Re: Compusa dvd's - disaster down the road?

[sknox]

I have been using Compusa dvd's. i have tried 3 or 4 other brand names, but they all have pixillation when i play on my home dvd player. i've read and studied it for info and this is the conclusion i have come to 1. record dvd-r at 1X speed (my pioneer 104 in a G4 only records at that speed) 2. the brand named dvd;s i.e. Sony , Maxell Memorex and a couple others does not matter it's what works the best for you. I have noticed that compusa brand are the only one that still sells 1X dvd's. if i use any disk that tell you you can write 2-4-6X speed or any of the brands i have tried gives me artifacts on them .compusa brand disksgives me no pixillation or any thing. i have not made 1 coaster yet. But now the comments recently posted in this forum have me very worried, i have about 75 Dvd's on these disks. Should i be worried, what are my options, i don't want to go out and spend money on a faster drive because i will still burn them at 1X speed there are some brands i have not tried...figi, tdk you know brand names but they all record 4X to 6 or eight. and i have to record more than 80 more.

Can somebody with a lot of experience dealing with this "Compusa disk problems" please help me soon, i don't want problems like the ones described in recent posts. All the posts i've read and posted a few myself lead me to compusa disks work for me flawlessly.

Please i need a lot of feedback as the original source of a lot of my dvd's are no longer available.

Thanks
sknoxx

[Skith]

It is correct that you cannot rely on the "brand" of a disc. This is because most "Branded media" comes from different manufacturers. For example: TDK manufactures its own discs, they also contract RICOH to make discs for them. Memorex might use CMC, Princo, Taiyo Yuden, RICOH, or any number of others. Retail brands may switch their source supply at any time. Compusa brand is no different. My guess is that "Compusa" media is either Princo or CMC (both considered to be rather poor quality).

Try running DVD Identifier - also available in the Tools section of this site.

You could also try Nero CDSPEED

These tools can tell you who made your discs. (Warning, some disreputable companies can produce fake discs that report as well known media. "Mirror" brand and "BUDGET" brand have been known to be FAKE Taiyo Yuden. - Serial #'s printed on the disc may be another way of determining who made the discs and/or if they are fake.)

PRINCO media has been reported to degrade/deteriorate after a few months, rendering the discs unreadable.

Hope this is of some help, and Good Luck!

[louthewiz]

Compusa is fmi which is princo so that media is famous for crapping out big time,so why don't you try sony or taiyo and it will eliminate all those problems you are having.

[WiseWeasel]

Or get Ritek/RiData from online retailers. Good price, great compatibility (best of all the ones I've tried), and since they're a manufacturer, not just a distributor, the quality is consistent.

[sknox]

It is correct that you cannot rely on the "brand" of a disc. This is because most "Branded media" comes from different manufacturers. For example: TDK manufactures its own discs, they also contract RICOH to make discs for them. Memorex might use CMC, Princo, Taiyo Yuden, RICOH, or any number of others. Retail brands may switch their source supply at any time. Compusa brand is no different. My guess is that "Compusa" media is either Princo or CMC (both considered to be rather poor quality).

Try running DVD Identifier - also available in the Tools section of this site.

You could also try Nero CDSPEED

These tools can tell you who made your discs. (Warning, some disreputable companies can produce fake discs that report as well known media. "Mirror" brand and "BUDGET" brand have been known to be FAKE Taiyo Yuden. - Serial #'s printed on the disc may be another way of determining who made the discs and/or if they are fake.)

PRINCO media has been reported to degrade/deteriorate after a few months, rendering the discs unreadable.

Hope this is of some help, and Good Luck!

My concern is a post in this forum about that after a period of time the top white starts to flake off.

It took me quite awhile to find the software and the the , brand, coulor of the disk. ect.I use Mac the ripper, then DVD2oneX to fit it on one disk (even the dual layer disks ) can fit on one disk in fact it is so reliable i don't let toast verify them any more they always come out perfect

Question is it possable to spray a thin layer of some kind of varnish or somthing similar. As long as you don't get any on the recorded side wouldn'tI would think would work to prevent the top layer from flakeing down the line?
I can't think of a better way to keep this from happening, i'm talking a very thin layer sprayed on would have no affect the performance of the disk.
Compusa's disks plays on most home players no problem, so i woul like to stick to what works the best, the disks have to be a fixed 1X only to work.

Thanks
sknoxx

[WiseWeasel]

I get Ritek silver matte discs (never the silver shiny, as they are less protective), and they work great after years of use. No flaking here... I'd stay away from silver shiny discs though...

[MarmotMom]

I've used Compusa's dvd-r's for some time and have never had a problem with them, I have a Pioneer and a no name dual format dvdr, I don't have any with a white coating on them, all of mine are dull silver on top and a dark purple burning surface. I have also used sony, which the dual format burner hates, I've also used Memorex, TDK, HP and Princo media without a problem. Maybe the white coated media were a bad batch? I thought all dvd-rs were backward compatable?

[Skith]

I get Ritek silver matte discs (never the silver shiny, as they are less protective), and they work great after years of use. No flaking here... I'd stay away from silver shiny discs though...

for CDs, this is more important. The reflective layer containing the data is on top of the plastic part of the disc. Thus a scratch on the top of a CD can do more damage than on the bottom.

However, the data (dye) and reflective layer of DVDs is sandwitched bewtween two plastic discs (I think polycarbinate is the technical term, but don't quote me on that). This means that a scratch, or mark, or other blemish on the top of a DVD is unlikely to damage the data. It also helps protect the dye from oxidizing due to gases. The finishes placed on top of a DVDs are there to provide a surface to print/write on.

Things that are more likely to damage data:
Light (especially UV or daylight)
Heat (causes the plastic to warp, unbalancing the disc, and even peeling appart the layers of the disc along with the reflective layer and dye)
High humidity (scum growth, as well as the above).
Poor quality control of the manufactured media (dye not spread evenly accross disc, air/gases trapped between the two plastic discs causing the data layer to oxidize). Unstable dyes that may deteriorate.

In short, there is no way to know how long a disc will last. Very little independant scientific testing has been done with conclusive results.
I have read a number of accouns where PRINCO media has become undreadable after only a few months. Playback starts skipping, visable dark spots (in some cases transparent spots appear, meaning the reflective layer deteriorated), and data loss - especially past the 4GB mark.

Quality of disks using the same dye type/formula can also varu widely between manufacturing batches and factories. This is one reason many people prefer Taiyo Yuden. Their quality control is considered to be very consistant (Not just for specific batches of media, but throughout its entire company history).

This topic has been discussed many times on CDFreaks, cdrinfo, and here on videohelp.com. Try doing a few searches.

[cipher]

Try running DVD Identifier - also available in the Tools section of this site.

You could also try Nero CDSPEED

Sadly the first link contains a software that is only compatible with Windows computers, while the second one is no longer working

Could anyone please point out anything similar but for Mac?

[tWoSour]

DVD Media Inspector

[pusa]

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=316438&pfp=BROWSE

Since the top side is white, does that mean it's printable?

[sjk]

Probably not, and you'll probably be more satisfied using media like Ritek G05 8X DVD-R white inkjet hub printable in Cake Box.

[AntnyMD]

Part of the problem of the original poster is that s/he doesnt want to upgrade a 1x-only burner, so any solutions provided need to be available in a 1x version that won't damage the burner!