I am considering verbatim after I have had several RITEK BR2 disk go bad on me: Memorex (Blue disk) RITEK BR2 burned 6/09. Have had 7 disks fail out of 15. RiData (silver disk) RITEK BR2 burned 6/09 had 1 disk fail out of 4 checked. RiData (printable disk) RITEK BR2. The oldest I have of these are from 4/10. I have not yet seen any failures. Scanned 4 disk using Nero Disk Speed all 4 clean. I am wondering if these Verbatims would give the longetivity I am looking for: I want to stay away from the LTH as this is a relatively new technology and prefer not to be a guinea pig at a small savings. I have learned my lesson on that route ;(

BD-R Disc Lifetimes Please post in this thread if you have tested your BD blanks to see if they still playback well over time. This is very valauble for all users trying to make informed purchasing decisions on blank media. It would be helpful to supply the approximate date recorded, the model of the burner and the firmware that was used, along with the brand and model of disc with its MID code if available.

I have been experimenting with 50gb bdr's from Japan on Ebay. Seller is U-Japan. Around $5-6 a disc. I purchased 5 Verbatims and 8 TDK. The verbatims work great. I've burned 5 TDK with 2 failures. Seller said he would replace the 2 discs once I ordered more. I will keep you guys posted on how they work out. Btw shipping from Japan was free and surprisingly quick.

@rysktr & signals, I previously posted a reference to the article in the General Chat section, re: "what's the best blank dvd to buy". The focus there was mainly on DVD discs. As the author of the article points out, the first problem in finding a good recording media (DVD, BD-R, etc) is to understand what constitutes a good media (i.e.; how do you define a/the good media). This article gave me a good background on the "what's" and "why's". Also, to ensure as best, that you get what you paid for. In the Q/A section, date/time: April 18, 2011 at 11:40am, there's a question and discussion on Verbatim and JVC/TY blu-ray discs. Hope this article helps: http://adterrasperaspera.com/blog/2006/10/30/how-to-choose-cddvd-archival-media Best Regards, GadgetVictim PS: FYI, I had already purchased some Optical Quantum BD-R, before I read this article. However, my choice on the OQ BD-R was driven by cost/disc. Maybe next time I'll get some TY BD-R from SMS.:o

[QUOTE=GadgetVictim;84168] Maybe next time I'll get some TY BD-R from SMS.:o[/QUOTE]Just so you know, T-Y BD-R are LTH, not standard BD-R.I've burned quite a few Optical Quantum disks without any problems. We'll see how long they last.

[QUOTE=kelson;84245]Just so you know, T-Y BD-R are LTH, not standard BD-R. I've burned quite a few Optical Quantum disks without any problems. We'll see how long they last.[/QUOTE] @kelson, Thanks for pointing this fact out. I'm learning something new about BD-R and DVD discs every day, which helps me make more informed purchase decisions.:) I Googled "LTH media" and found this enlightening info in Wikipedia: "... BD-R LTH is a write-once Blu-ray disc format that features an organic dye recording layer. The advantage of BD-R LTH is it can protect a manufacturer's investment in DVD-R/CD-R manufacturing equipment. .... Old Blu-ray players and recorders cannot utilize BD-R LTH, however, a firmware upgrade could enable the device to access BD-R LTH..." After doing some further googling, it looks like there's two camps in this area of blu-ray discs: Low to High (LTH) and High to Low (HTL). SOME LINGERING QUESTIONS STILL REMAIN UNRESOLVED: 1. I assume the older BD-R were all HTL, and the reason for switching over to the newer LTH is that it's less expensive to produce? 2. I'm assuming also, that when people refer to "non-LTH" or "standard BD-R", they're referring to BD-R HTL discs? 3. Since this particular forum addresses "BD-R life expectancy", the question now is, aside from initial incompatibility issues, which of the two technology would have a longer data retention/storage life span? Seems like this depends a lot on who the disc manufacturer (i.e., TY, Verbatim, OQ, etc) is the ingrediants/standards/qualities they apply. 4. Finally, when I purchase BD-R from places like Amazon, can I assume that all the BD-R not specified as being LTH are infact, HTL discs? Example: a. Not all the BD-R offered are not clearly labeled as being either LTH or HTL. Examples: - http://www.amazon.com/Optical-Quantum-Double-Inkjet-Printable/dp/B002LZMY10/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304542987&sr=8-1) - http://www.amazon.com/Verbatim-97339-DataLifePlus-Single-Layer-Recordable/dp/B004477BQQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1304545933&sr=1-1 b. However, there a some that are clearly marked as being LTH. Like the Verbatim brands: http://www.amazon.com/Verbatim-97090-Blu-ray-Single-Layer-Recordable/dp/B002WCRC2S/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1304543172&sr=1-1 However, note the difference in per disc price between the two Verbatims above: #97339 vs #97090. Live Aloha, GadgetVictim:cool:

Im confused as to why Blu-Ray wouldn't last? I've been burning DVD's for years, some of which have been mistreated and have tons of scratches on them (usually ones with cam movies or something) and they still play back fine, without issues. I have a huge binder, that holds 300+ dvds, all that are in excellent condition. Im assuming if you kept your blu-rays in a cool, dry, dark place (such as a binder) and handled them properly and didn't leave them in the disc drive, you shouldn't have a issue with them.

Also, regarding the new Verbatim LTH discs. I haven't used these discs yet. Im in the process of purchasing a blu-ray burner, and choosing the discs to go along with them. From what i've read, these discs seem to have high reviews. If you use the right burner, and have UPDATED FIRMWARE, and use a player that supports them (most do) you shouldn't have any issues with them. I know technically there a new technology, but im sure within time they will be all over the markets. Verbatim is one of the best leaders in blank media, and I doubt the company would back a product that was crap. Im sure they were trying to discover a cheap, efficient way of making blu-rays, so they could pull ahead in the market, and distingush themselves. I've used Verbatim DVD's for ages, and not had a single issue. You should see how badly some of my discs are scratched up, and they still play back fine.

[QUOTE=GadgetVictim;84258]@kelson, Thanks for pointing this fact out. I'm learning something new about BD-R and DVD discs every day, which helps me make more informed purchase decisions.:) I Googled "LTH media" and found this enlightening info in Wikipedia: "... BD-R LTH is a write-once Blu-ray disc format that features an organic dye recording layer. The advantage of BD-R LTH is it can protect a manufacturer's investment in DVD-R/CD-R manufacturing equipment. .... Old Blu-ray players and recorders cannot utilize BD-R LTH, however, a firmware upgrade could enable the device to access BD-R LTH..." After doing some further googling, it looks like there's two camps in this area of blu-ray discs: Low to High (LTH) and High to Low (HTL). SOME LINGERING QUESTIONS STILL REMAIN UNRESOLVED: 1. I assume the older BD-R were all HTL, and the reason for switching over to the newer LTH is that it's less expensive to produce? 2. I'm assuming also, that when people refer to "non-LTH" or "standard BD-R", they're referring to BD-R HTL discs? 3. Since this particular forum addresses "BD-R life expectancy", the question now is, aside from initial incompatibility issues, which of the two technology would have a longer data retention/storage life span? Seems like this depends a lot on who the disc manufacturer (i.e., TY, Verbatim, OQ, etc) is the ingrediants/standards/qualities they apply. 4. Finally, when I purchase BD-R from places like Amazon, can I assume that all the BD-R not specified as being LTH are infact, HTL discs? Example: a. Not all the BD-R offered are not clearly labeled as being either LTH or HTL. Examples: - http://www.amazon.com/Optical-Quantum-Double-Inkjet-Printable/dp/B002LZMY10/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304542987&sr=8-1) - http://www.amazon.com/Verbatim-97339-DataLifePlus-Single-Layer-Recordable/dp/B004477BQQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1304545933&sr=1-1 b. However, there a some that are clearly marked as being LTH. Like the Verbatim brands: http://www.amazon.com/Verbatim-97090-Blu-ray-Single-Layer-Recordable/dp/B002WCRC2S/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1304543172&sr=1-1 However, note the difference in per disc price between the two Verbatims above: #97339 vs #97090. Live Aloha, GadgetVictim:cool:[/QUOTE] LTH is pressed on the same press they make DVD's thats why the cost is cheaper, these disc's were first developed back in 2007. I know verbatim makes them but not sure of who else. I think most disc's that you come into contact with will be normal BDR. It comes down to basically you get what you pay for! If you buy the expensive disc's e.g. Verbatim, TDK you are most likely not going to encounter any error if you go with the cheap BD R's its a crap shoot! I use TDK and I don't burn coasters nor do I get any errors!

Taiyo Yuden is now making them but they are inkjet printable. I believe at supermediastore but don't quote me. I use the verbs LTH with my lite-on 220 burner. No problems so far. Panasonic standalones were upgraded quite awhile ago to play these.

I also use TDK BD-Rs and haven't had any problems with them. If you buy them in bulk (aka 50 pack on spindles) from Smart Imports Japan or Amazon Japan, the cost per disc isn't that great (~AU$2-3), even with postage and handling costs.

BD-R Disc Lifetimes

kelson

[QUOTE=SuperFist;88713]Does anyone have any Optical Quantum discs they can report about that they burned a year ago or longer? Also, if you can, post the Manufacturer's ID. I'm curious because I only started burning blu-rays at the the beginning of this year and I have a lot of those discs since they seem to be on sale the most. I'm assuming the worst but I would like to be pleasantly surprised. :D[/QUOTE]At $1/disk they are hard to pass up. I've burned about 30 of them so far over the past couple months so I don't have any longevity data, yet. Of the 30, all except one burned and verified without any issues. The one coaster was my fault -- I tried to burn it much faster than the rated speed.

btufail

[QUOTE=SuperFist;88713]Does anyone have any Optical Quantum discs they can report about that they burned a year ago or longer? Also, if you can, post the Manufacturer's ID. I'm curious because I only started burning blu-rays at the the beginning of this year and I have a lot of those discs since they seem to be on sale the most. I'm assuming the worst but I would like to be pleasantly surprised. :D[/QUOTE]

From what I understand disc code that contains RO4 are ok. They show up as phillips on imgburn. Anything else I'm assuming is Ritek which have been known to fail.

Notice the part/model# has RO4 in it? Those should be good!

dave412

Optical Quantum 25GB 4X

I my self has started to back up on disc and this was the first question that came to mind was the life span of the media.

I bought this brand to test out some burning and at a little over $1 a disc these are reasonable.

So far I have only backed up two movies burned using the VSO ingine. sucker punch which played fine and Battle of LA now i did have problems with this playing correctky do not know if it was because of CINAVIA or because the disk seem to have had a small scratch on it prior to burning.

I will check back on my burned backups.

Jerrinfla

Sad...

This thread is depressing. I was under the impression that blu-ray was going to be manufactured under more stringent manufacturing guidelines than DVD+R, -R, RW etc. However, if manufacturers keep outsourcing their production to companies that manufacture garbage, like CMC Magnetics, brand names that worked a year ago might not be the same disks nowadays at all.
The only brand that's been consistently good has been verbatim, and I am probably only saying that because I never tried their LTH disks or the new lower priced version of their brand.

My view on reading threads about blu-ray quality gives me the impression that buying them is going to be as much of a crapshoot as buying dvd-5 or -9 blanks. What a shame.

Oetboy4

My LG BD550 player had played Verbatim LTH media without a glitch... until a couple of weeks ago. Just stopped supporting LTH. Plays BD-R (non-LTH) without a problem. I called LG. They deny any firmware updates (player is connected to ethernet) which would have changed compatibility with LTH. Could it be "only my BD550"? Perhaps, but I googled BD550 and LTH and found other BD550 owners complaining of a change in compatibility too. I now am only using BD-R (non-LTH) type disks. If manufacturers decide not to support LTH with a simple firmware update, it just seems prudent to pay a tiny bit more for the non-LTH disks to better "guarantee" it will play.

Krukester

So, i've burned 3 movies using the Verbatim LTH 2x BD-R discs, and haven't had a single issue. They burned fine, and played back fine on the PS3 (main movie only). I store them in a Case Logic 300 page binder, to make sure they don't get damaged.

Only question I have now, is are they going to last? I know theres been some discussion about LTH-discs not lasting as long as the regular BD-R's, BUT, according to what I read they should be fine, because its the same technology verbatim uses for there DVD/CD discs.

sherwood1948

Panasonic BD-R printable discs.

I have been using Panasonic BD-R's single layer Printable discs for the past several months with a LG burner and had no issues at all. Have burned around 80 discs now and not had any fail so far. I have not tried many other brands yet, apart from a Verbatim BD-R that came with the burner. I have had a problem with DVD stick on labels. Some DVD players don't like them at all. Half way through the disc they can give all sorts of playback issues.Some discs don't even read in some players at all. At first I thought it was the disc. I took the label off with some Label Remover and it now plays back fine. I have done this with several discs that were giving playback problems, and now with the labels off they have jumped back into life. It's very strange.

Rich86

[QUOTE=sherwood1948;96645]I have been using Panasonic BD-R's single layer Printable discs for the past several months with a LG burner and had no issues at all. Have burned around 80 discs now and not had any fail so far. I have not tried many other brands yet, apart from a Verbatim BD-R that came with the burner. I have had a problem with DVD stick on labels. Some DVD players don't like them at all. Half way through the disc they can give all sorts of playback issues.Some discs don't even read in some players at all. At first I thought it was the disc. I took the label off with some Label Remover and it now plays back fine. I have done this with several discs that were giving playback problems, and now with the labels off they have jumped back into life. It's very strange.[/QUOTE]

Stick-On labels and optical media are a very bad combination. I have told folks for many years to not ever use stick-on labels on CDs, DVDs, etc. under any circumstances. Sooner or later, they will spoil your day big-time when the titles refuse to play or be read.

GregiBoy

Or even worse when parts of them come off inside the player!!!!

Use printables and get a printer that can print direct to them.

berdman

Been using a Epson printer for the past year AND using this CIS ( Continuous Ink System )

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Compatible-Bulk-Ink-CISS-CIS-Epson-R260-R280-R380-/110689387376?pt=BI_Toner&hash=item19c59a0370

Which saves you a ton of money on ink costs and they are just as good as the OEM inks

bmiller

I've been using VinPower and Optical Quantum which are both Philips R04. Never had a problem and they still work almost 2 years later.

Whale2

Optical Quantum

[QUOTE=bmiller;102800]I've been using VinPower and Optical Quantum which are both Philips R04. Never had a problem and they still work almost 2 years later.[/QUOTE]

I also have not had any failures in my Optical Quantum discs. I did manage to purchase some recently (silver colored rather than white) that were not Phillips RO4 but rather a Ritec. Hopefully the Ritec's will last too.

sonydude1966

I read over at Amazon that some of the Quantum's now say "value" on the package and are lesser quality.

I haven't seen that myself and have been using the "regular" Quantum's for 2 years or more. I get 1 coaster for every 100 or so discs, but when they burn correctly (99 out of 100), they have been lasting this whole time. (knock on wood).

Just ordered another 50 pack, and hope I don't get the "value" style. Atleast there's a very easy return policy.

Whale2

Discounted BD-R disks

[QUOTE=sonydude1966;103562]I read over at Amazon that some of the Quantum's now say "value" on the package and are lesser quality.

I haven't seen that myself and have been using the "regular" Quantum's for 2 years or more. I get 1 coaster for every 100 or so discs, but when they burn correctly (99 out of 100), they have been lasting this whole time. (knock on wood).

Just ordered another 50 pack, and hope I don't get the "value" style. Atleast there's a very easy return policy.[/QUOTE]

Verbs are less than a buck a disk until 1-11-12 at New Egg:

Optical Quantums are also very reasonable at $38 for 50 disks. My last order about a month ago was was the Phillips type even though it was the silver finish rather than white. Media is now routinely less than a buck. I love the Quantums the best. They burn at 8x according to imageburn. I set them for 6x and get no coasters. I suspect they would burn correctly at 8X.

unknownbluray

Problem is those are the LTH type which not all player let alone burners use. They are better for data than movies. I used one last yr my computer and PS3 played it this yr nothing reads it. Maybe they make them better but I heard nothing truely good with the LTH BD's.

btufail

Has any tried the new Optical Quantum 50 gb discs? So far i have had good luck with their 25 gb discs(as along as they're made by phillips and not Ritek).

davecuk

Although slightly off topic, even with Hard drive prices at double what they were a year ago, in the UK it is the same price to have 70 cheapo blu ray -r 4X writeable media as it is to have a 2TB HD. With a media player and the significantly faster write speed and of course re-usability of HDD...why use BR Discs?

My media player takes slot in drives, but I also have a few $15 dual caddys that are e-sata and USB, can attach to the media player/PC. Write speeds are very fast compared to the optical media.

Sure HDD can fail, but I think the failure rate of cheap media is much higher. Many of the films will become dated and when the collection is updated HDD space can simply be reused.

Now I could be missing something because at the moment I don't bother with BR disks at all, don't even have a BR drive of any kind at the moment. So willing to be educated on this, because a BR rom is much cheaper than a fast BR writer.

jfan24

Recently, I came across 50GB BR-DL made by Digistor on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/DIGISTOR-50GB-BD-R-Media-pack/dp/B004DNEZUG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329972207&sr=8-1 Decided to pull the plug and bought the 10-pack at first to make sure I didn't get burned. Low and behold 10 perfect burns with not a single coaster. Went ahead and picked up the 25-pack for $106 and got the same thing; no coasters. Seems to be a great product with an amazing value, the lowest price per disk I've found so far at $4.25/disk.

SuperFist

[QUOTE=jfan24;110808]Recently, I came across 50GB BR-DL made by Digistor on Amazon. ...[/QUOTE]

Those DIGISTOR's are now over $2 per disc, plus they're too new for me to trust shelf life. I would stick with Optical Quantum over at Supermediastore for $4.50 a disc...

SuperFist

In the interest of this thread and those who wish to purchase the most reliable media they can at the most affordable rate, I decided to go back and test the first discs I burned with the computer I built a few days after New Year's 2011. I will give you the model Blu-ray burner I copied them with along with the movie I backed up, the media ID of the discs I used, the brand name, speed, the speed I recorded them at as well as the date I actually made them. All of the following backed up movies currently play flawlessly in my PS3 with the latest 4.10 update.

Blu-ray Burner: LG 10x BD-RE WH10LS30

[SIZE="2"]Backed Up Movie - Media ID - Brand - Speed Burned - Date Created[/SIZE]

Entourage Season 6 (All Discs) - RITEK-BR2-000 - RiDATA 4x 25GB BD-R - 4x - 1/8/11

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children - RITEK-BR2-000 - RiDATA 4x 25GB BD-R - 4x - 1/13/11

The Town - RITEK-BR2-000 - Optical Quantum 4x 25GB BD-R - 4x - 2/15/11

The A-Team - RITEK-BR2-000 - Optical Quantum 4x 25GB BD-R - 4x - 3/19/11

Hero - RITEK-BR2-000 - Optical Quantum 4x 25GB BD-R - 4x - 3/23/11

Spider-Man - RITEK-BR2-000 - Optical Quantum 4x 25GB BD-R - 4x - 3/19/11

As you can see, all of these discs were burned a year ago and they still play just as good as if I just burned them today and the data side still looks very deep and pronounced without any visible fading.

« Previous Page Next Page »