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BLANK MEDIA - ALL THE SAME BUT THE NAME?? MEDIARANGE vs. THE REST??

A

AeroBar

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 21, 2009
740
13
Hi,

I'm going to use dual layer DVD+R discs to backup my iTunes and iPhoto libraries.

I was checking the prices of dual layer discs on the media site I buy from.

I prefer using brands I know like MAXELL, VERBATIM, etc. , but this site has a brand called MEDIARANGE that is half the price of the others.

can anybody tell me if this is good brand?
are the DVDs reliable?
why so much cheaper?
should I stick with big names?
are all blank media really the same anyway?

I rather be sure I have a good backup than worry about the money (especially with iPhoto).

thanks.
 
AeroBar said:
Hi,

I'm going to use dual layer DVD+R discs to backup my iTunes and iPhoto libraries.

I was checking the prices of dual layer discs on the media site I buy from.

I prefer using brands I know like MAXELL, VERBATIM, etc. , but this site has a brand called MEDIARANGE that is half the price of the others.

can anybody tell me if this is good brand?
are the DVDs reliable?
why so much cheaper?
should I stick with big names?
are all blank media really the same anyway?

I rather be sure I have a good backup than worry about the money (especially with iPhoto).

thanks.
Click to expand...

There are significant differences between CDRs and DVDs. I have to quote this from memory from an article I can't find anymore: CDRs come in four quality levels, A, B, C and D. Level D is excellent if you need something to put your mug of cocoa on to avoid stains on the table; not much good for anything else. Especially not good if you write to burn data on it and expect to read it back.

Google will be more helpful than MacRumors in this case.

You will be much better off by buying a cheap external USB hard drive.
 
I would be more inclined to use the Verbatim discs you have tried before. It is up to you but I would use the brand I know works in my drive if it saves me more in the long run making useless coasters.
 
I used Memorex DVD DLs to back up my iTunes library. I need to buy more DLs to re-back up, as I have since added and removed quite a bit..

Memorex are alright. I think i had 1 out of 15 have problems burning. Not bad.Verbatim is THE best you can buy, hands down. Would I buy Memorex again? If they are on sale. I think office max or depot has a sale this week on them (possibly Staples as well). I have Sony DVD R and they are just great. I haven't used TDK or Maxell in years, so i am unsure of their quality. Imation was good for CD-Rs back in 1999-2000, but I haven't used them in forever.

A hard drive for just music would be great as well. Just incase something happens, you have two sources of backups..

I would not get the mediarange. I have never heard of them. I got my 30 pack at Frys for $17 a year ago.
 
oh and for photos, I would only back them up on physical media (DVD-DL, etc) as a last resort. I used single layer DVDs to backup some 4000 images, and it takes 3 weeks to upload them. I would buy an external HDD for this job. I think bestbuy had a 750GB WD (Mac version...firewire) for $69 this week..
 
Seriously, don't buy cheap double layer DVD-R's. Spend the extra and get something good like Verbatim double layer ones; that is, if you care about the data your backing up.

Or if you're OCD concerned about DVD-R quality, buy Taiyo Yuden...the best of the best (even better than Verbatim) for media and made in Japan. They invented the first CD media and they have a 100 year data integrity guarantee. You burn to them and you can count on the burnt image working longer than you will be alive. More expensive than Verbatim though.

My point is: don't buy cheap media unless you aren't concerned about your data getting corrupted.

Edit: I looked it up and apparently some Verbatim media is actually rebranded Taiyo Yuden media.
 
Personally, I've used Verbatim media for years. I've never had problems with their products and I'd rather just stick with a brand I trust. I guess if you want to spice up your life you can try saving a buck or two by getting cheap media, but I don't think it's worth the risk.
 
HBOC said:
oh and for photos, I would only back them up on physical media (DVD-DL, etc) as a last resort. I used single layer DVDs to backup some 4000 images, and it takes 3 weeks to upload them. I would buy an external HDD for this job. I think bestbuy had a 750GB WD (Mac version...firewire) for $69 this week..
Click to expand...

That sounds like very close in price to DVDs, and 10 times faster, 50 times easier to use, and 100 times more reliable.
 
Verbatim single layer comes from three main factories - Japan (Taiyo Yuden dye, but not the best these days, earlier TY dyes were better), Taiwan (MCC dye under licence not bad, but not as good as the genuine Singapore MCC dye) and India (Baer Moser and usually only fit for the bin - avoid).

However, Verbatim dual layer disks are pressed in Singapore and do not use Taiyo Yuden dye, mainly because TY has only made DVD-R DL disks (TYG11) and these are very hard to find in the US.
 
Here's one more post recommending Verbatim blanks.

For good pricing, try newegg.com.

- John
 
I have found my macs to very picky about media. I would add to the chorus of folks that recommend quality media like verbatim. I would also have to question the idea of using DVD as a back up solution. It would make more sense to me, financially and for ease of use, to use a HD as a back up media instead.
 
For DVD-R single-layers usually I can just use whatever brand, but for dual-layers, since there's more room for error I stick with the Verbatims. I haven't bought a pack recently but last I heard the boxes with "Made in Singapore" were better than the batches "Made in India".

Dual-layer disks are not cheap and sure you could save like $5-$10 on a cheaper brand but what good will it do you if 1 out of 5 are coasters? I used Memorex Dual-layers and the quality was noticeably worse. I had like 1 coaster ever 5 burns.
 
thanks to everyone who helped.

I'll go with Verbatim.

to answer the other question - I'm backing stuff up to DVD because I've experienced the failure of a hard drive before and if I'd backed up to DVD it would not have been a real problem, just an inconveniance

cheers
 
RE:
"to answer the other question - I'm backing stuff up to DVD because I've experienced the failure of a hard drive before and if I'd backed up to DVD it would not have been a real problem, just an inconveniance"

Backing up to "hard" media like CD's or DVD's isn't a bad idea for your most critical data.

For the _best_ shot at data retention (probably for only your most valuable files), if the data isn't too large, you might consider gold-coated CDR's. You can buy Verbatim gold CDR's in bulk for about $2 each.

If you're shy about backing up to a hard drive because hard drives fail (in time), the way to go is to have at least TWO hard drives, one a copy of the other. Of course, both could fail at once, but the chances of that happening are far far less than the likelihood of a single drive failing.

I think my next hardware purchase will be one of the USB2/Firewire "SATA docking stations" that can accept "bare" SATA drives. For backups, just "swap 'em out" and put them away afterwards.
 
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