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pmg4lktan · 09:38 AM

Hi there ...

i have a CD Writer and would like to burn CD in large amount nowadays ...

however, i don't want to take the wrong way on buying low quality CD-Rs ...

here's my questions :

what kind of CD-Rs are recommended?

which brand is the best?

i heard that the lower surface color can affect the quality, how can i identify them?

i would also like to know which color is recommended for what usage ...

finally, can i burn CD-R more than once if the CD-R wasn't full? FYI, i am using Toast Titanium ...

Thanks in advance!

Best regards from,
pmg4lktan

Paul S · Aug 8, 2002, 10:18 AM

With Toast, you can burn a session which allows you to add additional sessions until the disc is full.

I don't know much about color differences. I have always used Imation CD-Rs which are silver and they have never had a problem in any drive I've used them in, data or audio.

Evangellydonut · Aug 8, 2002, 12:51 PM

i have a CD Writer and would like to burn CD in large amount nowadays ...

however, i don't want to take the wrong way on buying low quality CD-Rs ...

depends on your definition of "large amount." I burned 'bout 1000 CDs when I decided to switch over to DVD-R...and I haven't had any problems with all but one out of more than a dozen cheap brand of CDs I've used...

which brand is the best?

can't tell ya, but I can tell you to do anything and everything to avoid Memorex. Their 16x rated media refused to burn at 12x...

i heard that the lower surface color can affect the quality, how can i identify them?

i would also like to know which color is recommended for what usage ...

dunno...only thing i can think of is that if the plastic is scratched, a black-dye cd will be less likely to be affected since the change in reflection index is the least important...you'll have to ask a physicist...Black dye CDs run for like $.30/ea last I check 2 months ago, probably cheaper now. Oh yeah, don't bother buying "Audio-CDRs" 'cuz those are expensive only because some $ of each cd goes to RIAA or whichever organization...really stupid IMHO...

So far, only CD-Rs i made that are no longer readable are the ones where the dye at the top peeled off...so that's a bigger problem than scratches on the bottom...another thing to keep in mind is that some CD-ROMs read better than others. My external Sony 12/8/32 firewire burner can read scratched CDs 10x better than my internal DVR-104 (aka the new superdrive)...seems like the Sony will make multiple reads (as many as it has to) and pieces the data together, where as the DVR-104 will report an error after 'bout 30 seconds of trying...(enough for small scratches, but not big ones)

finally, can i burn CD-R more than once if the CD-R wasn't full? FYI, i am using Toast Titanium ...

yes. Expect a 25-50MB gap between each burn (didn't count the exact number). So if you already burned 640MB on a 700MB disc, you can probably put like 20 megs on it next time...Apple will recognize the multi-burns fine, but PCs have some trouble recognizing the 2nd burn.

Can't really help you all that much...good luck...

pmg4lktan · Aug 9, 2002, 01:42 AM

Thanks you did helped a lot ...

however ... someone else told me that Verbatim (Blue) is the best for general use ...

while Maxell (Gold) is best for audio ...

by the way, how is the black dye you talking about?

Thanks in advance!

Evangellydonut · Aug 9, 2002, 11:43 AM

Verbatim (Blue) is the best for general use ...

probably...I've ALWAYS been fond of blue dye CD-Rs. (I like them the most) (more "bs", blue is on the end of color spectrum after all...by that argument, red is the worst dye)

Maxell (Gold) is best for audio ...

I had some gold pressed CDs...they seem to be "the thing" a few years back...heard there were some problems with certain CD-ROMs having trouble reading it...though never experienced it personally.

by the way, how is the black dye you talking about?

never used one, and probably need to use a lot to be able to provide advice ^^; just saw them when I was buying my first batch of cheap DVD-Rs, and the specs seemed impressive (and expensive...it ran for like $1+/cd when others were like $0.25- Price eventually dropped though, give it a try.)

Now days, 100 CDRs last as long as 100 DVDRs...and half of those on CDs will probably be put on DVDs eventually, so...
Another thing is that the latest generation of burners can handle 80+ minute CD-Rs much better, if you are into more data on less media. (not sure the exact number, I think 90 and 99 minutes respectively...some CD-players have trouble reading them though)

In the mean time, http://www.cdrinfo.com/ might be worth looking into.

pmg4lktan · Aug 10, 2002, 11:23 PM

Thanks Evangellydonut,

so i bought 100 silver CD-Rs ...

i planned to get the blue Verbatim CD-R and CD-RW as well ...

and the doubted best for Audio, blck-dye CD ...

but one last question before i get them ...

how will i benefit from the special dye? is the difference noticeable?

Thanks in advance!

Best regards from,
pmg4lktan