TiVo Community Forums Archives - SOAK: Optimum brand DVD-R

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SOAK: Optimum brand DVD-R
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Posted by: bidger

I Googled on this topic and searched the HH, but couldn't come up w/ anything definitive. If anyone's had experience w/ this brand of DVD-R, could you relate your experience for me. I bought some at Staples in anticipation of the DVD Recorder I plan to get myself for Christmas. Thanks for any info.

Posted by: logic88

I usually use Riteks myself. Just started using Samsung/BeAll because they offer full-coverage printable DVD-Rs. I've had bad experiences with Optodisc and Accu.

You can always use something like DVDInfo to get some information on the media itself:

http://www.dvdinfopro.com/index.php

Posted by: bidger

Thanks logic88. Actually, I did dl that program from the Google search, but I was a little hesitant when it mentioned "AdAware" during the install, so I cancelled it.

Posted by: logic88

Yeah, didn't realize that he had gone to an adware version. There is an older non-adware (v1.07) version that I use. I could email it to you if you like. I forgot to mention that I've also had good experiences with Fuji DVD+Rs. Best Buy has periodic sales on Fuji media so you can get them for around $1.25 a piece or so.

Posted by: TeddS

The Staples by me has been selling Optimum brand DVD-Rs for $9.90 per 10 pack, so I've been buying a bunch of them. They are super-ugly, with all sorts of branding printed on the disc and no clear spot for writing on them for identification, but they're cheap and I personally don't really care what the disc looks like.

I have found that on my Sony DRU-500A DVD writer, that some of the Optimum DVD-Rs burn at 4x rather than 2x. Looking carefully at the discs, I see that the production run number on the inner hub of the 4x ones is C-DR47P AF0004. All the other production run numbers, which vary a lot, burn consistently at 2x.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to tell which production run is going to be in the pack when you buy them, so it's hit or miss. In my local Staples, there seem to be 4 different production runs mixed in together, so there's about a 1 in 4 chance of getting a 4x spindle.

I figure that for $1 per disk, even 2x is ok and there's the bonus every once in a while of getting a 4x spindle.

[Edit - forgot to mention that they burn very successfully for me - no coasters. I've burned probably about 50 of them so far.]

--Tedd

Posted by: bidger

quote:
Originally posted by TeddS

[Edit - forgot to mention that they burn very successfully for me - no coasters. I've burned probably about 50 of them so far.]

--Tedd

Well, that's the most important thing. Thanks, Tedd. I'm still mulling it over whether to keep them or exchange. I'm hoping that the drop in the recorders that's been rumored will take place this Holiday Season. Would be nice if the media came down in price, but that MIGHT be as wishful as hoping that InkJet cartridges will come down in price.