What DVD-R should I use for my business?

[SoCalMK]

I run an internet cafe and we allow customers to do dvd backups and we also do VHS to DVD conversions. Up until a couple of months ago I was using Ritek G04's for myself and all my customers without problems. But since then I have gotten nothing but Power Calibration Error on virtually every disc and have only been able to burn at 2x, sometimes even 1x! I am at a loss as to what to do? Can anyone suggest a different brand of DVD-R's and an online retailer where I might get them at a reasonable price. I know that many love Taiyo Yuden, but I a bit constrained by a budget and do not want to go that high in price. Any help that can be offered will be greatly appreciated.

Just an afterthought, but I sometimes think the problem might be the type of Riteks that I am using or perhaps the online retailer I am getting them from. I use the Riteks with the shiny silver top and the purple dye bottom and purchase them from www.blank-cd-cdr.com. If anyone else has used Riteks of a different kind or used a different retailer and have had better results than me I would appreciate your input as well.

[Neminat0R]

Maybe your burner is on its way out, try another one.

[SoCalMK]

Thank you for you input but I don't think the burner is the problem since I've had the occassion to borrow more expensive and reliable discs from my friends and they work perfectly. But as I stated before I don't want to pay for brands such as Taiyo Yuden because I am working on a budget. So I am looking for discs that would be cost effective for me and also reliable for my customers. Once again, any help that can be offered will be greatly appreciated.

[glockjs]

i prefer maxell 4x -r mxlrg02. best you can buy on the store shelf(well i'll take that back, one of the best...no reason to start flamewarIXXX on this subject) if you can find those at a good price i highly recomend. ritekG04 are supposed to very good though, maybe you just got a bad batch? or maybe a fake batch?

got a bad batch, i meant got...grrrr got got got...ok got it

[Supreme2k]

Post your specs (or the specs of the cafe PC) so we can make a better judgement. I know that some burners are picky about media.

You may want to test the discs. Try them on your friend's burner and see if he gets the same errors/problems.

Also, you say "up until a couple of months ago, I was using Ritek...", but what are you using now?

I've been really happy with Rima.com and Prodisc.

And glockjs, unless you live in Japan, I don't think you're finding the "best you can buy on the store shelf" (j/k roflmaosandwich)

[SoCalMK]

I should have said that I was using Riteks "successfully" until a couple of months ago. Since then I have been using Riteks rather unsuccessfully, only being able to burn at 1x or 2x (although they are G04's). Without getting into a long post, I am sure it is not the drive nor the computer. If anyone could offer any more suggestions on a reasonably priced DVD-R media I would greatly appreciate it. By the way, thank you for the suggestion on Maxell and the Prodiscs. I'll definitely look into those and see what others have to say. I've used Maxell with great success in the past and may ultimately go that way, but am afraid of getting unbranded fakes from less than reputable dealers. If anyone could also recommend a good online dealer, especially one that sells genuine Maxells I would greatly appreciate it.

[glockjs]

surprised smurf boy hasnt jumped in yet... hey everybody look at my web site... hoobidy hoo blah blah :P

but seriously SoCalMK check out www.nomorecoasters.com some good stuff, mixed with DVD Media link on this site
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<over there

[FulciLives]

Taiyo Yuden 4x DVD-R discs.

These are the BEST available in terms of overall quality and compatability.

Best price is at RIMA.COM

There is simply no other disc I would trust when creating DVD-R content in the mold of a business.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
The MAXELL 4x DVD-R discs are also very good but if you are doing this as a business then you probably need to buy in bulk and I don't know of any reliable way to buy MAXELL 4x DVD-R discs otherthan at retail stores in packages of usually 10 discs. So if you only need a few this will work but you can't beat TAIYO YUDEN and the bulk price is very good ... about the same as you would pay for the MAXELL discs in a retail store, give or take.

[freestyler]

Only issue I've had with Ritek discs are with some white top printables I bought.

Some discs burn with little flake patterns, or a sort of color wave in certain sections - but they play fine and the data on them is intact. Pretty odd. My matte tops have been flawless though.

On another note:

Newegg.com carries 50 packs of Maxell 4x DVD-R media http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-132-903&depa=0

They work quite well, they are also silver printable if you care to print on your discs. I bought a spindle a few weeks ago and I've had no trouble with the discs.

You could also take FulciLives advice on the TYs from Rima.com. I've received great service from Rima.com in my many purchases from them and they stand behind what they sell, as does Newegg.

2 good sellers, take your pick. Prodiscs are also good. Why not buy a sampler pack from Rima.com? You can try a variety of media and make a budget-conscious decision.

http://www.rima.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=R&Category_Code=DM (Bottom of page)

[lordsmurf]

Check out PRODISC at any number of places.
Or TAIYO YUDEN.
Or MCC if you have the money.

If you want good RITEK, stick to inkjet ones.

[MACCA350]

Some discs burn with little flake patterns, or a sort of color wave in certain sections - but they play fine and the data on them is intact. Pretty odd. My matte tops have been flawless though.

I found the same thing with RITEKGO4 and others, when burned at 4X with Pioneer 106, some of the discs would play fine on two of my DVD players but on my Denon2200 would freeze part way through the movie.

I ran the discs through DvdinfoPro and found the read rate dropped sharply around 1.5G (this only showed up when checked in the burner) then came back up, this looked about the same place as where the 'wave' was (if i didnt have the Denon I would never known there was a problem).

I tried this with a few other brands and found the same thing.
It seemed to happen more often when you burn a few in a row, but not all the time.

Anyway I could not find the cause so since then I use RITEKGO4, burn at 2X and get a perfect burn everytime, I've found them to be compatable with most players.

cheers

[freestyler]

Yeah it is pretty odd. I hate having to question media. I was a faithful Princo user at one point in time until I started getting the aforementioned waves in my discs; all discs that burned with these waves were unreadable at such points. Those Princos since been quarantined to the coaster pile until I get the chance to try them in another burner at a future date.

I've since ditched Ritek printables and only stick to matte top Ritek discs. I've yet to see this pattern out of over 100 discs. No coasters yet, either.

Life is good

[freestyler]

On a side note:

How much do you charge for a dvd backup? How exactly does that work?

[SoCalMK]

Thank you everyone for you input. This was just the type of help I've been looking for and greatly appreciate it. I think I will go ahead and order a sample pack from Rima with an eye towards the Prodiscs. To answer Freestyler's question, we don't really offer the DVD backup service anymore. Although I feel it should be completely legal to backup one's own disc, too many people came in and tried to burn rentals and so we stopped it for legal issues. We still do VHS to DVD transfers and duplications for people with home movies and independent filmmakers in the LA area. Since we do have dvd burners for public use, every once in a while someone will come in and still do a backup burn. Its a big place and I can't keep an eye on everyone, but I wish it wasn't an issue at all.