About TDK CD-R's...

[Gish05]

You mention TDK CD-R's in one of your FAQ's (B&P) - TDK can be good media, but it can be crap, too. The quality varies, depending on when you bought it and where you bought it from. Sometimes it is Ritek made for TDK, which is acceptable. But sometimes it is CMC Magnetics media, which I would not suggest at all. I've had nothing but problems with CMC media, and so have my friends and people I've talked to online.

Taiyo Yuden is hands down the most reliable media on the market. You can get a 100 pack of them at http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-172-103&depa=0 for $25 USD.

cdmediaworld.com has done archival tests on various CD-R brands. CMC has horrible archival life, TY media lasts for around 100 years. I just figured I'd bring this up because I know media quality and most importantly archival life is important to many bootleggers out there.

[jcrab66]

TY Rules :headbang:

[camster]

what about DVDs in terms of lifetime? any good brands or the same one?

I'm thinking of switching, just to save space.

cheers,
camster

[oldbrokentapes]

You have to be VERY careful with TDKs. About a year ago I bought two identical spindles of 50 (before I knew anything about manufacturers) and later discovered that one was made by CMC (arse) while the other was made by Mitsui (ace). There was no visbile way of discerning which disc was which, and the packaging was completely identical. There are also TDK discs manufactured by Ritek, Taiyo Yuden and I think a few others.

Given that this is so unpredictable, I've switched to buying the Verbatim Super Azo discs, because these are always made by Mitsubishi, who are good :)

http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/12824 may be of use to anyone who is stuck/confused/etc

[spiritinaphoto]

You have to be VERY careful with TDKs. About a year ago I bought two identical spindles of 50 (before I knew anything about manufacturers) and later discovered that one was made by CMC (arse) while the other was made by Mitsui (ace). There was no visbile way of discerning which disc was which, and the packaging was completely identical. There are also TDK discs manufactured by Ritek, Taiyo Yuden and I think a few others.

Given that this is so unpredictable, I've switched to buying the Verbatim Super Azo discs, because these are always made by Mitsubishi, who are good :)

http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/12824 may be of use to anyone who is stuck/confused/etc
I've never seen TDKs that were anything other than CMC or Ritek.

If that link you posted is correct, I've been buying the wrong stuff from the University Bookstore. I always assumed the TDKs were the best out of the three options I had available on spindle (well, they also have Verbatims in jewelcases, but I don't want jewelcases, and that makes them cost over twice as much--if only they sold Verbatim on spindles). I always assumed those SmartBuy ones the bookstore sells were off-brand rubbish. I might have to give them a try the next time I'm running low on CD-Rs--they're cheaper than the TDKs.

[Karst]

Right. I strongly suggest you read through this: http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq07.html#S7

Brands change their factories/suppliers quite often and differ per code set up. In my experience the TDK from a spindle are often made in India and they are not the best. If it says that they are made in taiwan they seem to be ok. But that is from personal experience.

[RainDawg]

You mention TDK CD-R's in one of your FAQ's (B&P) - TDK can be good media, but it can be crap, too.
I agree...it's actually not our FAQ, but is a B&P guide copied from someone who has made a really nice guide for B&Ping and gave us permission to use it here. I would prefer that the guide NOT include any endorsements of specific brands, as their overall quality ranges from year to year as manufacturing processes change. At one point, TDK were fantastic discs....

So, please understand that this B&P guide, eventually, will be replaced with one more suited to TTD, but for now, it serves as a nice pictorial way for people to understand what the accepted etiquette for sending one out is. I don't suggest using it as a tool for selecting your optical media, however.

Thanks for pointing this out, and I'll see what I can do about getting a new guide up as soon as possible.