VEFF is back.Windata BD-R experiences? (Media ID =PHILIPRO4)

[VEFF]

Hi all,

Been away from this site for a while (life gets busy).
I see many of the old characters are still here.

I just got an Asus 12X external Blu-Ray writer (I will be limited to 8X writing since my laptop, albeit a really nice and newer unit, does not have a USB 3.0 port and also does not come with an ExpressCard slot so I can't even upgrade to USB 3.0).

I went to the local Microcenter to get some Media.
The Philips and Magnavox discs were $12.99 and $11.99 (or $1 more each) respectively for a 10 pack of 25 GB BD-R media.
I saw and decided on Windata since it has the same media ID (PHILIPR04) as Optical Quantum that many say work well. I know the same Media ID can be used on discs of differing quality right?
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia?dvdme ... 4%28000%29

I did some google searching and got nervous after seeing very mixed reviews (seems half have great results and have don't).
I also saw that someone here tested them with quality checking software and the results did not seem great.
I thought I recalled seeing someone say the Optical Quantum gave great scan results, but I could e wrong (been reading a lot).

I may just return them and get a 6X BD-R Verbatim (non-LTH) 25 pack for $26.99 + tax...
I figured I would check with the folks here first for feedback and opinions since many of you have a lot of experience with media.
This is also my first Blu-Ray burner (just got it) so I have not tried any BD-R media yet...

[Ian]

Welcome back VEFF!

I've been sticking to the major brands and haven't tried Windata or Optical Quantum yet. Honestly though, Blu-ray media hasn't deteriorated to where recordable CDs and DVDs are now. Depending on your drive, you may get decent results with the cheaper media. Write quality tests really aren't to be believed yet either.

Since you're burning at only 8x, you may actually want to consider Verbatim's 6x LTH discs. You can get 20 discs for less than $17 on Amazon. That is if whatever you're going to play them back with supports LTH, which seems to be everything these days.

[VEFF]

Strange! I just tried to post a long reply and got a 'save draft' message saying it would only save the header etc. I hit back hoping my content was cached but it was gone!

Rather than post it all again, I will try to summarize it:

Thanks for welcoming me back. Been too long as they say.

I got the Windata 10 pack to try out because the other three brands that use the same media ID all did very well in the videohelp.com user reviews and also because Microcenter only had the LTH Verbatim which I had read mixed reviews on as well and their price was higher than newegg and amazon, meaning I might as well get the older HTL there for only a little more ($26.99 for 25).
I researched the HTL and they got mixed reviews on newegg, some of which were no doubt due to older burners and / or playback devices.
Others, however, were from people with upgraded burners.

Anyway, now you're definitely making me reconsider trying the LTH discs.
Have you tried those?
The other option is simply to play it safe and get the 25 pack of HTL for4 $26.99 + tax.

Thanks again for the feedback so far!

[Ian]

If you can get a 25 pack of HTL discs for $27, I'd go that route. The Verbatims have worked on every drive I've tried.

I've only tried the 2x LTH discs. I've run into 1 or 2 cases where they didn't work with a particular drive but otherwise I've had no problems.

[VEFF]

Okay, thanks for the feedback on the LTH. Better to be safe for now I guess and get the Verbatim standard (HTL).

Too bad, I figured if I could save some money (the HTL are 1.55 times as much as the Windata and 1.3 times) and still get good quality, I would bite and stock up on the Windata or Verbatim LTH in larger quantities and burn everything i want to to BD-R in short order.

In the grand scheme of things, the money is not a major deal on a single item (BD-R) of course, but I love to save as much as possible overall since it adds up ($10 here, $30 there, $100 there etc. before you know it you're talking thousands of $ per year).

The LTH they have now is the 6x rated one, so I am not sure how it compares to the ones you tried.
How are yours for longevity? (I.e. do they still play fine after a while).

[Ian]

Blu-ray Discs as a whole really haven't been around long enough for anyone to really know how long they'll last. LTH uses technology similar to recordable DVDs so I'd expect about the same longevity.

[VEFF]

Thanks.

I ended up ordering 25 Verbatim (non-LTH i.e. the HTL) for $26.99 + tax.
I am not going to take any chances this time around since time spent burning and, worse yet, the aggravation of losing data are worth the extra insurance offered by using trusted media.

I may still experiment with the Windata that I bought ($6.99 + tax for 10 so not a big deal when I can easily end up spending $140 on a dinner for two).
Perhaps I will burn the same data onto both brands and then see how they hold up over time as an experiment.
If the Windata hold up without any issues, I can always get them next time, although I would still be leery of quality varying from batch to batch to be honest.
Maybe I will return them, although I can have fun with them to try my new toy while waiting for the Verbatim to be delivered since nobody close by has the Verbatim HTL discs in stock (unless you count Office Depot at US$65.95 + tax vs. the US$26.99 + tax that I paid).
Some stores in the next state over (24 miles) have them but not worth the trouble obviously.


I will post my results.

[Ian]

Where'd you get them for $26.99? Newegg?