gaore
Oct 29th, 2005, 02:04 PM
I got the DVD media ID quality guide. Hope this may help you...... :)
The following list is in preference order.
The best discs are near the top of the list. The discs at the bottom of the list are suitable only for a landfill. PVC is the best of all, LONGTEN is the worst of all, etc. Note: Some codes may be listed twice, done because a -R, -RW, +RW and +R by the same company may not be the same quality. The format is listed because of this.
1ST CLASS MEDIA
Almost flawless burns with 95-100% reliable results:
PVC = Pioneer (Japan) = (-R)(-RW) ... media is no longer made
MXLRG0x = Maxell (Japan) = (-R)(-RW)
YUDEN, TYG01/TYG02 = Taiyo Yuden (Japan) = (-R)(+R)
MCC, MKM = Mitsubishi Chemicals (Singapore/Taiwan) = (-R)(-RW)(+R)(+RW)
TDKG02, TTG0x, TTH0x = TDK Corp (Taiwan/Japan) = (-R)(-RW)
SONY0xD = Sony (Japan/Taiwan) = (-R)(-RW)
2ND CLASS MEDIA
Decent discs, though not perfect, about 80-95% success rate:
PRODISC = Prodisc Media (Taiwan) = (-R)(+R)
INFODISC = Infodisc Media = (+RW)
RICOHJPN = Ritek or Ricoh (Taiwan) = (+R)(+RW)
FUJIFILM = Fuji = (-R)(+R)
OPTODISC = Optodisc = (-R)
RITEK = Ritek (Taiwan) = (+R)(-R)(-RW)(+RW)
3RD CLASS MEDIA
Quality can be very questionable, about 50-80% success rate:
LEADDATA, LD01, LD, LEDA = Lead Data = (-R)(-RW)
BEALL = Samsung BeAll = (-R)(+R)
MBI = Moser Beaur (India) = (-R)(+R)(+RW)
MAMA = Mitsui = (-R)
PRINCO, fake TDK = Princo = (-R)(-RW)
ONIDTECH = Unknown OEM = (-R)
MUST = Unknown OEM = (-R)
GSC001, GSC002 = Unknown OEM = (-R)(+R)
CMC, CMCMAG = CMC Magnetics = (+R)
4TH CLASS MEDIA
Pathetic garbage media, landfill material, about 0-50% success rate:
CMC, CMCMAG = CMC Magnetics (Taiwan) = (-R)
PIODATA, PIO = LeadData, Ritek = (-R) ... once sold as "Pioneer" but that's false
Fake TYG02, SONY, MXL = Fake Sony/Maxell from Hong Kong OEM = (-R)
OPTODISC = Optodisc = (+R)(+RW)
AN31, AN32, ANWELL, AN30, AML = Hong Kong OEM = (-R)
DAXON = BenQ/Acer (+R)(-R)
VANGUARD = Unknown OEM = (-R)
YIJHAN = Hong Kong OEM = (-R)
MATRIX = Hong Kong OEM = (-R)
ISO001 = Unknown OEM = (+R)
VDSPMS = Unknown OEM = (-R)(+R)
LONGTEN = Hong Kong OEM = (-R)
ANYTHING ELSE = Unknown OEM or NEW
Can media ever change class?
Sure. But it rarely happens. LD01 moved to the top 3RD class spot (got better) and RITEK media moved to the last 2ND class spot (got worse). CMC DVD+R moved up to 3RD class, and SONY0xD moved to 1ST class. But those are the only four major moves to date. It is not a quick move either, these things take much time and many tests.
What do the % numbers mean?
This list is constructed from many tests on many burners from a handful of experienced people that use a lot of media. These numbers reflect the number of discs in a spindle that will give good results. For example, out of a 100 spindle of media, 1st class discs may kick out a few bad discs (0% to 5% of the media may have playback imperfections or be outright bad burns). The 2nd class media may have a dozen or so bad discs. The 3rd class discs could give you a half-spindle of duds. And the 4th class stuff can be pure trash.
These are mean averages too, simple statistics math, meaning best tests and worst tests are discarded, and the middle range of tests is the basis for these numbers. You may sometimes find the rare instance where a CMC spindle will be perfect and a Taiyo Yuden spindle will be completely flawed, but those times are the exception rather than the rule (and are not part of a mean average).
Testing procedures:
Burns are subject to playability/reflectivity tests (usage tests), as well as software verification. Test equipment is under controlled hardware/software environments to eliminate user variables. Burns are at least 4GB or more to test the entire length of the media.
Exceptions to the "Taiwan" rule:
Not too long ago, Mitsubishi and TDK moved their operations to Taiwan. In fact, some of it apparently is being made in CMC Magnetics plants. However, because MCC and TDK are still using the same high quality methods and materials (this has been confirmed by a Verbatim spokesman), this geographic relocation has not affected the quality of their products.
Why is a specific media ID (like MCC02RG20) not shown?
When a certain base media ID shares the same quality, not every single code will be listed. For example, the "RITEK" classification include RITEKG03, RITEKG04, RITEKG05, RITEKW, etc. Same for "MCC". It includes MCC01RG20, MCC02RG20, MCC003, etc. Simplicity.
Fakes
Luckily, it does not happen often, but it does happen often enough to be a major annoyance to media buyers everywhere. Most fake media comes from Hong Kong, as a general rule. Fake media tends to float around Europe and Asia more than it does the USA. Fake media is normally sold in flea markets, on eBay and online. Major brand name media sold in stores is probably never going to be fake.
TYG02 = This was faked by Hong Kong OEM in 2004-2005. Some OPTODISC media was also reported to carry this code. The fakes are rumored to be for "improved 8x media detection" but low quality media is low quality, regardless of the media ID.
MXLRG01 = This was faked by Hong Kong OEM in 2002-2003.
SONY = This was faked in 2003. Unknown HK manufacturer. "SONY" is not a valid media ID.
TDKG02 = This was faked by PRINCO in 2001-2002. They wanted to "improve 2x writing" on the 1x write strategy media, as well as insure drives would see the media (not all firmware at the time had PRINCO as a valid media code).
RITEKG03,RITEKG04 = This was supposedly faked in 2004. However, it is the opinion of this author that it was just a lame cover story by RITEK for providing subpar quality media, as even the "legit" media performed poorly at the time.
Branding Guide
Although this will change on a regular basis, the following brands are known to use the following media makers for their outsourced discs. Be careful for CMC and PRINCO discs, as those are becoming more common in those "special sales" seen almost every week since early 2004. Some companies prefer dollars over quality, so be careful. Also be especially careful of "house brands" or no-names. Stores like Fry's and CompUSA have horrible return policies too, so if you end up with an unfavorable media ID, do not burn a test, just take it back for a refund and take your business elsewhere. Because of recent trends, the BOLDFACE represents known media at the time of this publish. Others are either past media codes, or codes available to the manufacturer. The (-R) and (+R) has also been added if only one is using that code.
Accu = LEADDATA
Americal = RITEKG01, PRINCO, LEADDATA
Apple = MXL, MCC(-R)
Arita = RITEKG03, RICOHJPN
BenQ = DAXON, FUJIFILM
Bulkpaq = PRINCO, PRODISC, ISO001(+R)
CompUSA = PRINCO(-R), AML, OPTODISC, LD
Datawrite = PRINCO, PRODISC, AN31, RITEKG03
DupEZ = PIODATA, LEADDATA
ESA = CMC
Esbuy = RITEK, LEADDATA, other budget IDs
Fuji = TY(-R), MKM(-RW), MCC, RICOHJPN(+R), PRODISC(-R), FUJIFILM, RITEK
GQ = PIODATA, PRINCO, RITEKG03, RITEKG02, LEADDATA, LD
HP = CMC, RICOHJPN, MCC
Imation = MCC02, RITEKG03, CMC
Intenso = MCC01
KHypermedia = CMC, TTG01
Kodak = Various budget IDs
LiquidVideo = OPTODISC
Matrix = MATRIX, LONGTEN, YIJHAN, MUST
Maxell = MXL, RITEK(-R/Taiwan), RICOHJPN, TYG01
Memorex = MCC003, RITEKG05, RITEKR03, CMCMAG, RICOHJPN,
Memorex (more) = PRODISCS0x, INFODISC, MBI, MCC01
Meritline = Various budget IDs
Mirror = AN31, ONIDTECH, PRINCO
Optodisc = OPTODISC
Philips = CMC
Pioneer = PVC
Princo = PRINCO, Fake TDK
Prodisc = PRODISCS0x, PRODISCF0x, MCC01, MCC02
Ridata, Ritek = RITEKG0x, RITEKM0x, RITEKR0x, RITEKW, RICOHJPN
Samsung = TYG01, BEALL, RITEK
Sonic, Shop4tech = LONGTEN, MATRIX, MUST, YIJHAN, various budget IDs
Sony = SONYD0x, YUDEN, RICOHJPN, MCC
Supermedia, Linkyo = Various budget IDs
TDK = TY, YUDEN, TTG0x, TTH0x, RITEK, RICOH, MXL, CMC(+R), MCC, TDK
Teon = MCC003(+R), CMC(-R)
Verbatim = MCC02, MCC, MKM(DL), CMC, YUDEN, RICOHJPN, RITEKG03
The following list is in preference order.
The best discs are near the top of the list. The discs at the bottom of the list are suitable only for a landfill. PVC is the best of all, LONGTEN is the worst of all, etc. Note: Some codes may be listed twice, done because a -R, -RW, +RW and +R by the same company may not be the same quality. The format is listed because of this.
1ST CLASS MEDIA
Almost flawless burns with 95-100% reliable results:
PVC = Pioneer (Japan) = (-R)(-RW) ... media is no longer made
MXLRG0x = Maxell (Japan) = (-R)(-RW)
YUDEN, TYG01/TYG02 = Taiyo Yuden (Japan) = (-R)(+R)
MCC, MKM = Mitsubishi Chemicals (Singapore/Taiwan) = (-R)(-RW)(+R)(+RW)
TDKG02, TTG0x, TTH0x = TDK Corp (Taiwan/Japan) = (-R)(-RW)
SONY0xD = Sony (Japan/Taiwan) = (-R)(-RW)
2ND CLASS MEDIA
Decent discs, though not perfect, about 80-95% success rate:
PRODISC = Prodisc Media (Taiwan) = (-R)(+R)
INFODISC = Infodisc Media = (+RW)
RICOHJPN = Ritek or Ricoh (Taiwan) = (+R)(+RW)
FUJIFILM = Fuji = (-R)(+R)
OPTODISC = Optodisc = (-R)
RITEK = Ritek (Taiwan) = (+R)(-R)(-RW)(+RW)
3RD CLASS MEDIA
Quality can be very questionable, about 50-80% success rate:
LEADDATA, LD01, LD, LEDA = Lead Data = (-R)(-RW)
BEALL = Samsung BeAll = (-R)(+R)
MBI = Moser Beaur (India) = (-R)(+R)(+RW)
MAMA = Mitsui = (-R)
PRINCO, fake TDK = Princo = (-R)(-RW)
ONIDTECH = Unknown OEM = (-R)
MUST = Unknown OEM = (-R)
GSC001, GSC002 = Unknown OEM = (-R)(+R)
CMC, CMCMAG = CMC Magnetics = (+R)
4TH CLASS MEDIA
Pathetic garbage media, landfill material, about 0-50% success rate:
CMC, CMCMAG = CMC Magnetics (Taiwan) = (-R)
PIODATA, PIO = LeadData, Ritek = (-R) ... once sold as "Pioneer" but that's false
Fake TYG02, SONY, MXL = Fake Sony/Maxell from Hong Kong OEM = (-R)
OPTODISC = Optodisc = (+R)(+RW)
AN31, AN32, ANWELL, AN30, AML = Hong Kong OEM = (-R)
DAXON = BenQ/Acer (+R)(-R)
VANGUARD = Unknown OEM = (-R)
YIJHAN = Hong Kong OEM = (-R)
MATRIX = Hong Kong OEM = (-R)
ISO001 = Unknown OEM = (+R)
VDSPMS = Unknown OEM = (-R)(+R)
LONGTEN = Hong Kong OEM = (-R)
ANYTHING ELSE = Unknown OEM or NEW
Can media ever change class?
Sure. But it rarely happens. LD01 moved to the top 3RD class spot (got better) and RITEK media moved to the last 2ND class spot (got worse). CMC DVD+R moved up to 3RD class, and SONY0xD moved to 1ST class. But those are the only four major moves to date. It is not a quick move either, these things take much time and many tests.
What do the % numbers mean?
This list is constructed from many tests on many burners from a handful of experienced people that use a lot of media. These numbers reflect the number of discs in a spindle that will give good results. For example, out of a 100 spindle of media, 1st class discs may kick out a few bad discs (0% to 5% of the media may have playback imperfections or be outright bad burns). The 2nd class media may have a dozen or so bad discs. The 3rd class discs could give you a half-spindle of duds. And the 4th class stuff can be pure trash.
These are mean averages too, simple statistics math, meaning best tests and worst tests are discarded, and the middle range of tests is the basis for these numbers. You may sometimes find the rare instance where a CMC spindle will be perfect and a Taiyo Yuden spindle will be completely flawed, but those times are the exception rather than the rule (and are not part of a mean average).
Testing procedures:
Burns are subject to playability/reflectivity tests (usage tests), as well as software verification. Test equipment is under controlled hardware/software environments to eliminate user variables. Burns are at least 4GB or more to test the entire length of the media.
Exceptions to the "Taiwan" rule:
Not too long ago, Mitsubishi and TDK moved their operations to Taiwan. In fact, some of it apparently is being made in CMC Magnetics plants. However, because MCC and TDK are still using the same high quality methods and materials (this has been confirmed by a Verbatim spokesman), this geographic relocation has not affected the quality of their products.
Why is a specific media ID (like MCC02RG20) not shown?
When a certain base media ID shares the same quality, not every single code will be listed. For example, the "RITEK" classification include RITEKG03, RITEKG04, RITEKG05, RITEKW, etc. Same for "MCC". It includes MCC01RG20, MCC02RG20, MCC003, etc. Simplicity.
Fakes
Luckily, it does not happen often, but it does happen often enough to be a major annoyance to media buyers everywhere. Most fake media comes from Hong Kong, as a general rule. Fake media tends to float around Europe and Asia more than it does the USA. Fake media is normally sold in flea markets, on eBay and online. Major brand name media sold in stores is probably never going to be fake.
TYG02 = This was faked by Hong Kong OEM in 2004-2005. Some OPTODISC media was also reported to carry this code. The fakes are rumored to be for "improved 8x media detection" but low quality media is low quality, regardless of the media ID.
MXLRG01 = This was faked by Hong Kong OEM in 2002-2003.
SONY = This was faked in 2003. Unknown HK manufacturer. "SONY" is not a valid media ID.
TDKG02 = This was faked by PRINCO in 2001-2002. They wanted to "improve 2x writing" on the 1x write strategy media, as well as insure drives would see the media (not all firmware at the time had PRINCO as a valid media code).
RITEKG03,RITEKG04 = This was supposedly faked in 2004. However, it is the opinion of this author that it was just a lame cover story by RITEK for providing subpar quality media, as even the "legit" media performed poorly at the time.
Branding Guide
Although this will change on a regular basis, the following brands are known to use the following media makers for their outsourced discs. Be careful for CMC and PRINCO discs, as those are becoming more common in those "special sales" seen almost every week since early 2004. Some companies prefer dollars over quality, so be careful. Also be especially careful of "house brands" or no-names. Stores like Fry's and CompUSA have horrible return policies too, so if you end up with an unfavorable media ID, do not burn a test, just take it back for a refund and take your business elsewhere. Because of recent trends, the BOLDFACE represents known media at the time of this publish. Others are either past media codes, or codes available to the manufacturer. The (-R) and (+R) has also been added if only one is using that code.
Accu = LEADDATA
Americal = RITEKG01, PRINCO, LEADDATA
Apple = MXL, MCC(-R)
Arita = RITEKG03, RICOHJPN
BenQ = DAXON, FUJIFILM
Bulkpaq = PRINCO, PRODISC, ISO001(+R)
CompUSA = PRINCO(-R), AML, OPTODISC, LD
Datawrite = PRINCO, PRODISC, AN31, RITEKG03
DupEZ = PIODATA, LEADDATA
ESA = CMC
Esbuy = RITEK, LEADDATA, other budget IDs
Fuji = TY(-R), MKM(-RW), MCC, RICOHJPN(+R), PRODISC(-R), FUJIFILM, RITEK
GQ = PIODATA, PRINCO, RITEKG03, RITEKG02, LEADDATA, LD
HP = CMC, RICOHJPN, MCC
Imation = MCC02, RITEKG03, CMC
Intenso = MCC01
KHypermedia = CMC, TTG01
Kodak = Various budget IDs
LiquidVideo = OPTODISC
Matrix = MATRIX, LONGTEN, YIJHAN, MUST
Maxell = MXL, RITEK(-R/Taiwan), RICOHJPN, TYG01
Memorex = MCC003, RITEKG05, RITEKR03, CMCMAG, RICOHJPN,
Memorex (more) = PRODISCS0x, INFODISC, MBI, MCC01
Meritline = Various budget IDs
Mirror = AN31, ONIDTECH, PRINCO
Optodisc = OPTODISC
Philips = CMC
Pioneer = PVC
Princo = PRINCO, Fake TDK
Prodisc = PRODISCS0x, PRODISCF0x, MCC01, MCC02
Ridata, Ritek = RITEKG0x, RITEKM0x, RITEKR0x, RITEKW, RICOHJPN
Samsung = TYG01, BEALL, RITEK
Sonic, Shop4tech = LONGTEN, MATRIX, MUST, YIJHAN, various budget IDs
Sony = SONYD0x, YUDEN, RICOHJPN, MCC
Supermedia, Linkyo = Various budget IDs
TDK = TY, YUDEN, TTG0x, TTH0x, RITEK, RICOH, MXL, CMC(+R), MCC, TDK
Teon = MCC003(+R), CMC(-R)
Verbatim = MCC02, MCC, MKM(DL), CMC, YUDEN, RICOHJPN, RITEKG03