CD-R ....... what's good?

[SiberianDVM]

It's been a while since I bought any CD-Rs. For a while there I was making some CDs with text info, using my commecially bought CDs and LPs that I cleaned, recorded onto my computer, and then recorded to CD.

Every thing was working well, I thought. I pulled out some of these CD-Rs I made and now many of them will not play at all. :(

I know they played when I made them, because I tested them, but I suspect the media has gone bad.

Does anyone have a specific brand of CD-R that is good? I would like something that is trustworty enough to last years.

[Eracer]

Here's a link to an article about achival media.

How To Choose CD/DVD Archival Media » Ad Terras Per Aspera

We sell Taiyo-Yuden as our top line DVD+R discs to our customers. They are well known in the professional world as being the best.

I'll check with our distributor re: CD-R pricing, but be aware that we sell in bulk. I'm not talking a lot, but you'd have to buy 100 at a time. Alternately, you could try the company listed in the article:

DVD-R,DVD R Media,DVDR Blank Media,DVD R,DVD+R,Dual Layer,Double Layer,Printable DVD,DVD Case,Duplicator,USB Flash Memory,Ink Cartridges

[SiberianDVM]

Thanks, Eracer.

I'm just ill over these bad CD-Rs. They are the Memorex black ones. I put a lot of effort into cleaning those LPs and recording them, and now they are just toasters. :(

[Pa Jayhawk]

I personally always just buy a name brand that is the cheapest and have never had much problem. Then again, I am a fanatic when it comes to backups and make 2 copies of everything and burn any music off to MP3's (which can then be burned to CD when needed) and make 2 copies of them. Then when any new media format comes out, I back them up to that.

Although from everything I have always heard over the years Verbatim is probably the top media, and TDK is a very close second if not just as good. Which I believe plays into what Eracer mentioned.

I have always just figured making 2-3 copies on a media that is on sale for 1/4 the cost is more reliable than buying a more expensive reliable media that is usually never on sale.

[Eracer]

I personally always just buy a name brand that is the cheapest and have never had much problem. Then again, I am a fanatic when it comes to backups and make 2 copies of everything and burn any music off to MP3's (which can then be burned to CD when needed) and make 2 copies of them. Then when any new media format comes out, I back them up to that.

Although from everything I have always heard over the years Verbatim is probably the top media, and TDK is a very close second if not just as good. Which I believe plays into what Eracer mentioned.

I have always just figured making 2-3 copies on a media that is on sale for 1/4 the cost is more reliable than buying a more expensive reliable media that is usually never on sale.

The real issue is longevity, particularly the stability of the dye. CD's were touted as having a 50-year lifespan - and if you're talkng about properly stored, commercially pressed CD's, that's a true statement.

But the cheaper CD-R media are proving to be notoriously unstable, and people like the Doc are finding that the disks they burned 7 or 8 years ago are starting to have errors that render them unplayable. Do you make a copy of every disk (even low-fi MP3's) every few years? If not, then each copy you make has ever-increasing numbers of bit errors (due to dye degradation), and eventually you'll end up with useless "cheap" disks.

If you've got a big enough hard drive storing high bitrate music files, then who cares? Just burn another cheap CD. MP3's? Mostly ka-ka...

[Pa Jayhawk]

If you've got a big enough hard drive storing high bitrate music files, then who cares? Just burn another cheap CD. MP3's? Mostly ka-ka...

For most other media, I don't worry much because what I mentioned on new formats. Example, I burned all my CD-R backups onto DVD-/+R's when it was available, will likely do the same with the newer Dual layers now that I have a burner that will do so, So in about 15 years I have likely only noticed maybe 1 going bad. Since I do 2 copies when it is economically feasible, I didn't even notice.

As far as music, I to keep it on External Hard Drives giving me a 3rd copy, then burn CD's as needed. I figure I have a Terabit of space on RAID 1 with my external Hard Drive as well as multiple backups of every song on DVD-R's as well as CD-R's and my old 120 GB Hard in a box down in my basement. I figure if I lose a song due to bad media it is likely because the world came to and end or someone set off and EMP in my area. :laugh:

[SiberianDVM]

Tried out some more of my CD-Rs in the car. Frigging expensive black Memorex won't play and cheapo green Imation play fine. :(

Anybody want 25 black Memorex CD-Rs still on spindle? Come get them.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Tried out some more of my CD-Rs in the car. Frigging expensive black Memorex won't play and cheapo green Imation play fine. :(

Anybody want 25 black Memorex CD-Rs still on spindle? Come get them.

Reading this and rereading your initial post, I am getting the impression this is not an issue of the media going bad over time, but instead the media not being compatible with you player. Which would be a much more common issue. Simply put, I only imagine when you take it back to your pc, it probably still works.

Assuming this is the case, most places are pretty lenient on returns for this reason. You can usually take back the remaining media and the wasted copies and many places will likely give you a refund. They just ship it back to the company and are of the opinion that is the companies problem for putting out non compatible media. Kinda like if you buy a piece of software and it doesn't work on your Windows PC, even though it is designed for Windows. Not really your fault. Even though it is probably the fault of the stereo in your car they will still likely replace the media. Worth a shot.

Even better, since it is around Christmas time, you will not even likely need a receipt so you could try different places till they take it back. Walmart or Staples might be a good choice, if not the place you bought it, assuming they carry that media.