Japan vs Taiwan regarding DVD disks!

[f600771k]

I have seen comments here that for one reason or another that DVD disks made in Japan are superior. I have been DVD'ing for about two years and have used different brands of DVD-R media from both Japan and Taiwan. The only bad disk I've ever encountered was a FuJi made in Japan and that was one in a pack of 25. Never had a problem with any Tainwanese manufactured disk. In my opinion the quality of disks made in either country is excellent. Looking up at my case of recorded disks I now have over 250, so only one disk out of all those has to say something, if nothing else than I am damn lucky!

[HatchetMan]

You are right, Japan is not the only manufacturer of quality media. But it is a safer bet when considering the amount of options out there. It's not only about making coasters. With inferior media, the dye tends to thin out toward the edges making the burned disc impossible to read past the 4GB mark. Another thing is compatibility with standalone DVD players. Bad media, most stuff from Taiwan, but NOT all, tends to skip and pause or not play at all. So then, yes Taiwan does make some good stuff, but you really do have to be much more careful when choosing. With Made in Japan, it's a pretty safe bet 99% of the time because there is really only one well known manufacture - Taiyo Yuden, and they have an incredible reputation. There may be others but I have not used them.

[takeshi]

Really, even 250+ discs is statistically insignificant given the total number of discs in the world. I'm not saying that your experiences are meaningless, but I can only assume that you were trying to validate your experiences.

Also, a lot of people visiting this forum are purhcasing discs through various retail outlets. If Best Buy allows you to open packaging and use a disc identifier, then more power to you. However, most people in this situation only have the brand, packaging, and "made in..." label to base their decisions on. That's why a lot of people decide to go with discs made in Japan.

[ROF]

Like you, f600771k, I have not had a problem with either countries discs. I've backed up movies, games, data, etc. and haven't had any problems. I did get some discs from India that were complete junk. Fortunately, they were given to me, so I didn't lose any money on the spindle, but not a single one worked properly.

Taiwan, Japan, to me it's all the same. I've had no problem with HP, Memorex, TDK, Sony, Staples Branded, verbatims, you name it. They all work great. I have a feeling people with issues burning these discs may want to examine their pre-burn storage and burning habits for their respective media.

[leebo]

My understanding is some people are using scanning programs to scan their discs after the burn. These programs give graphical readouts representing the quality of the burn. Made in Japan discs generally report higher quality burns. Two different discs may both play fine in a set top player, but one may report a lower quality burn than the other using a scanning program.

At least thats what I gather (I don't use these scanning programs myself, I'm too lazy).

[ozymango]

Because DVDs are relatively new technology, I suspect most people run a bit cautious on what media they use simply because there are so many variables and so many unknowns, and in such situations, we humans tend to go for what we feel is "safe." So Japanese media is pretty much "safe" because it has worked pretty good so far.

But, technology (and life) being what it is, things will definitely change in the future. I'll bet Japanese-made media will remain good, but I'll also bet that Taiwanese and other (e.g. Korean, Indian) media will improve, and perhaps one day even surpass what is currently available by the best "Japanese-made" media (not that the Japanese made media will remain at the current level, it will probably improve, as well). But improvements will happen on all sides and (hopefully), there will be less and less difference between quality levels of all media (except of course for the most base, cheapest materials, but that goes for any product).

The Japanese companies that make good media aren't doing so out of the goodness of their hearts -- they know that there is competition out there and if they don't do it, somebody else will. And the companies that make "bad" media aren't content to just turn out crap that people will stop buying because it doesn't work, that's not good for their bottom-line, either.

Not all that many years ago, "Made in Japan" was not seen as a standard of quality -- it was seen as "cheap foreign crap" (rightly or wrongly). So what changed? Basically the Japanese manufacturers just kept at it, improving their products constantly, and proving to the naysayers that such a blanket dismissal of their products wasn't accurate.

I take with a grain of salt those who say that "all non-Japanese media is crap" -- it just shows that such people prefer to deal in generalities, that's all. And while many people are (rightly) concerned about buying "un-vouched-for" media (and other products), the only reason we ever advance in any endeavor is because somebody out there says, "Hey, I'll take a chance on that," and see what happens.

Better media doesn't come about because people keep buying the same old stuff because it's "safe." If so, there would be no dual-layer DVD burners being made, no HD DVD burners being made, and no innovation in the industry. So I salute those of you who try all sorts of different things and find what works for you, and help advance technology in the process!

[f600771k]

I think the secret in getting reliable media is not so much the country of origin(Japan or Taiwan) but in the brand you purchase. Always go with name brands (TDK,Fuji, Sony,Memorex, etc), these companies I think have quality control tests to ensure you are getting reliable disks.

I stay away from any off-brand or store labels which I think buy up large volume lots from factories. If say 10% of the 50 or 100 pack are marginal or poor the comsumer will not complain much since he got such a "bargain" price!

[HatchetMan]

You are totally wrong about brands, except for when it comes to TY and Verbatim.

TDK,Fuji, Sony,Memorex - mean nothing, just a name on the label surface. It is the media id code that makes the difference. Just take a look at the DVD Media List to the left.

[lordsmurf]

I take with a grain of salt those who say that "all non-Japanese media is crap" -- it just shows that such people prefer to deal in generalities, that's all.

Generalities and stereotypes happen for a reason: the are usually true. It's not just something that happens at random.

[smearbrick1]

Agreed. The problems with these discs aren't always readily apparent (i.e.: burn errors, read problems), but usually occur after several months. In the case of PRINCO media; all burns were successful with no problems. Six months later, the discs were unwatchable towards the end.

I'm sorry to say, and several people disagree, but to be safe... stick with Japan.

[ROF]

Brand names make no difference when it comes to quality, IMO. You can just as quickly get a bad batch of TDK discs as you can Staples Branded.