two media codes assume DVD-R media. I have an LG 4167B and burn both MCC 03RG20 and it's DVD+R counterpart MCC..004 at 16x with no problem. I must admit that I am not familiar with your LG model. I do burn the MCC 03RG20's in an older Pioneer DVR108 at 12x with great results as well. Good luck.

[Gen-An]

The 2166/4166 seems to do very well with MCC004 at full speed, judging by error rate scans I've seen on CD Freaks.

[LT9000]

The 2166/4166 seems to do very well with MCC004 at full speed, judging by error rate scans I've seen on CD Freaks.

Here we are with those numbers after the MCC (004). "onesickpup" listed numbers after the MCC too. Do I need to be concerned with all that or not? Can somebody explain what these numbers mean?

[OneSickPup]

The 2166/4166 seems to do very well with MCC004 at full speed, judging by error rate scans I've seen on CD Freaks.

Here we are with those numbers after the MCC (004). "onesickpup" listed numbers after the MCC too. Do I need to be concerned with all that or not? Can somebody explain what these numbers mean?

Sorry - We DVD Freaks (or is it Geeks) talk in terms of media codes. These are not visible anywhere on the packaging or face of the dvd. With software like Nero CD-DVD Speed (and others), you can query to find out this media code (also referred to as a MID). You need not worry about these codes if purchasing genuine Verbatim DVD's in the United States.

Almost forgot: Gen-An mentioned the LG 2166/4166. Did not realize they were the same family of drives. The LG 4166 has posted very impressive results with 16x DVD+R Verbatim media according to several people who post regularly over at CDFreaks.com. I'm sure the dvd-r's would do very well also. Heard many good things about the 4166.

[ntscuser]

I buy Verbatim DVD-R X16 (inkjet printables) in spindles of 25. I often use TmpgEnc DVD Author to burn and the max write speed sometimes drops to 12X. Apart from that I've had no problems. My current DVD writer is a NEC 3520 which is famously reliable. I think you get more consistent performance with smaller (and more expensive) packs of discs.

[lordsmurf]

MCC is all good media, period.

The "numbers" (like 004) are the generation (speed rating). MCC02RG20, for example, is 8x DVD-R. And MCC03RG20 is 16x DVD-R.

Except for some 2x stuff in about 2002-2003, all Verbatim has been MCC. Most people don't realize that Verbatim is a subsidiary company owned by Mitsubishi, the "M" in MCC and MKM. It's only logical that Verbatim would use MCC and MKM for all of their media.

[chas0039]

MCC is all good media, period.

.

Not quite. The MCC 004 made in India by MBI has a real problem of using the MCC 004 media id and yet not following the same specifications as the CMC and Prodisc MCC 004. This causes some really bad burns. While the media may be "good" if the media code is wrong for the firmware write strategy, it is poor.

Also, while MCC 02RG20 and MCC 03RG20 are good media, they result in different burns depending on the drive you use and the speed you use. MCC 03RG20 does much better on new Liteons at 8X while doing very well on some LG burners at 12X.

Lastly, most 16X MCC 004 does much better at 12X. The exception is my LG 4166 where it is better at 16X than at 12X. Also, my 4570 barely turns out a playable burn at any speed. I am sure this will be fixed in future firmware versions.

While MCC may be good, there are many normal applications where the average user will get less than good results.

[lordsmurf]

I've yet to see any "made in India" media inside the USA, so I tend to forget it even exists. But for the most part, MBI's MCC clone media has historically been pretty good (MBI01RG20, for example, was just as good as MCC01RG20). It seems MBI can now use the MCC ID too, for this.

I'd suggest the deeper issue is not so much the media as it is burn speed. 16x discs ... ALL 16X DISCS .... are really pushing it. Your better burns will come from 4x-8x burn speeds, maybe 12x depending on the drives.

We've started to hit the problem CD did back in the early 2000s, where the speed ratings and burn speed was becoming an issue. It's not so much that the discs are not good, but rather than physics has its limits. Just how fast can you spin a disc and expect it to stay perfectly flat to write data in microscopic grooves?

[oldfart13]

I've seen it in Canada...Kodak used have "Made In India" on their paper label. I'm going to take a run up to The Source (formerly Radio Shack in Canada) and check out some of the off brands for where they are made then pick up some Verbatims if they are still on sale ($19CAD/50)...

[xSimonx]

I use Verbatim, burned 200 plus already, and never had any problem 8x DVD-R MCC

[handyguy]

A long time ago Verbs used another forumla, but they have since put in the right formula. Their media is great & I buy it as long as it has their name on the top.

[FulciLives]

I have used the Verbatim 16x DVD-R discs and I always burn them at 4x (if multi-tasking) or 6x (if away from the computer). I think it makes a difference not to burn them "too fast". So far I've had ZERO problems with them ... very excellent and as good as Taiyo Yuden ... which is saying something!

When I do use Taiyo Yuden I still buy the 8x DVD-R discs (not the 16x DVD-R discs) and I always burn those at 4x with great results.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[chas0039]

I have used the Verbatim 16x DVD-R discs and I always burn them at 4x (if multi-tasking) or 6x (if away from the computer). I think it makes a difference not to burn them "too fast". So far I've had ZERO problems with them ... very excellent and as good as Taiyo Yuden ... which is saying something!

When I do use Taiyo Yuden I still buy the 8x DVD-R discs (not the 16x DVD-R discs) and I always burn those at 4x with great results.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

You should be aware that many discs do not burn better at lower speeds. Many are actually worse. The only way to detemine this is by scanning.