I know this has been discussed here before but I couldn't find the discussion, so I'll ask it again. What CD-R brands have you had luck with and which brands gave you problems? I've used Imation in the past with no problems but can't find them in stores now. I've just purchased Memorex but have yet to open the box. Any suggestions? thanks, Rick

I have never had problems with name brand CD-R's I think the discussion was more on using blank DVD's

Verbatim has been my trusted brand for years.

I to would recommend Verbatim, and also the top grade of Taiyo Yuden. The later is only available on-line from a number of sources, but I've found Meritline offers the best prices and service. Annually, I burn hundreds of CD-R discs for local community and church choirs and have had very few problems. Taiyo Yuden was recommended by David Lau, owner and chief enginner of the award winning Brookwood Studios in Ann Arbor.

Does anyone know where one can find CD-Rs that are larger than 700MB? MicroCenter sells oodles and oodles of CD-R's, but that size seems to be all they have.

Meritline.com (I use almost exclusively Verbatim media purchased from meritline.com.)

However, Plextor cautions that >700MB CD is outside specification. See http://www.plextor.com/english/news/cdcapacity.html

Paul:

A CD with a capacity greater than 700 MB is called a DVD.

quote:

Paul: A CD with a capacity greater than 700 MB is called a DVD.

Not true... They also come in 790MB and 870MB. Just less commonly found.

Not only is it "called" a DVD, it "is" a DVD and needs a DVD burner to write to it. I believe most CD's are 650-700MB maximum. DVD's are 4.7 GB one-sided. Double-sided hold more, but I'm not sure it it is twice as much, and you need a burner that can burn dual.

Paul:

I did a simple Google search for "CD 790MB and 870MB" and found the following .................... Model Name: Melody 90min/790MB 24x CD-R (White Top with Logo), 50 pack $13.99, Here is a link.

800MB - 90 minute
http://www.cdrdvdrmedia.com/cd...00mb-blank-disc.html

These are no brand discs. The links on the 800 MB to compatible burning drives don't work. Is the capacity of the media more important than its reliability? I think not.

This CD-R is listed as 700MB. Also has the Water Shield printable label. I tried a sample of a comparable disk from a different company, and the Water Shield printing is well worth the higher price: A superb image & water proof to boot. (If you print your own labels on standard printable inkjet printable disks, water will smear them easily.)

http://www.meritline.com/taiyo...table---p-18255.aspx

EDIT: Ok the below info has nothing to do with the media, I'm having the same problem with DVDs. It is something with iTunes, not the discs.



Just to throw something else in;
I just bought some 700MB Verbatim Printable Silver Surface CD-Rs ($18.12 for a 100 pack at Sam's Club). I've always had luck with Verbatim, but came across a weird error with these.

They are not recognized in iTunes with my built-in Drive when I try to burn a CD, but are recognized by the Finder.

iTunes does recognize them with an external CD-R/RW drive though.

This is the 1st time I've ever come across something like this.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bibo (Jim Nichols),

The succinct answer is: it takes a great deal of time, money, and thought to answer your question. There are many answers - so nail down specifics a little bit more.

There is a best answer, but it takes work.

It helps if you define what is meant by "luck" and "problems."

There's probably 4 or 5 major ingredients in getting good CD's with "luck" and without "problems."

1. What burner and what firmware are you using? Or, should you be using?
2. What reader and what firmware are you using? Or, should you be using?
3. What software is doing the burning? Most brands are reliable on the Mac; not so on the PC.
4. What software is doing the reading? This may be file dependent - especially for videos and movies.
5. What media is being used? [ Type, brand, model number ] Certain types are going to be MUCH more reliable and universal.
6. Longevity of the media. Some disks have a shelf life of 6 months under benevolent conditions.

Define your specific workflow, and burn CD's for that set of conditions. You won't be able to make CD's for everything on the market (and probably not even 50% of what's on the market). About 50% of all burns are immediately defective - they don't play on anything. CD quality and burner/player quality is pretty bad in general, but a lot better than DVD's. It's out of control because the manufacturers are not skilled in software and they know undiscriminating customers will purchase anything for a low price.

Here's more help:

• It's All a BLER
• DVDInfo Pro
• CDFreaks.com
• http://www.cdrlabs.com/

DVDInfo Pro tests CD's. You'll need to determine if CD-R's are a good choice in the first place. After reading a few reviews, you should see patterns developing among certain makes and models of burners. Some are just plain dysfunctional. Make sure you use good burners and readers in making your decision. About 75% of them are junk. Do NOT use factory original firmware in your burner, unless it's an Apple burner and you want to maintain Apple software compatibility. LaCie may also install good factory firmware on new burners - you'd need to test it.

Sorry to inform you of so much work. It's the only way to truly answer your question. Unfortunately, the forums offer about 95% disinformation, and 5% information. Good hunting & best of luck.