Problems with TY media - Please Help!

[bryansand]

I decided to backup my entire Twilight Zone collection (43 DVD's) and ordered 100 Taiyo Yuden's (TYG01) from Rima.com, because I heard they're the best and wanted to ensure the best backup quality. I had always used Ritek GO3's and G04's prior without a single problem, ever. Well, I started to watch some of my backups with the TY's and at about the same place (1 minute into each episode), my standalone Sony DVD player began freezing, then playing 1 second, and then freezing again before moving on. This never happened with any of the Ritek's. Now, knowing that TY's are pretty much unanimously more highly rated than any Ritek media, what would explain this??? To try to isolate the problem, I took one of the problem TY's and copied the disc over to a G04 and voila, no problems in playback. The ONLY hint I can think of that would explain this situation is that I am using CD Stomper labels on all of my discs to replicate the authenticity of the originals as much as possible. I print jewel case inserts as well. The TY's are definitely more flexible, thinner, and flimsier than the Riteks, so I'm wondering if the labels are throwing off the balance of the TY's, where the Ritek's sturdier nature isn't effected? I contacted Rima and they mentioned that it's very rare to see problems with TY discs. With all of the G04 problems people have mentioned recently, I'm leary of going back to them, but they worked flawlessly all of the time, so I'm stuck right now. . .

[budz]

The ONLY hint I can think of that would explain this situation is that I am using CD Stomper labels on all of my discs to replicate the authenticity of the originals as much as possible.

You've already answered your own question. Do a search in this forum site on how there are problems when using labels on dvds as well as on cds. You'll see many comments on putting labels on discs. In my opinion nothing is wrong with the TY media. If you want the discs to look authentic purchase a CD/DVD PRINTER like the EPSON R200 or R300 and then you can use PRINTABLE TY MEDIA.

[Bob W]

Try the discs on another player. I retired my Sony player because it was media picky. I also have 900 DVDR's full labeled and they all play fine on all three of my players at home.

[bryansand]

In response to the first reply, I know that labels have a bad track record on this site and in general, but the Riteks never gave me a single problem as a result of labeling over 150 of them.

In response to the second reply, I bought the same Sony 5 Disc Progessive Scan player for my upstairs and downstairs home theater setups, because they worked so well.

On a positive note, about 15 discs into the Twilight Zone collection backup, I upgraded the firmware on my 811S and just on a whim, I copied one of the problem discs over to another TY and labeled it for an exact comparison putting the spotlight on the firmware. I've only watched one episode so far, but it played perfectly w/o a hitch. Could a firmware upgrade that Liteon indicated "Increased compatibility with more media types" actually make a difference in this scenario???

[HyperYagami]

Could a firmware upgrade that Liteon indicated "Increased compatibility with more media types" actually make a difference in this scenario???

it could be. burn one or two more and try. only you can answer that question.

also, afaik lite-on dvd burners don't produce the best burns compared to the other brands, as least that was the case.

[onewaypockets]

Could a firmware upgrade that Liteon indicated "Increased compatibility with more media types" actually make a difference in this scenario???

it could be. burn one or two more and try. only you can answer that question.

also, afaik lite-on dvd burners don't produce the best burns compared to the other brands, as least that was the case.

Firmware and software is VERY important. I use TY discs (luv 'em), and on my computer, for example, BurnAtOnce did not work well at all. Nero worked better, but some discs in some players still pixtelated and froze up towards the end especially. The burning software that plays in all standalone players I could find, with my setup anyway (Sony burner, TY discs, DVD Shrink, etc), is NTI DVD Maker Platinum. I found MY perfect formula for the whole chain, and I stick with it. I will not change my firmware and software under any conditions (I think anyway...lol).

You have to look at the TOTAL SYSTEM. All the ripping, burning, media, software is interactive within your system to make a total sum product. Changing the firmware is a change in the sum product. You cannot dismiss media (or anything else in the chain) as being bad without careful consideration. A total pain in the ass I know, but true.

[budz]

HyperYagami wrote:

also, afaik lite-on dvd burners don't produce the best burns compared to the other brands, as least that was the case.

Liteon dvd burners tend to like DVD+R media than DVD-R. I have a 411s@811s burner and use it mostly to do Kprobe scans. My Plextor 708a and Pioneer 107d produce better quality burns than the Liteon drive.

[overloaded_ide]

I decided to backup my entire Twilight Zone collection (43 DVD's) and ordered 100 Taiyo Yuden's (TYG01) from Rima.com, because I heard they're the best and wanted to ensure the best backup quality.

I don't think I ever heard a complaint about Tys. Hmmm, this bares some looking into. Send me your 43 backup disks and I will be happy to do some extensive testing for you and see if I can locate the problem

I saw in your last post one made after upgrading the firmware has worked correctly. Maybe try a few more. Wtch em before AND after labeling. If they works fine before a label and have a problem after then you know TY's don't like labels. If it works after a label still then you should try more the same way. If none fail it was firmware most likely. If you end up with the same problem before labeling on any disks then it's not labels or firmware.

[Capmaster]

I decided to backup my entire Twilight Zone collection (43 DVD's) and ordered 100 Taiyo Yuden's (TYG01) from Rima.com, because I heard they're the best and wanted to ensure the best backup quality.

I don't think I ever heard a complaint about Tys. Hmmm, this bares some looking into. Send me your 43 backup disks and I will be happy to do some extensive testing for you and see if I can locate the problem

I saw in your last post one made after upgrading the firmware has worked correctly. Maybe try a few more. Wtch em before AND after labeling. If they works fine before a label and have a problem after then you know TY's don't like labels. If it works after a label still then you should try more the same way. If none fail it was firmware most likely. If you end up with the same problem before labeling on any disks then it's not labels or firmware.

Yes it does. I will be really disappointed if TY's quality starts slipping. They are currently the only media I feel completely safe with. If they go the route of Ritek, for example, I'll be media-clueless

[bryansand]

Thanks, I appreciate the responses I've received. I thought Lite-On was great. . . All of the reviews I read showed excellent performance and bang for the buck. Given all of the time it takes to copy these DVD's, quality is number one and at the top of my list. Would you guys recommend that I sell the 811S and get the Sony DRU700? It's capable of dual layer discs, but I'm always leary about the first generation of anything and the writing speed to the DVD-9's will most likely increase to as they pick up momentum in the marketplace. I've been happy with my 811S, but it sounds like there are better choices out there. Btw, money is absolutely no object. . .

[Gen-An]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the DRU-700A is just a rebranded Lite-On SOHW-832S. In all fairness it's a decent drive. Lite-Ons work well with Ricoh and MCC +R media (4x or 8x), and Taiyo Yuden 4x +R media. If you're really looking for the best all around drive, I'd go with an NEC-3500A.

[maldb]

Thanks, I appreciate the responses I've received. I thought Lite-On was great. . . All of the reviews I read showed excellent performance and bang for the buck. Given all of the time it takes to copy these DVD's, quality is number one and at the top of my list. Would you guys recommend that I sell the 811S and get the Sony DRU700? It's capable of dual layer discs, but I'm always leary about the first generation of anything and the writing speed to the DVD-9's will most likely increase to as they pick up momentum in the marketplace. I've been happy with my 811S, but it sounds like there are better choices out there. Btw, money is absolutely no object. . .

Go with the Pioneer 108 - the burn quality is far superior to anything from Lite-On. And yes, Sony's gotten out of the DVD Burner manufacutring business and is now getting their stuff from Lite-On. Talk about throwing your reputation down the toilet.

[RickTheRed]

I've burned many TY01 and G04 with my Pioneer 108.
The G04 are playing in all DVD players that I've tried (5).
The TY01 is playing in 4 of them. In the samsung dvd player, it start freezing after 8 minutes and then kaput. I guess the samsung does not like the TY01. I've carefully tested all disk and the TY01 had, by far, better results in all tests.
I've even tested this samsung player with my worst G04 burn and it went fine.
I don't know what to think about this. I was thinking that media picky = picky with bad to medium media. Not with good media.

[lordsmurf]

Labels

[bryansand]

I'll look into the Pioneer 108, thanks for the suggestion. I've always gotten great burns out of my Liteon 811S, no problems at all for movies or data and I've literally burnt 200-300 discs with it. I don't imagine Sony would outsource their products to a company that would jeopardize their reputation. Also, regarding the media situation, I went with my gut instinct on this one and ordered another 100 Ridata G04's and just received them today. I checked them over visually and they look perfect just like my previous orders. We'll see how they pan out. . .

[handyguy]

Play a dvd on your computer or dvd player first with no label. Then play with a label.

To blame it on the media isn't quite fair until you do proper testing.

[godbeer]

I switched to Ty media a couple of months ago when the quality of Ritek/Ridata began to slip. I've burned through 100 4x Ty discs, and recently switched to the 8x, of which I've burned around 35 - 40. So far I've only had one coaster, but that was due to a problem with the burner and not the disc. I haven't watched every single backup all the way through, but on the ones I have, I haven't noticed any playback problems.

Up till now, my only complaints have been minor and have more to do with the look and feel of the discs than with the quality. As the original poster noticed, they are a lot flimsier and thinner than other discs (holding them in the light, you can see right through them almost as if they were clear plastic). Also, they seem to scratch and scuff easily and the surface (I'm using the thermal printable shiny top discs) attracts dust like magnet.

Lately, however, I've noticed something that has me a little concerned. Many of the discs (keep in mind these were just burned within the past few weeks) look as if they are starting to deteriorate. On some, there are "spider web" type discolorations forming around the edges of the disc - as if the top coating is shrinking and breaking apart. On others, I've noticed some dime-sides blotchy areas where it looks as if the coating has evaporated completely. You can see right through these areas, without even holding the disc to a light.

I haven't noticed any playback problem on any of these discs, and I've ran them through Cdspeed and DvdinfoPro and haven't found any errors, but it still has me concerned. Anyone else noticed any of these problems on their Ty discs? Is it something I should be concerned about?

[lordsmurf]

If you are worried, make extra copies on another media.

[bryansand]

Man, I'm getting frustrated with the whole media situation. It takes a lot of time and effort to back discs up and even more if you're labelling them. Now that G04's are sketchy at best and TY's aren't exactly a guaranteed deal as this thread proves, what's next??!? Is anyone having incredibly good luck with other media? The ultimate combo in my opinion would be the original G04's that didn't have problems. They were thick and sturdy feeling, deep purple dye, the dye extended all the way out to the perimeter of the disc unlike PRODISC's, and they were VERY reliable. I'm up in the air now. . .

[lordsmurf]

If you've got problems with TY, Prodisc and G04 ... then I'm more liable to think it's a user error or some hardware/software errors.

[bryansand]

If you read the thread, I'm not having problems with G04's or Prodisc. As I mentioned, the G04's have an ugly reputation around here now and the Prodiscs are junk just by visibly looking at them, let alone using them. . .