Help needed selecting a DVD writer

[jackedup]

I had a 4082 LG writer however it finally gave up. As I was fairly happy with it I purchased another LG writer the 4160, however have not had a lot of luck with the writer, at least using the Prodisc S04 disks I have. Most will write okay but will seldom pass verification and when you play them they usually feeze and pixelize towards the end of the video. It seems if you keep the size of the video under about 3.8 GB it will be fine but anything over will not verify. Anyway I bought an HP630 and while it seems a little better still have problems with verification. I can usually get to almost 4GB before I have problems however would like to be able to use the full disk as DVD Shrink always outputs more than 4 GB. I then tried a BENQ 1620 however it won't even write the disks let alone verify them, at least in most cases.

I do realize there is others having problems with the Prodisc S04 disks so the problem extends beyond the writer but I have a few hundred of these disks and would really like to be able to use them.

In talking to a media supplier about the disks they told me the LG is one of the worst ones for reliably writing disks and the HP was not much better. They recommended the Pioneer A08. I don't mind buying another writer but want to make sure I get one that is going to have the widest compatibility with media and would really appreciate your feedback, comments and opinions. Speed is not an issue. While it is okay if it writes at 12X or 16X quality writes are far more important and I can live with 4X.

I would also appreciate your feedback and opinions on what media to buy in white inkjet printable. I realize TY is probably the best but would like to find something a little less expensive. I don't mind paying for quality but it seems they are twice the price of others and have to think there is something else that is reliable at a little less price.

[Epicurus8a]

RE New writer: Lots of us are anticipating the new Pioneer 109.
http://www.dvd-recordable.org

RE Media: With everyone trashing the latest Ritek and Prodisc media, there seems to be little choice but T-Y. And the prices are much lower than they were a few months ago. As for me, I'll stick with T-Y for myself, and Prodisc for giveaways.

[jackedup]

RE New writer: Lots of us are anticipating the new Pioneer 109.
http://www.dvd-recordable.org

RE Media: With everyone trashing the latest Ritek and Prodisc media, there seems to be little choice but T-Y. And the prices are much lower than they were a few months ago. As for me, I'll stick with T-Y for myself, and Prodisc for giveaways.

Thanks for the reply.

I think I am going to try a Pioneer 108 and see if I can use what I have left of the Prodisc S04. If not I am not sure if I will just order TY or what I will do.

I really expected a few more replies with advice on compatibility with different media and burners