Home News Reviews Forums Shop


Verbatim 16X DVD-R [MMC03RG20] 25 disc spindle

General discussion about recordable CD, DVD and BD media and write quality testing.

Verbatim 16X DVD-R [MMC03RG20] 25 disc spindle

Postby Grain on Sun Oct 01, 2006 12:47 pm

I picked up a spindle of the above for testing, and have found strange results. Utter garbage. The only visible difference between them and 50 or 100 disc spindles is near the hub(all non-printable). Instead of the clear section between the silver matte and the hub, on the 25's it's a reflective surface. I've tried them on several of my burners, all with poor results. Anyone know the story on these "reflective hub" discs, or had similar results?

Edit: All are marked on the spindle labels as MIT.
Hi-Def Format Neutral
Samsung BD-1400, PS3 40GB
Toshiba HD-A2, HD-XA2 & XBox 360 HD DVD
Grain
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 479
Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 12:12 am
Location: Canada

Postby dolphinius_rex on Sun Oct 01, 2006 1:27 pm

any chance you can post the serial number of the discs?

When you say total garbage, what kind of symptoms are you experiencing? Also, what drive/firmware are you burning them with?

Thanks!
Punch Cards -> Paper Tape -> Tape Drive -> 8" Floppy Diskette -> 5 1/4" Floppy Diskette -> 3 1/2" "Flippy" Diskette -> CD-R -> DVD±R -> BD-R

The Progression of Computer Media
User avatar
dolphinius_rex
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 6923
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2003 6:14 pm
Location: Vancouver B.C. Canada

Postby MonsterMan on Sun Oct 01, 2006 2:05 pm

The DVD-Rs from Verbatium seem to be of much lower overall quality than their +R media...
BenQ 1655, BenQ 1620, LG 4167, Plex PX-716SA, Samsung SH-S162L, SH-S182M, Pioneer 111D, Lite-On SHM-165H6S and 1.9TB of HDDs to feed 'em and an X2/4800 to crunch for 'em.
MonsterMan
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 387
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 7:38 pm

Postby Ian on Sun Oct 01, 2006 2:31 pm

Yeah, I've experienced a wide varience with their 16x DVD-R discs. For me, the best results are with the jewel case packaged discs.
"Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt." - Steve Jobs
User avatar
Ian
Grand Poobah
 
Posts: 15127
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 2:34 pm
Location: Madison, WI

Postby Dartman on Sun Oct 01, 2006 2:46 pm

I try not to buy them anymore becuase their quality is so all over the map, one from a spindle might be a godlike burn, next garbage. Sometimes the actual Verbatim branded ones are a bit better, but sometimes not.
Seems to be getting harder in the US to find really good media to play with.
The folks in Australia I chat with seem to get much better quality stuff from them.
At least so far their Dual Layer stuff is still the best I can get, and everyone agrees on that.
User avatar
Dartman
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 1602
Joined: Sun May 26, 2002 2:13 pm
Location: USA

Postby Justin42 on Sun Oct 01, 2006 3:13 pm

Interesting, I picked up a 50 pack 16x DVD-R Verbatim from Best Buy last week since it matched the CMC cakebox criteria.. I had been kinda burned by their DVD-R in the past but was curious-- so the first disc I tried coastered
(burn aborted about 9% in) in my LG H10L but then the 2-3 I've burned since have been spectacularly good... almost as good as the +R.

Too weird. It REALLY sucks when trying to help family/friends figure out what kind of media to buy! It's hard enough to convince them to avoid specific brands, but then having to explain the font to look for on the cakebox gets a bit insane. ;)
Justin42
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 723
Joined: Sat Jun 29, 2002 10:30 pm

Postby Gen-An on Sun Oct 01, 2006 3:42 pm

I've had good results with all MCC media, + or -, 4x, 8x, 16x, made by CMC or Prodisc. I don't know what to say to people having problems...
Gen-An
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 314
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:20 pm

Postby Dartman on Sun Oct 01, 2006 3:49 pm

The ones I've gotten aren't coasters, just not near as good as my drives usually burn quality media. We've all gotten a bit spoiled by mid 90 scores and better with the quality burning drives now available 8)
User avatar
Dartman
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 1602
Joined: Sun May 26, 2002 2:13 pm
Location: USA

Postby Grain on Sun Oct 01, 2006 4:54 pm

dolphinius_rex wrote:any chance you can post the serial number of the discs?

When you say total garbage, what kind of symptoms are you experiencing? Also, what drive/firmware are you burning them with?

Thanks!


Serial # from bottom of disc:ZD3177-DVR-J47C1

Burned with Pioneer 111 1.29, BenQ 1655 BCIB, LG GSA-H22N 1.0.
Symptoms see attached scans, the scans below with above 80% will at least play in a stand alone DVD player, but they don't play them well ie skipping, pixelating. Checked on a Denon 2200, HK DVD-25 and a LG 530. Burned at 8, 12, 16 & 18X, similar results on them all.
Attachments
Verb 25 disc spindle LG GSA-H22N 18X.png
Verb 25 disc spindle LG GSA-H22N 18X.png (48.46 KiB) Viewed 6819 times
verb mcc03rg20 25disc spindle 85per discory.png
8X BenQ 1655
verb mcc03rg20 25disc spindle 85per discory.png (54.52 KiB) Viewed 6813 times
lg 8x mcc03rg20 87per delicatessian.png
LG H22N 8X
lg 8x mcc03rg20 87per delicatessian.png (53.65 KiB) Viewed 6816 times
Hi-Def Format Neutral
Samsung BD-1400, PS3 40GB
Toshiba HD-A2, HD-XA2 & XBox 360 HD DVD
Grain
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 479
Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 12:12 am
Location: Canada

Postby [buck] on Sun Oct 01, 2006 10:17 pm

Yep, that is definately pretty nasty. I would return them or get them replaced. Could you give us the clear stamped serial at the very inner part of the hub?
User avatar
[buck]
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 435
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 1:49 am
Location: Ottawa, ON, CA

Postby dolphinius_rex on Mon Oct 02, 2006 1:41 am

Yeah, that's a very seriously screwed up spindle!! And like [buck] requested, can we possibly get the other serial on the disc (not the ZD one you already gave). It will let us know if the discs are manufactured by Prodisc or CMC.
Punch Cards -> Paper Tape -> Tape Drive -> 8" Floppy Diskette -> 5 1/4" Floppy Diskette -> 3 1/2" "Flippy" Diskette -> CD-R -> DVD±R -> BD-R

The Progression of Computer Media
User avatar
dolphinius_rex
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 6923
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2003 6:14 pm
Location: Vancouver B.C. Canada

Postby Grain on Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:23 pm

5264E0215-06343X13

Prodisc or CMC, and what tells you who made it? ie how do you read it?
Hi-Def Format Neutral
Samsung BD-1400, PS3 40GB
Toshiba HD-A2, HD-XA2 & XBox 360 HD DVD
Grain
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 479
Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 12:12 am
Location: Canada

Postby [buck] on Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:38 pm

That's a Prodisc serial alright. It's not that surprising, really, because everything I've seen suggests Prodisc MCC has a signifigantly higher failure rate than CMC MCC. :x

To answer your question, Prodisc serials are primarily numeric, and they have a "+" or "-" to signify whether the disc is a DVD+R or DVD-R.

CMC serials begin with 3 letters:

First letter - M or P (signifies plus or minus)
Second letter - A or F or O among others (signifies dye used, for example A = Azo)
Third letter - this letter's place in the alphabet signifies rated speed (for example, if a CMC serial has a third letter of D, its rated speed is 4x, because D is the fourth letter of the alphabet.
User avatar
[buck]
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 435
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 1:49 am
Location: Ottawa, ON, CA

Postby Grain on Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:25 am

Thanks for that excellent info Buck. Checked my other 16X -R Verb stocks, and they are all CMC, which is probably why they work well. Interestingly, the 8X +R spindles that are giving me trouble are Prodisc made, and the 16X +R's that work well are CMC. Now the thousand dollar question, anyway to tell from the packaging who made them?
Hi-Def Format Neutral
Samsung BD-1400, PS3 40GB
Toshiba HD-A2, HD-XA2 & XBox 360 HD DVD
Grain
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 479
Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 12:12 am
Location: Canada

Postby dodecahedron on Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:16 pm

Grain wrote:Now the thousand dollar question, anyway to tell from the packaging who made them?
lots of discussion @ cdfreaks:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=128909
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=189893

(i think theere was some discussion here @ CDRLabs, but i don't remember the topics exactly. since of late i visit the Media forum of cdfreaks rather regularly i just happen to remember these topics there, since they're kind of current).
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the land of Mordor, where the Shadows lie
-- JRRT
M.C. Escher - Reptilien
User avatar
dodecahedron
DVD Polygon
 
Posts: 6865
Joined: Sat Mar 09, 2002 12:04 am
Location: Israel

Postby [buck] on Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:50 pm

Grain wrote: Now the thousand dollar question, anyway to tell from the packaging who made them?

Most definately! :D It all has to do with with the cakebox that each manufacturer uses, and there is one particular characteristic that I find easiest and most reliable.

Check the LOCK/OPEN lettering on the top of the spindle. If it's in a serif-type font (with the "feet" on the letters), it's CMC. If it is in a more bolded Arial-type font (with no "feet), it's Prodisc. If you compare the cakeboxes you already have I'm sure you'll understand what I mean.
User avatar
[buck]
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 435
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 1:49 am
Location: Ottawa, ON, CA

Postby Gen-An on Tue Oct 03, 2006 4:28 pm

[buck] wrote:That's a Prodisc serial alright. It's not that surprising, really, because everything I've seen suggests Prodisc MCC has a signifigantly higher failure rate than CMC MCC. :x


I honestly don't think there is much difference in quality overall between Prodisc MCC and CMC MCC, though it's only been fairly recent that people have begun to distinguish the two (for the longest time people thought all Taiwan MCC was by CMC), just going by my own testing and what I've seen on the 'Net since the 8x days.
Gen-An
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 314
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:20 pm

Postby [buck] on Tue Oct 03, 2006 4:35 pm

Gen-An wrote:
[buck] wrote:That's a Prodisc serial alright. It's not that surprising, really, because everything I've seen suggests Prodisc MCC has a signifigantly higher failure rate than CMC MCC. :x


I honestly don't think there is much difference in quality overall between Prodisc MCC and CMC MCC, though it's only been fairly recent that people have begun to distinguish the two (for the longest time people thought all Taiwan MCC was by CMC), just going by my own testing and what I've seen on the 'Net since the 8x days.

Well, it seems like 75% of the complaints I hear about Verbatim media concern the Prodisc variety (excluding the MBIL found in Europe). Also, it's my impression that bad Prodisc is worse than bad CMC.

In addition, I have a hell of alot more faith in CMC to make a long lasting product than Prodisc. C't tests indicate CMC's own media is much more stable than Prodisc's own media!
User avatar
[buck]
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 435
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 1:49 am
Location: Ottawa, ON, CA

Postby dolphinius_rex on Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:12 pm

[buck] wrote:In addition, I have a hell of alot more faith in CMC to make a long lasting product than Prodisc. C't tests indicate CMC's own media is much more stable than Prodisc's own media!


That doesn't mean too much though... Prodisc can make much better quality media then the stuff they sell under their own name or house brands.

But in general I agree, most complaints are from Prodisc media.
Punch Cards -> Paper Tape -> Tape Drive -> 8" Floppy Diskette -> 5 1/4" Floppy Diskette -> 3 1/2" "Flippy" Diskette -> CD-R -> DVD±R -> BD-R

The Progression of Computer Media
User avatar
dolphinius_rex
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 6923
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2003 6:14 pm
Location: Vancouver B.C. Canada

Postby [buck] on Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:22 pm

dolphinius_rex wrote:
[buck] wrote:In addition, I have a hell of alot more faith in CMC to make a long lasting product than Prodisc. C't tests indicate CMC's own media is much more stable than Prodisc's own media!


That doesn't mean too much though... Prodisc can make much better quality media then the stuff they sell under their own name or house brands.

But in general I agree, most complaints are from Prodisc media.

Sure, I would agree that it only has limited relevance in this case, but I think it's worth noting.
User avatar
[buck]
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 435
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 1:49 am
Location: Ottawa, ON, CA

Postby Grain on Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:21 pm

Thanks again Buck, verified on my own stocks, and now I know what to avoid.


[buck] wrote:
Grain wrote: Now the thousand dollar question, anyway to tell from the packaging who made them?

Most definately! :D
Check the LOCK/OPEN lettering on the top of the spindle. If it's in a serif-type font (with the "feet" on the letters), it's CMC. If it is in a more bolded Arial-type font (with no "feet), it's Prodisc. If you compare the cakeboxes you already have I'm sure you'll understand what I mean.
Hi-Def Format Neutral
Samsung BD-1400, PS3 40GB
Toshiba HD-A2, HD-XA2 & XBox 360 HD DVD
Grain
CD-RW Player
 
Posts: 479
Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 12:12 am
Location: Canada


Return to Recordable Media Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests

cron
All Content is Copyright (c) 2001-2024 CDRLabs Inc.