DVD-R blank media brands?

[billyellis]

My CD/DVD drive is not recognizing the new blank media (TDK DVD-R) I just purchased. I have seen some references in other threads to there being brand-specific problems, and I was wondering if that might be the case here?

I have used numerous brands of DVD-Rs in the past and never had any problems. In fact, I have used this exact brand (TDK) before. Is TDK known to be crappy from time to time? What brands would people recommend? I have never had this problem before, but I sure as H don't want to throw away more money on media that won't be recognized, so I would be grateful for any suggestions.

BTW...that might be a good idea for a new forum or a sticky somewhere too: a listing of different brands of various blank media products that people have had good/bad luck with...

Note: I have had a problem in the past where after a bunch of write errors the mode was switched from DMA to PIO without me knowing it, which then caused errors every burn until I reset it. But that was a burning issue, and I can't even get to that potential problem if the blank media are not recognized.

I have seen a bunch of tangentially similar threads, but none with this exact question. My apologies if I missed a duplicate thread somewhere.

 

[SNGX1275]

I've been using Sony -R 16x disks for as long as they've been avaiable, and their 8x versions before. I've never had a problem with them that wasn't user error related, I recently picked up a spindle of the Sony 16x +R disks too, with no problems. Not only do they work fine for me (I've used plextor, lite on, sony/nec, and hp burners with them) but they also look better (physically) than any others I've used.

If your burner has worked in the past with these disks and doesn't now, I'd see if I could borrow a disk from a friend before going out and buying more. Burners don't last forever, and yours could have just died.

Edit: Here is a thread with discussion about our expierences with different media and drives: https://www.techspot.com/vb/showthread.php?t=61936

 

[billyellis]

Why don't they last forever??

Unfortunately, the new media I just picked up is not being recognized either, so the problem may not be TDK after all.

Anything I can try? It still reads DVDs & CDs, so why can't it recognize a blank disc as blank?? It did recognize another brand of disc earlier today, although there were errors when burning. But it gave me hope, so I went out and bought more blank DVDs expecting the problem to be solved.

 

[LookinAround]

i'd try cleaning the lens on the cd/dvd burner but check on the recommended method to use from the manufacturer (e.g. a cleaning disc or open it up or other)

 

[Rick]

This doesn't appear to be your issue, but Verbatim and Tayo Yuden are generally regarded as two of the highest quality brands. They also have pretty good compatibility because of this. TDK is quite a bit further down the totem pole in regards to overall quality, but not bad.

"I have had a problem in the past where after a bunch of write errors the mode was switched from DMA to PIO without me knowing it"..... "although there were errors when burning."

I think the most likely thing here is your drive is failing. Your drive was in PIO and you fixed it - but there is a reason your drive was in PIO. Windows will force your drive to run PIO mode when it detects CRC errors. These errors can be caused by a failing drive, scratches on a disc etc... Judging by the sheer number of issues you've had with it, its probably time to get a new one.

 

[nismo91]

i second that...
i've been trying alot of medias such as Sony, TDK, Verbatim, HP, imation, Melody, and much more. but now im having lot of medias named Verbatim, because i feel it's the most reliable so far... and the price is good.

my friend's toshiba laptop cant read any TDK discs ever since he bought it...
but when it comes to verbatim, i don;t think there's much incompatibility...

 

[billyellis]

Sigh. Just ordered a new drive.

Don't think cleaning is the solution, mostly because I would probably eff it up anyway but also because it seems to read fine and burn CD's, just won't recognize blank DVD media.

Sounds like Verbatim is the DVD of champions...but where can you buy them?? I can't remember seeing them where I usually shop for media, although to be honest they may be there and I just tuned them out because back in the days of CDs I thought they were flimsy and stopped buying them.

 

[billyellis]

Thought I would bump this with a new question:

What is the latest on the lifetime expectancy of DVD media?

I remember reading a thread about CD media that discussed about a 5-10 year lifespan for data on CD-Rs which also implied that DVD-Rs had a much longer lifespan. But that thread was several years old, and so I am wondering if there is any more/newer info on regular and dual-layer DVD-Rs?

 

[Rick]

Again, I'm not a definitive source on this, but DVD and CD life expectancy is a bunch of crap. I'm convinced companies just throw out random numbers and the fact you see so much conflicting information online doesn't help either.

Some media claims 50-100 years, but both you and I know that is B.S. And of course, good luck finding a DVD player in 50 years anyway! hehe.

The longevity of the media is probably (mostly) determined by the type of dye it uses. You'll see buzzwords like "Metal Azo", "Advanced Azo+" etc.. blah blah, but honestly no one knows. Testing has been done, but everyone's tests turn out differently so I'd just forget about it and buy decent quality media. The 'cheap stuff' is generally phthalocyanine. I've read that organic dyes break down quicker than those made of inorganic compounds, so things like "Metal Azo" sound like they could be better...

I think as long as you stay away from anything made by Princo, you'll be okay.

 

[billyellis]

Thanks for the input.

I just remember being freaked out when I heard the 5-10 year life expectancy estimate for CD-Rs back in the day, because I was backing up a lot of stuff to CDs back then and the idea of having to copy every CD back to the HD and reburn every few years was not a pleasant one. And of course, if DVDs were to have a similarly short lifespan, it would be even worse.

As long as they last at least 20 years and well into the era of the next storage medium, I will be satisfied.