Dual Layer Media Deals (2 Viewers)

[Patrick Sun]

It depends on your DVD burner drive, some drives create nice coasters with the Memorex DL's, while other drives are okay. I'll hold out for deals on Verbatims and Ritek/RiData for now.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

I bought a 25-pack of Memorex discs (made by Ritek) and had the first 4 fail while burning. I upgraded the firmware on my drive and the rest worked after that, but when I thought the problem was with the discs I went to Memorex's website and told them that their discs didn't seem to be working. I got a response back that they would send me a replacement pack to prove that not all of their discs are bad, but it never came. A couple months later I replied to the email asking them to please not tell me that they were going to send me something then not send it, but never got a response back, so I think I'll avoid Memowrecks from now on.

 

[JohnRice]

This is all very strange. Of course, all the Memorex DL media I have bought have been Ritek, as I confirmed myself. So, if there were some problem in the media/burner area, I wouldn't think buying Ritek branded media would be any different. On the other hand, I recently bought a 25 pack of Memorex media and a whopping 7 of them turned out to be defective in a way I have never seen before. They simply said they cannot be written to, though they are blank. I submitted a replacement request and quickly got a response that they would be replaced. Now, Jesse's post makes me pretty suspicious. FWIW, I have bought 3 three packs, which come in jewel boxes instead of a spindle, and they have all been fine.

I know I have used Memorex single layer media in the past with no problem, but I am thinking there really is something to all the complaints about them.

 

[Patrick Sun]

If you read the reviews on Newegg for the different brands (keeping in mind the user's stated burner drive), the good stuff gets praised, while the not-so-good stuff get slagged. The Memorex stuff is hit-or-miss.

 

[Linda Thompson]

A few deals worth checking out (better if you buy in bulk, of course):

http://www.meritline.com/dvd-r-doubl...dplusr-dl.html

 

[JohnRice]

Thanks for the link. I hadn't checked Meritline for some time. They especially have a nice price for Ritek printable DL media.

FWIW, regarding Memorex media, I had bought 9 of theirs in 3 packs with jewel boxes without a problem. Then I got a 25 spindle several weeks ago when buy.com had that great deal. Well, I am getting about a 70% defective rate. In fact, 7 of them wouldn't even write. They either showed up as an unwritable disc or didn't show up at all. This is with a Pioneer 109 with v 1.5.7 firmware, which has never given me a problem oitherwise. I get the feeling the media they sell in spindles is a lower grade than what they sell in jewel boxes. I just submitted my third warranty replacement claim to Memorex. Each time they have said they will sennd replacements, but none has arrived yet.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Verbatim DVD+R DL 10 for $19.99 at Micro Center

 

[JohnRice]

This week Office Max has 10 packs of Verbatim DL media for $19.99. Looks like prices are finally coming down a bit.

 

[JohnRice]

I just picked up 2 packs of Verbatim at Office Max. With a $10 off card, that makes $30 for 20 discs. They're finally reaching a manageable price.

 

[JohnRice]

What do you know? Today I received (3) three packs of Memorex DL media in the mail. That is actually only half of what they owe me from a 25 pack spindle that had something like 15 defectives, but I submitted them in two batches a few weeks apart. Haven't tried any, but from previous experience, the 3 packs in jewel cases seems to be OK.

 

[Gary_E]

Same deal as posted above from October:

NewEgg: RiDATA 8.5GB 2.4X DVD+R DL 25 Pack Cake Box Disc
$29.99 + $4.00 shipping


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817132394

-Gary

 

[Mike Heenan]

That item is actually $39.99 not $29.99... unless I'm reading it wrong?

 

[JohnRice]

It was $29. They have a lot of 2 days sales, so it is probably just over.

 

[JohnRice]

Office Max has Verbatim 10 pack spindles for $20 again this week.

 

[Mike Heenan]

Thanks for the tip.... Best Buy also has a sale on Memorex DL discs as well, the same price as the Verbatims I think, but I think the Verbatim's are better discs right?

 

[JohnRice]

Well, I had horrible problems with a spindle of Memorex DLs I bought, and others seem to have had trouble with their discs as well. The Memroex DLs I have gotten in jewel boxes have been OK. I guess it's up to you.

 

[Shawn.F]

Hey John,

Thanks for the heads up on Office Max's sale this week.

I've used Memorex DL blanks and it has definitely been hit and miss with them, usually more miss than hit. I have had a few duds with Verbatim, but nowhere near as much (knock wood).

 

[Paul D G]

Heh. I was just in Office Max on Friday and looked at the DL spindles thinking I should have bought another pack or two while they were so cheap.

First thing in the morning...!

-paul

 

[Mike Heenan]

Anyone have any tips for improving burning speed on my PC? A DL disc usually takes an hour to burn, and a single layer about 30 min. I have a 2.4ghz with 512mb memory and XP. Someone on a video site said something about cleaning up the registry but I dont know anything about that.

 

[JohnRice]

I can't help with the Windows stuff, but there are several areas your problem may be coming from. First, you give no information about the stuff that really matters, like the burner and software. First, 512 MB of memory is rather minimal. You might look into doubling it if not more. You'll get benefits in everything you do. You are getting a burn speed of basically 2x. This is the max with some DL media such as the ones manufactured by Ritek (also sold as Memorex and some others) so there is nothing to do with that media. With the proper hardware and software you should be able to get burn speeds around 8x, or about 7 min for a single layer disc, though the fastest DL media currently available is 6x. I would look into what other things you might be doing while you burn, the drive and media you are using (shouldn't be so much of a factor on SL media) and your software.