Keep Cendyne (A04) or go for A05/Sony - Media Price Compared

[bumblebe]

Just got on the OM $179 deal, but didn't get an A05 like others
It's a bit annoying to not get the best possible product but I'm still tempted to keep it, if only because it seems that ther x4 media doesn't really exist and will probably be super expensive anyway for a long time. Speed is good but since it seems a lot of people are still using the -R x1 media anyway....

I'm wondering:
1) What's the best cheapest and cheapest -R x1 media?
2) What's the best cheapest and cheapest -R x2 media?
3) What's the best cheapest and cheapest -R x4 media?
4) What's the best cheapest and cheapest -RW x1 media?
5) What's the best cheapest and cheapest -RW x2 media?

On allmediaoutlet.com I found (quantity of 50):
1) Cheapest -R x1: $0.75 (Princo)
2) Cheapest -R x2: $1.12 (No Name) - $0.91 (Ritek from meritline.com)
3) Cheapest -R x4: $3.29 (Ritek from meritline.com)
4) Cheapest -RW x1: $0.95 (Princo)
5) Cheapest -RW x2: not available

So based on this quick reserach can't see a very good reason to get an A05 at least in the near term.

Can someone add to this? The 2x Riteks sure look interesting!

[bumblebe]

Found some more info burried inthe threads...this is exhausting!
It seems the Princo's have a terrible reputation, so I guess the Ritek's are looking like a good option now!
Are there any others that have been know to work consistently at x2 ?

[musher70]

been using the white princo's and they seem to
never fail to burn, like the plastic top also,im sure
if you experiment u might find others,but why?

flash the 104 with better firmware,and 104 will burn
at 2x with any media,using nero i have no issues....

[bumblebe]

so you've found the Princo's to burn reliably at 2x with an A04 and a modded FW? That's good to hear!
By white do you mean these:
http://www.allmediaoutlet.com/P-DVDR-4.7-GENPrinco.html
or others ?

[mysterio1]

I just ordered some Riteks I dont trust princo from what I heard in here.

[bumblebe]

the 2x Ritek's, they sure look like a good deal.
It's hard to sort through all the reports though! The Princo's seem to work fine for some people...

[ImaWeTodd]

I have a 104 FW 1.31. I ordered 100 primedisc from $0.87 each, and free shipping.

http://www.shop4tech.com/user.htm?go=view_item&id=378&cata=&s_cata=

I expected to get .B...@....P..7.. which seem to have had great comments in the DVD Media list.

However they shipped me 4x25 spindles of .B...@....P..Y.. , which had not so great comments.

The good news is so far I have had Zero problems. For 2x DVD-Rs, this seems to be a great deal!

[bumblebe]

These seem to be the Ritek's so I guess it's normal you're happy with them since they are rated at 2x.
Do they only work with 1.31 though. What happens if you use the hacked 1.32 or 1.33 that allow 2x speeds?

[flashbastard]

I have been using the Legacy 1x media and it works consitently well for $70 for a 100 pack. I stick by Legacy, they burn at 2x just as good.

[bumblebe]

and where does one find the "legacy" ?

[dc91gt]

Well the real question is:

what 2X media is both reliable (burning) and playback.. and none of that
goes blocky towards the outsides of the disk crap.

this seems to be the question right up there with the meaning of life, and the answer isn't 42.

-d

[bumblebe]

hehe...good point!
It seems the 2x Ritek might be a good start no? Haven't seen any bad reports yet on the A04, not sure about the A-5 though.

[ImaWeTodd]

bumblebe

Do they only work with 1.31 though. What happens if you use the hacked 1.32 or 1.33 that allow 2x speeds?

So far they work well with 1.31 ~ 25min a disk. From what I've read, they do not work with the normal 1.32 or 1.33. But why upgrade the FW if 1.31 works like a charm? Maybe it's me. After all I am sitting next to a P90 that I find useful almost weekly.