From Admin BD-R Disc Lifetimes

[rysktkr]

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 ;(

[signals]

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.

[GadgetVictim]

@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.

[kelson]

Maybe next time I'll get some TY BD-R from SMS.

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.

[GadgetVictim]

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.

@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-Quantu...4542987&sr=8-1)

- http://www.amazon.com/Verbatim-97339...4545933&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...4543172&sr=1-1

However, note the difference in per disc price between the two Verbatims above: #97339 vs #97090.

Live Aloha,
GadgetVictim

[Krukester]

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.

[Krukester]

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.

[DiabloZoe]

@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-Quantu...4542987&sr=8-1)

- http://www.amazon.com/Verbatim-97339...4545933&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...4543172&sr=1-1

However, note the difference in per disc price between the two Verbatims above: #97339 vs #97090.

Live Aloha,
GadgetVictim

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!

[HIDEF]

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.

[Confused1966]

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.

[Mdy4Blues]

As posted back on 04-06-2011



"General advice regarding (royal blue) Memorex BD-R, 25gb media. I have backed up several of my blu-ray discs using Memorex BD-R, 25 GB 1x-4x media and ALL of them have now failed to play in my blu-ray player or on my computer using PowerDVD 9.x after a mere 4 months!
Please beware. So far, TDK and Verbatim media have held their data and play fine."

Update:
As of today, 5-23-2011, I have been using Verbatim without any problems or failures. All of the TDK's have also held up fine.

[btufail]

"General advice regarding (royal blue) Memorex BD-R, 25gb media. I have backed up several of my blu-ray discs using Memorex BD-R, 25 GB 1x-4x media and ALL of them have now failed to play in my blu-ray player or on my computer using PowerDVD 9.x after a mere 4 months!
Please beware. So far, TDK and Verbatim media have held their data and play fine."

Update:
As of today, 5-23-2011, I have been using Verbatim without any problems or failures. All of the TDK's have also held up fine.

I heard numerous cases of memorex failing or losing data. That's a disgrace. Memorex should take responsibility for this.

[Guest]

"General advice regarding (royal blue) Memorex BD-R, 25gb media. I have backed up several of my blu-ray discs using Memorex BD-R, 25 GB 1x-4x media and ALL of them have now failed to play in my blu-ray player or on my computer using PowerDVD 9.x after a mere 4 months!
Please beware. So far, TDK and Verbatim media have held their data and play fine."

Update:
As of today, 5-23-2011, I have been using Verbatim without any problems or failures. All of the TDK's have also held up fine.

Are you talking about the dark blue discs with the old logo or the light blue ones with the new logo?

[Mdy4Blues]

The dark blue I suppose. I've never seen the so-called light blue ones so I don't have any comparison. Ever seen the Navy Blue Angels fighter jets? That blue!

Everyone of them ended up losing their data and went into the local recycle program. And they weren't cheap ($$) either!

[Guest]

The dark blue I suppose. I've never seen the so-called light blue ones so I don't have any comparison. Ever seen the Navy Blue Angels fighter jets? That blue!

Everyone of them ended up losing their data and went into the local recycle program. And they weren't cheap ($$) either!

Oh ok, the one's I have are the light blue ones with the new Memorex logo on them.