Enough cheap Chinese crap, where can I find good DVD blanks!

[ruggy1]

I have used Ulead products in my business for years now. When DVD blanks were $5 each (made in Japan) they would play in any DVD. Then production moved to Taiwan, some did and some did not - price dictated a quality drop. Now everything is made in China, where price is everything and quality unimportant, subsequently, almost all of the so called 'quality' DVD blanks such as TDK, Ricoh, Imation and Verbatim, refuse to play in most DVD players but will play OK in XBOX and internal computer DVD players. This is ruining my business here in OZ. Can anyone PLEASE help me with the name of a QUALITY DVD blank. I cannot even buy one if I wanted to do these days, they are all cheap rubbish!

[jedda]

not in bussiness myself but I know what you mean, it's not only blank discs either, almost everything they make is cheap rubbish, especially clothing, stores stock the rubbish and gradually put others who sell decent stuff out of bussiness.

[skier-hughes]

Taiyo Yuden
One of the best blanks you can buy. Not sure where you'd get them from in Oz though.
For customers who want to pay for them I use them, other than that I use Ritek made discs with a G05 L23 dye. Never had any back of either, and at present I'm making 2,000 or so a month.

Tell a lie, I did get one back - I forgot to burn it

Graham

[keithm]

Are you sure its the disks? People on here have reported problems with dvd's burned with movie factory 4 (although I haven't had that problem) not playing on some dvd players. Also how much do you put on a DVD? As a rule I never go over 4gb and I rarely get a failure.

I also aways use Ritek 4X DVD -r (now getting hard to find!) in a Pinoeer writer.

Off topic but the other days I was transfering 20 year old VHS to dvd, the tapes still play fine: I don't think the DVD will play in 20 years!

[maxcdr]

I represent Prodisc media in the USA, and we supply many companies with grade "A" blanks. Our failure rate with both 8X and 16X dvdr media has been negligible. You should try to get them.
good luck,
Mike

[sjj1805]

Irrespective of the brand of disk DO NOT burn faster than 4x
otherwise they do not play in ALL standalone DVD players strangely enough the expensive standalones are worst.

It seems that a weaker laser signal burns when you use the higher speeds which many standalones refuse to accept.

[ruggy1]

Thanks guys, I cannot find Ritek in Sydney - there actually is not much choice at all beyond TDK, Imation and Verbatim, all of which have problems in good quality DVD players (as someone mentioned). I will try staying to 4x burn to see if that makes a difference, although I have the same problems with dual layer disks (Imation) burnt at only 2.4x. I also have 3 different burners (Sony, Lite-On rebaged as Sony and a Ricoh) so I do not think the burner is at fault. Ah well - just keep experimenting I suppose.

[skier-hughes]

Don't know why you can't find any, a quick google search from the UK gave me pages of hits and several suppliers, such as
http://www.abcd.com.au

[ruggy1]

Good on Ya Skier! I tend to only shop retail, but thanks for pointing this out.

[ruggy1]

Still no better off with Ritek discs. I could not find the dye number G05 L23 - could only see DR5A03 on the ones I bought - these were made in Taiwan. Same old crap - one would not even start burning, just hung the drive up and the second made some strange noises trying to startup, finally burning 4GB on my Sony DRU500 4x burner. I have 3 standalone DVD players and 3 computer based ones. All the computer based ones could read this burned DVD but only the cheapest of my standalone DVDs did - the LG, the 2 Panasonics could not get past the first scene. I used 4x burn speed. Tried the same project with the other 2 DVD burners, a Lite-On and a Ricoh - got the same results - only played on the cheapest players. What is going on here? Seems like a combination of disk quality and burn speed - the quest continues.

[OzzieBloke]

www.jpldisplays.com.au

They sell Taiyo Yuden spindles and packets at a good price ($104 for 100 discs, cheaper if you get the non-spindle OEM ones ($63)). Have never used anything other than Taiyo Yudens for burning, burnt all my video discs at 8x on 8x media, and never had a single glitch. Just finished burning 45 discs for a graduation DVD, and not one of them would not play in the half dozen standalone DVD players I tried, ranging from NEC, XMAS, Sony, Pioneer, and LG.

Hope this helps!

Ozzie

*Edited to correct spello

[jcc]

should be 'p' not 'b'

www.jpldisplays.com.au

[Jollygood]

I'm from New Zealand and I use "Excel" brand. I don't think I have ever had a problem with them.
Sticker on them says "A+ Grade Guaranteed"
I can get spindle of 50 for $40 but that is wholesale, not retail.

[dmz]

Check out www.videohelp.com. What Ive learnt from there is not all DVD brand are what they appear. Weird things like one pressing factory will produce multiple brands, or brand names like Ritek wont actually be ritek or what you thought was a good brand suddenly changes factory and you get different stuff with the same packaging. Its a cruel world out there. I suggest you download one of those programs thats reads the header info on blank DVDs. Its the only way to tell exactly what they are.

[keithm]

Hate to say this - but I think you've hit the nail on the head with 'the panasonics' wouldn't play the disks! My friend's panasonic is equally fussy over what it will play, he usually ends up playing his dvd's in his stand alone recorder because the Panasonic won't play them.

Have you actually tried your disks in other players other than your cheap one and the panasonics?

I don't think you have said what software you are burning with? Again have you the latest updates and the latest firmware in your DVD writers?

I've never had a ritek fail or fail to play in a stand alone player!