DVD Quality

TomG wrote on 8/10/2003, 10:49 AM

Is there a quality difference when buying DVD-RW media? I know that there are different ways to manufacturer DVD media and that different brands seem superior to others (Pioneer and Verbatim usually get good ratings) but I'm looking for media that is durable and I'm willing to pay a bit more for it.

I only ask this question since the lab that produced my 16mm film to DVD charged me $49 for the media (DVD-R). When I asked him about it he said he uses Verbatim but a "commercial" grade. So is the difference between the "commercial" grade" at $49 (which I assumed included a hefty markup) and the "consumer" grade (which is about $5 for an -RW) really that great? Is there such a thing as "commercial" grade? If so, where can you find them? I've just produced 3 hours of footage and spent a lot of time doing this and would hate to see it destroyed by using inferior media.

Been to DVD FAQ and they have lots of good info but couldn't find a specific answer to my question.

Thanks for your thoughts.
TomG

Comments

BillyBoy wrote on 8/10/2003, 11:01 AM

Yes and no. Not meant as a dodge but there being so many different brands the quality issue is hard to pin down. Overall in my experience it seems that the quality of DVD media regardless of brand is better than CD media which again in my experience is all over the map. Again MY experience, your mileage may vary. Several posters here have reported they used no name brand CD media with good success. On the flip side I once bought one of those big spindles of a name brand and over half were defective. They replaced, but the replacement each came in a jewel case and those all burned perfectly. What does that suggest? I don't know...

Since the price of media has gone down and is still headed lower I personally don't see spending so many hours creating the DVD that you want to risk the DVD failing, so I just as soon spend a little more a get a better brand. The problem is over course the coatings used like with CD's can vary widely and the real issue becomes how will your DVD set top player or those of clients handle it? The only truthful answer is nobody really knows. Remember commerical DVD's are made with a totally different process.

pb wrote on 8/10/2003, 11:11 AM

you were robbrd. more later

riredale wrote on 8/10/2003, 1:13 PM

You were charged $49 for the same reason hotels charge you $5 for a bottle of mineral water--because they can get away with it.

In my experience, there are mainline disk manufacturers and there are the rest. The big names would be Ritek, Verbatim, Sony, Pioneer, Apple, and so forth. They have a reputation to protect, and presumably they carefully monitor the quality control process for the disks they make or buy from others.

I have burned hundreds of Ritek G04 (4X) disks, with no failures (Ritek is a huge manufacturer, I think #2 in the world). I have also burned no-name disks, and most have been fine--but not all. I have noted that some defective disks can be spotted ahead of time with a 10x magnifying lens: look at the surface in general, and note if there are any "spots" where the dye flow was discontinuous because of a speck of dirt or something. Also, look at the extreme edge area--on some bad disks the dye color looked different out there, and sure enough, a disk burned out into that area failed in that area.

Finally, it is possible that your vendor burned an "authoring" disk, not a "general" disk. Such a disk is universally accepted by companies that make pressed DVD disks. The "general" disk (the type used by virtually all DVD burners now sold) is now accepted by many, but not all such companies. If you told your outfit that you planned to press thousands of DVDs out of this master, then this would explain their fee.

If your company does "authoring" disks, then a substantially higher price is warranted, because the media is made in low volumes these days and a specialized burner is needed. Just how much higher is open to debate.

johnmeyer wrote on 8/10/2003, 4:47 PM

I have found a big difference between brands of both DVD-R and DVD-RW. I believe you asked about DVD-RW. By FAR the most compatible (when burned on my Pioneer A05) are the Pioneer 2x DVD-RW. I have several computers with DVD drives, and several that won't read DVD-RW from other manufacturers, will read those from Pioneer. The worst DVD-RW are those from Princo.

Maverick wrote on 8/10/2003, 4:52 PM

Often unbranded video tapes & floppy discs were those that didn't meet the high qulaity control of the branded ones. Could this be the same with DVDs?

BillyBoy wrote on 8/10/2003, 6:51 PM

I wonder the same about what sold in jewel cases as opposed to 50-100 count spindles. <wink>

Maverick wrote on 8/10/2003, 6:55 PM

I suppose we all get what we pay for!

TomG wrote on 8/10/2003, 7:25 PM

Thanks for your comments.

I have had great success with Verbatim and Pioneer. I'm not just as worried about the longevity and durability of the media as I am with a successful burn . If a "commercial" grade DVD will last a lot longer and is more durable than the "consumer" grade (Pioneer, Verbatim?), then for important stuff, I would opt to pay more for the better media.

So once again, my questions are:
1. Has anyone had any experience with these "commercial" grade DVDs and would you be willing to pay 3-5x more for them than for the "consumer" grade?
2. Who make the "commerical grade"?
3. Where can you buy them?

Thanks,
TomG

John_Cline wrote on 8/10/2003, 7:57 PM

This nifty piece of freeware will tell you exactly who made your DVD media. It will also reveal other facts about the media and burner as well.

NicSoft DVDinfo

John

reamenterprises wrote on 8/10/2003, 10:14 PM

I have seen some new media that has a special coating. It is available to consumers and runs around $5.00 per DVD-R disc. Sorry but I don't remember the brand. The disc itself is supposed to be more durable.

I have to two seperate DVD burners a -R and combo drive and I have had great success with all brands such as Khypermedia, Imagiton, Philips, and an unbranded brand.

Thats just my two cents though

Good luck!