CMC Wins Contracts to Supply TDK and Memorex

[Dampier]

If folks like CMC of Taiwan, they are going to love the fact CMC has now won primary contracts to supply TDK and Memorex with millions of extra pieces of media. TDK brand spindle media has already been moving to CMC, and Memorex is now relying on CMC for more and more of its jewel-boxed media. The Prodisc garbage makes up a lot of the rest.

The biggest loser in all of this, seeing substantial contract cuts, is Ricoh, which is rapidly losing market share to CMC, which underbids it substantially.

Only Fuji increased their orders for Ricoh media, but that is also being split with Ritek, who wins a substantial portion of their business also.

CMC is now supplying TDK media for their various spindle packs (15/25/50/100), Memorex (25/50 pack + jewel case media), and several others.

Most retail stores permit returns on DVD media that proves incompatible with your burner. Many online stores accept returns only with a restocking fee. Be sure to return all pieces of media, even those which produced coasters for full credit. Best Buy will count returned media. Office Depot, Staples, and Officemax will refund your money no questions asked. Comp USA has been known to charge 15% restock fees, but this can vary per location. Wal-Mart will take anything back. Warehouse clubs should also accept returned media.

Be sure to check with your burner manufacturer to verify the compatibility of media. It is nearly impossible to be assured of a particular manufacturer without opening the package, but customers will find a dramatic upswing in the media produced by CMC as we approach the summer of 2004.

[Meteor]

The Prodisc garbage makes up a lot of the rest.

For the record, Prodisc is not garbage when it comes to dvd-r media. Fujifilm OEMs Prodisc for their 4x dvd-r which works beautifully in my old Apex AD-600A.

Although, hearing that TDK now uses CMC will sadden many TDK buyers since many consider them a high quality brand. It also seems to me that you are talking only about dvd+r since Ricoh does not make dvd-r so this might not affect dvd-r users.

[glockjs]

now i deffinately know what media to avoid

[888888]

Hey, maybe CMC will finally get their act together.

[ROBERT BLACK]

For the record, Prodisc is not garbage when it comes to dvd-r media. Fujifilm OEMs Prodisc for their 4x dvd-r which works beautifully in my old Apex AD-600A.

I'd like to second this. Prodisc DVD-R media is actually quite good. Burns clean, and more importantly has no playback issues. The discs played fine in two of my DVD players.

[Faustus]

Well I've never used prodisc but I've heard good things about them.

As far as CMC getting their act together, I have seen a 2x CMC disc that was actually good, I never did get a chance to get the media code off of it, but I do remember it was darker purple on the bottom then the common run CMC disc I had seen around, so CMC which does make quit a few different Disc is capible of a good one. So I guess I'll hope for the best and plan for the worst.

Right now I'm thinking of ordering a 100 pack of TY DVD-Rs, simply because a friend of mine recently got bitten by the bad Ritek pack thing and I'm a little leary of ordering some more myself until I hear it seems to have blown over. They are a little price though...

[Dampier]

You may think Prodisc is good, but not when it comes to Memorex... see the ratings for yourself... it's not pretty.

[The village idiot]

Either CMC will get the act together, or TDK et al will go back to places that actually make good disks. Something like this could crush CMC if they don't make good disks for the "big" guys.

[disturbed1]

TDK has been made in the CMC Taiwan plant for a while now. All TDKG002 and TTG01 discs are made in the CMC plant with TDK stampers.

Verbatim has been rumored to going to the CMC Taiwan plant also. If this is true, that would explain the shit quality of the last 300 printable Verbatims I recieved, which were labled "Made in Taiwan".

CMC is the number 1 disc producer, and has been for a few years running.

Just because it's made in their plant, doesn't mean it will carry the CMC media ID, as is the case with current TDK media.

Currently the only media I trust is Maxell and Taiyo Yuden.

What strikes me, is that TDK bought Pioneer's DVD media factory, why they haven't used it for anything is beyond me.

[Hawseman]

.......

What strikes me, is that TDK bought Pioneer's DVD media factory, why they haven't used it for anything is beyond me.

No kidding, didn't know that....Those bozos should be making some "real" grade A media...like TY or Maxell.

[disturbed1]

No kidding, didn't know that....Those bozos should be making some "real" grade A media...like TY or Maxell.

http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/MailHome.asp?datePublish=2004/4/7&pages=A1&seq=1



If you read the above linked article, it doesn't look good for us premium DVD users.

Although Taiyo Yuden went through the same thing with CD-R. They were in a position where they could spend millions to upgrade production and lower their CD-R prices $0.05-$0.10/each. It paid off in the long run for them. Just wish they'd do the same with DVD-R.

Taiwan can turn out a blank at about 1/3 the cost of the Japan plants. But Hong Kong is on the rise now, with cheaper prices, and unfortunalty crap media. Looks pretty grim to me.

[gmatov]

with TDK stampers.


Here's the point I keep trying to make. They make a die with a digital lathe, they charge a stamping plant XXX thousands of dollars, some one asks to buy a set of the dies, the machine shop says, hell yes, that is pure gravy to us.

So, CMC, for instance, or Naked Geeks, buys a set of dies, stamps a 100 million blanks that WILL read TY, as that is in the unburnable part of the disk, use a dye that is not as responsive as the dye TY spec, and we complain that TY is garbage. ( Actually, "we" don't, as it seems to be Gospel that TY is Heaven Sent.)

I have no, repeat, NO disks that have given me consistently bad burns.. No 10% ers, no 50 % ers, no fail to burns. AND, I do not buy tiop of the line disks unless they are on sale, either cash now, or rebated.

And, I have run them through Kprobe, Nero, DVDPro, and they all come out excellent. I just may have the only good LiteOn 411, 811, and 851 burners ever made, and the rest of you got seconds.

Who knows?

Cheers,

George

[PJGS]

CMC and Princo are on my must-be-avoided-at-all-cost list .
All my CMC disc had playability issues!
I'll buy some some TY TDK or TY Plextor while I can