How is Prodisc?

[Drooling Dog]

First, let me state that I absolutely hate shopping for DVD-R media. It's very confusing, and I feel completely out of my element.

I want some descent disks, but don't want to pay over $1/disk for them, if I can avoid it.

I'm currently considering the Prodisc 4x DVD-R Silvers from SuperMediaStore.com for use with my Pioneer A07.

Is this a good idea or a bad one? Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

[lordsmurf]

Great discs ... www.nomorecoasters.com

[Drooling Dog]

Thank you Lord. I assume you're saying great for the price, since they're 2nd class media? Is it also safe for me to assume that I'm going to pay over $1/disk for 1st class?

[lordsmurf]

So far, out of 100, I've had 2 problems.
My next 200 are about to be used.
I know of others that have about the same ratio of good/bad, and use quite a few more discs.

PRODISC is using the same parts as TDK and MCC (Metal AZO), so it may well move into the 1ST CLASS category in time.

I still would take any other 1ST CLASS over PRODISC, but only because they have a longer proven track record.

So far, very happy.

[Drooling Dog]

Is there anything remotely resembling a good deal on 1st class disks (online) that you can steer me to?

[ckdexterhn1]

Rima.com also has Prodisc on sale for $60 a hundred. I have the Memorex Prodisc03 DVD-Rs, and they burn great at 6x in my Pioneer 107.

Taiyo Yuden are on sale at the same site for $140 a hundred, which are 1st Class by Lord Smurf's charts.

[lordsmurf]

Is there anything remotely resembling a good deal on 1st class disks (online) that you can steer me to?

Not really. Most of those are branded media only. Online is mostly fakes, though a few legit ones can be found.

Online is best for the lower quality discs.

Maybe a few TY's out there in bulk.
Newegg and Amazon may carry some from time to time.

For online, PRODISC, OPTODISC and RICOHJPN is probably best you'll do.

[freestyler]

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-132-903&depa=0

50 Maxells for $62.80 on Newegg, a little over $1 a disc though, per your limitation

[Drooling Dog]

Well, I'm going to give the Prodisk a shot. Thanks for your help.

One other question though, since I'm so new to this...

When do you find out you have a coaster? Is it usually during the burn process or when you try to play it back?

Thanks again.

[Hawseman]

This is a good question and should have a thread of it's own....

Too many people consider a successful burn as a good disk. Pioneer and NEC (and others) burners can burn on breakfast crepes...but good luck getting them to play in your standalone.

I feel strongly that playability in something other than your burner is a sure fire way to separate coasters from good disks. Unless, of course, you're only goal is to have "burner only" playable dvd.

[TBoneit]

Or check here on Sunday's (or even Saturday Night).

Someone usually posts Sales on blank media

Right Now retail store Bestbuy has disks in quantity at $1 a disk I think it was TDK & Imation this week, last week it was $28 for 25 of the memorex 4X -R Blanks that look like a reel of Film,the week before, or meybe two weeks before it was 50 for 49.99 of memorx +R 4X.

I'm to lazy to buy ahead and wait for delivery. I just watch the sales, and buy when my supply gets low or I see something I like such as the ones that look like a reel of Film.

Cheers

[disturbed1]

I still would take any other 1ST CLASS over PRODISC, but only because they have a longer proven track record.

So far, very happy.

My thoughts exactly.

I've used 1000's and 1000's of Prodisc. Never a single problem. But with TY's going for $1.40/each I don't mind the extra price. They (Prodisc) come from the distributor in 50 packs. Most of the time the bottom disc is unusuable, once in a while the top is also scuffed. In every cake box of TY's the top disc is unusable, it has a label on it.

When I first noticed that Rima carried Prodisc I asked for a sample, and never looked back (~OCT 2003). In my last discussion with Rima, they noted that "Prodisc hasn't logged a single compliant". Granted most vendors would say this about everything, but I trust their word 100%, we have a good relationship.

Fuji uses Prodisc as an OEM for their 4x media in bulk. Prodisc is also in the process of a 3x upgrade in production.


Japan media may be rasing their prices or finding a cheaper way to make discs.

Major Japanese optical disc manufacturers have suspended their original plans to expand production capacity of DVD+R/-R discs due to Taiwanese competitors’ advantages in production costs, according to Taiwanese optical disc makers.
http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/MailHome.asp?datePublish=2004/4/7&pages=A1&seq=1

[stiltman]

@ disturbed1,

so you buy 50 Prodiscs but you usually only get 49 usable discs? And sometimes you only get 48? This happens ALL the time? Why not complain and get a discount on the next order?

If the oder is for 50 DVDs you should get 50 DVDs plus 1 or 2 clears on the top and bottom. That's how my CDRs come....

[disturbed1]

You haven't ordered many discs in bulk have you

Meritline splits some into 25 packs, you get 4-8 bad per 100, that's worse than 2-4 per 100.

Taiyo Yuden CDR have the same problem, the last one is always unusable in a 100 pack. Can't speak of store bought Princo and CMC CDRs, been too long since I've used them. Unusable means lots of dust, maybe a scuff or 2.

These discs could still be good if I'd wipe them off, but I'm lazy so I don't. I also don't nit pick, but I can see why someone would. I have 9-10 50 count cake boxes of these bottom DVDs, would have more, but the girlfriend likes to throw stuff away now and then. I say I'll use 'em when I get low, but haven't come to that yet. To be honest, I can't say I've checked every single last disc, it's just a habbit I've had for 3 years. Sometimes I'll even chuck the last 2 discs just because.

Even store bought cake boxes have the same problem. The last time I bought 15 packs of TDK, all 4 had bad top and bottom discs.

[Drooling Dog]

This bad disk stuff is going to be new to me. I've probably purchased 200-300 cheapo CompUSA disks for my DVD Recorder, and I've yet to find a single bad one.

[stiltman]

@ disturbed1,

I've been buying bulk CDs for a long time. Last purchase was to 3000 TDKs. They come 100 to a cake with 3 clears on the top and bottom of each cake. Then shrink wrapped in plastic. Then wrapped in cardboard. Then each cake is placed in a box. Then 4 boxes are placed in one more box. I used to get Memorex CDs the same exact way.

So your saying they (distributor) is splitting these 100 cakes up into 50s or 25s and not adding the clears at the top and bottom for your DVDs?

Do DVDs even come packed like the CDs I buy?

[lordsmurf]

I normally find 1 scuffed disc per bulk pack.
Sometimes none if I really scrub it off.

[disturbed1]

@ disturbed1,

I've been

So your saying they (distributor) is splitting these 100 cakes up into 50s or 25s and not adding the clears at the top and bottom for your DVDs?

Do DVDs even come packed like the CDs I buy?

I've been..... I know, it was a joke

With the prodisc, Rima (supermedia store, and CD Deminsions too) recieve them in 50 spindels. There are clears on the bottom, clear on the top with a foam spacer. Plastic wrapped around bottom. Taiyo Yuden DVDs come 2 pieces of tape around the bottom clear bottom, no clear top, the top DVD is labeled. The CDRs are just taped on the bottom, bottom clear, top clear.

Not every disc comes in 100 packs. Ritek, Taiyo Yuden, Verbatim, Maxell, Prodisc, all come in 50 packs from the warehouse. 100 packs could be available, it's easier to move 50 packs of DVDs. For CDs, Taiyo Yuden, Prodisc, and Ritek do come in 100 cake boxes. The Ritek's aren't in a cake box, they are just plastic wrapped. Poor way to cut costs if you ask me.

Taiyo Yuden used to be 45/90 cake boxes for their DVD 2x, as did Verbatim.

Check your bottom disc. Mine always have a scuff or a scratch. Though it may be usuable I'd rather not chance it.

The way it was explained to me, a machine drops the discs on the spindel. This creates force on the bottom disc, and it may get slightly damage during the packing process.

Meritline would (in house) bust open the master cake boxes and split to 25 packs. Or the warehouse overseas had people put finger prints on the disc

[stiltman]

Just got my order from supermediastore today.
Burned 3 so far without any problems.
I ran them all through dvdinfopro for read errors
Burned 4.33gb, 4.29gb, 4.30gb

[SatStorm]

I am among the ones who gonna pay a bit more for DVDs for better quality. And this is how I end up using only Taiyo Yuden discs.
Now let me clearify for those who don't know, that you won't see discs called Taiyo Yuden. This is the japanish factory that make them. For example, in my case I buy "That's" bulk, which are Taiyo Yuden for OEM use.
They are always 100 and they are only on spindels. The top and the bottom discs are always clear, plus on the top there is a paper that informs how to handle the discs and that are made by "Taiyo Yuden factory in Japan". It is on various languages. The spindels are wrapped with plastic around bottom and somehow, they are bigger other spindes.
I don't have coasters with those discs, also I always - and only - burn them full, 100%, 4.37GB per disc. This "burn 3.80 per DVD" rule, or it is simply an internet rumur, or it is a Ritec rule (I used ritec's from traxdata - I wasn't impressed at all...). In a year, I must have burn untill now about ~ 500 and I never - I mean never - have a simply problem or a coaster! of course, I am lucky: I don't have to buy them online. It happens and the main european distributor, is based 3 kilometers from my home... (Am I a lucky bastard?)

I also have an opinion on "Prodisc". Those discs are like TDK ones (or some TDK flavors). I use to buy Prodisc black CDs, for my dreamcast games (backups which ripped / hacked from my original games some years ago...) and for my xCVDs. I count them as the best of the "cheap" solutions I might have. But, today, I can buy a 4X Taiyo Yuden DVD for 1.2 Euro and 100 Taiyo Yuden CDs for 27 Euros, so eventually, I stop using them. After all, Taiyo Yuden is the top of this indestry. On an email I once exchanged with a japanish online friend of mine, he said something about Taiyo Yuden workers, that covers the best way, how this factory works: "(free translation send a bad manufactured Taiyo Yuden disc back to the Taiyo Yuden factory and expect the responsible worker for this "accident" to do harakiri the next day because of the shame!"

About the bottom disc of a spindle, well... When you buy bulk, you always know that a small percent may have issues, for various reasons like packaging, transfer or the conditions of storage. I never had a problem with this myself, but I do know that it is always a possibility.

[stiltman]

see my other post
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=879886#879886

[888888]

Just as an aside, I have found that Prodisc CD-R media is some of the worst around.

[Supreme2k]

I recently got a 50 pack of Prodisc printable, and they absolutely rock! I've burned 25 so far, with no coasters and no errors whatsoever. When my paycheck gets a bit heftier, i may up to TY, but for the time being, I'll be exclusive Prodisc.

On a sort of related note, stay away from Radius. I got the "2X" printable (samples) from 2 separate vendors, and they all had problems burning and playing. I burned at 1X, but Nero counted down from a 4X speed to zero, then seemed to complete the burn. Nothing but skips and "No disc inserted" messages.

[Will Hay]

I'm using these...



...and have lost four from the first five, they're going back to the online UK store (SVP.co.uk, or blankdiskshop.co.uk)
Will Hay

[porphyra]

These discs work very well with NEC ND-2500A. In fact there are some k-probe scans of these discs burnt at 8x (in the forthcoming Beta 7 1.07 firmware by Herrie) here (4th post from top):

http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?threadid=91198&perpage=25&pagenumber=14&postid=568342

They are usually also found on Memorex 4x DVD-R (with CMC, both of which work well on NEC).

Cheers.

[ROBERT BLACK]

I just picked up 5 Prodisc singles tonight.(Info below) If they're are no playback issues like others I could name I'll pick up more. Considering the praise they've been getting here, they just may be the bargin discs of the year. Better than Ridata Riteks? If so,I'm sold.


One question: The place where I picked up my singles told me that Prodisc is also sold under the "Smart Buy" label as printables. Is this true?



Region information N/A not a DVD-VIDEO
Media code/Manufacturer ID ProdiscS03
Format Capacity Not Formatted
Free Blocks 411107328
Free Capacity 4.38GB(4.71GB)
Book Type DVD-R
Media Type DVD-R
Media Id Code Speed Unknown
Available Write Descriptor CLV 4.0x 5540KBps
Available Write Descriptor CLV 2.0x 2770KBps
Available Write Descriptor CLV 1.0x 1385KBps
Write Strategy Speed 4.0x 5540KBps
2x Speed OPC beta 09
2x Speed OPC power 11
2x Write Strategy field 1 11 87 78 90
2x Write Strategy field 2 A8 82 00 20 00 00
4x Speed OPC beta 05
4x Speed OPC power 17
4x Write Strategy field 1 0D 10 0B 0B
4x Write Strategy field 2 96 08 0F 0B
4x Write Strategy field 3 C0 00 00 00
4x Speed OPC beta multi-pulse 07
4x Speed OPC power multi-pulse 1C
4x Write Strategy field 4 13 A8 89 65
4x Write Strategy field 5 B6 89 88 80 00 00
4x Write Strategy field 6 00 00 D0 00 00
Data area starting sector 30000h
Linear Density 0.267um/bit
Track Density 0.74um/track
Number of Layers 1

[iooi]

I'm using these...
...and have lost four from the first five, they're going back to the online UK store (SVP.co.uk, or blankdiskshop.co.uk)
Will Hay

Thanks Will you have saved me some grief....I was going to order a pack to try. Wont bother now just stick to me riteks.

[jbelder]

This is a good question and should have a thread of it's own....

Too many people consider a successful burn as a good disk. Pioneer and NEC (and others) burners can burn on breakfast crepes...but good luck getting them to play in your standalone.

I feel strongly that playability in something other than your burner is a sure fire way to separate coasters from good disks. Unless, of course, you're only goal is to have "burner only" playable dvd.

I only use Prodisc and they work in all the players I have ran them through the 4x S03 and the 8x R03

[Dampier]

If you use a Plextor 708a burner, stay away from Prodisc S03; they will not burn. In fact, the last generic labeled media that turned out to be Prodisc S03 was so incompatible, the Plextor spit it out within 5 seconds of starting to burn.

I use these in my Pioneer or NEC burner instead.

[axolotls]

If you use a Plextor 708a burner, stay away from Prodisc S03; they will not burn. In fact, the last generic labeled media that turned out to be Prodisc S03 was so incompatible, the Plextor spit it out within 5 seconds of starting to burn.

I use these in my Pioneer or NEC burner instead.

I disagree. I have the latest firmware and burn S03 with 708A all the time.