Is different Verbatim packaging an indication of different disc manufacturer/plant, or just a cosmetic/regional difference? Recently I have two types available locally (sort of), and I wonder.

See attached image for some variations.

The first, 3rd, and 4th images are the old Verbatim style [for different regions, I think]. The second design is the neo-Verbatim design [search for more on neo-Verbatim].

Although there will be slight color darkness/lightness/tint changes between who actually makes the media [CMC, MBI, or Prodisc], there's not any big, overly-obvious difference such as different packaging. They all use the same packaging.

CMC, MBI, Prodisc?! Are these common? All the Verbatims I've ever bought were MCC (3/4) and looked like the top-left blue package, with minor variations. The type available now at my usual store looks like, I think, the lower-left purple (I should take a better look next time).

Edit: Reading some more, I see they are all identified as MCC. At least MBI should be easy to tell apart, assuming there's a need to tell them apart at all.

By different package I meant the printed design, not the shape.

Anyway, I guess I'll get them if they ever restock.

It's all outsourced MCC 004, manufactured by different possible manufacturers. I.E., even if CMC manufactures it, it will still read as an MID MCC 004. There's a lot of info including hub numbers that can help in the identification.

Kind of like Imbev before they bought A-B. They were already brewing Budweiser in Canada under contract before the takeover. As long as they used the same recipe and brewing process it should still taste the same as if brewed in St. Louis.

As do I.

They're all basically the same thing.

Except that the first image is DVD-R and the other three are DVD+R!

(The old DVD+R packagng looks very similar to the DVD-R, except the colour of some of the text is blueish instead of purpleish).

The packaging is in theory only a cosmetic difference, but it seems to me that the quality of the discs was more predictable in the early years, and that you're more likely to get mediocre or even bad discs now.

Smarty pants! But you're right.

On a quick search I couldn't find the DVD+R equivalent, so I settled for DVD-R. I pondered whether to mention in the first post that it should be taken as DVD+R, but my conclusion was "Nah, that's too fastidious". :)

1st Spindle = Old-Style International

2nd Spindle = New-Style Universal

3rd Spindle = Old-Style North America (Prodisc)

4th Spindle = Old-Style North America (CMC)