I'm able to get either

• EMTEC (most likely Prodisc) for € 7

• Verbatim DataLife (most likely CMC) for € 7

• Intenso (Ritek/MBI/...???) for € 7

• Fujifilm (Fuji Photo Film? not TY) for € 8

CD-R media in 50 pcs cakeboxes.
Should I go for the Prodisc or the CMC or the Fuji or the unknown CD-R media?

I just need some cheap media for everyday use, important stuff will, of course, be stored on Verbatim DataLifePlus or Pastel Disc CD-R...

Mmm... I would avoid Prodisc at all costs as I have heard many stories of the the reflective layer flaking off after just a couple years...

hmm... those EMTEC Prodisc(?) discs are not unbranded but have some kind of protection lacquer on the top.

What about Sony? I heard that discs made by Sony in Austria were good too, but how do I tell them from Daxon- or MBI-made CD-R cakeboxes? Do the Austrian cakeboxes have a gray or a white spacer? Is it foamy? What's the top font looking like?

I've had fairly good luck so far with Prodisc CDRs (I have some MIC Verbs that are Prodisc).

But from what I've seen in the UK, I don't think much of the Emtec brand. So, if you can get the Verb DataLifePlus for the same amount of money, I get the Verbs.



Edit: and as for Sony, I have some that scan pretty well, but I bought them awhile back, and so can't tell you much about where they were made, or the spacer. I still have them in their original cakebox, but alas, that's at my mum's place.

Sadly 50 Verbatim DataLifePlus are € 12 and therefore about twice the price. I might just try the Prodiscs then because they are about the cheapest CD-R in B&M stores here.

Arachne, if you could just make a few photos of the cakebox' top and bottom it would be very nice. Thanks in advance!

Ah, I missed the lack of "Plus" with the Verb DataLife.

Yeah, for my everyday discs, Prodisc are just fine. As long as you have said discs backed up to better quality media, it's all good.

And, I won't be at my mum's til next weekend, but I will take some pics of the cakebox for you, and I'll post them in this thread.

If the Fuji CD-R media is Fuji Photo Film then it's pretty good.
I have a 25pc cakebox of Fujifilm 52x CD-R media with a Fuji Magnetics GmbH Germany address on the sleeve, and they are pretty decent.

Knowing Fuji, there's no guarantee that those Fujifilm you can buy will be the same media. Perhaps they will be Ritek, which Fuji Germany used for 48x rated CD-R media.

I have no opinion on the other choices you mentioned.

I have some Austrian cd-r's that i havnt opened yet, and i can tell you it has a grey foamy spacer. If you really want i could probably take a picture...

I would imagine that a pic will be required.

Ok... but my digital camera is out of reach... so it will be taken with a webcam

ere you go

Hmm... Gray foamy spacer, gray bottom. Still, a photo of top and bottom would be nice
Thanks a lot for helping me. I'll try Prodisc, Fuji and maybe also a few Sony if I can get them for a decent price.

okey coke, here you go

Yeah, that's what my Sony cakebox looks like, except mine's a 50 pcs one.

i have two lots of 25 as they were half price £4.99 each

I can't remember how much I paid for mine...it was in Woolies, back at Christmas.

lol.... i just finished a 100 pack of pc line cd-r's ive had for 5 years

Who made them?

I used LG branded Prodisc CD-Rs before and i think; Prodisc looks like a good manufacturer.

they are just a pcline brand... no media code

Unknown media code?

yep

This might be just an issue of CD/DVD-Speed. I also have some (crappy) media, CD/DVD Speed reports as "unknown". Using my Liteon drive, Kprobe reports a MID.

Back to topic:
The following pics show the difference between a TY (Verbatim Pastell) and a CMC MAG (Platinum - those with TY lookalike cakebox). Same content, both written at 40x max with Samsung SH-W163A TS01. (This drive supports only 40x max for these TY CD-R).

So I think that CMC isn't too bad for short time use

I had a few CMCs rot away in as short as a few weeks. Even if I see no C2s they can degrade quite quickly.
Although those Philips-branded CMCs were low quality ones, I'm still wary with them.

Wow, I've had CMC CDRs (Imation branded) that lasted well in excess of two years.

I too think CMC are very good for everyday use.