how do you tell which media you have?

[aliaz]

I hear of Ritek, CMC, TY, etc...but how do I tell one from the other when purchasing? I'm confused
Thanks

[Kadrien]

I don't know of any way to tell by looking at the packaging as most "brand names" are rebranded TY, CMC, Ritek, etc. However, certain brand names are known for better quality. Imation and KHypermedia are CMC Magnetics and some people swear by Imation (like I swear by KHypermedia for burn quality and compatability). Fujifilm are TY if you've had good results with them (I haven't). Memorex are CMC (different dye and media code according to Nero then the Imation and KHypermedia). Most of the generic brands sold will be whatever the company that bought them could get cheap as dirt and will be whatever manufacturer was selling what they had left over for whatever reason, so who knows what you're getting.
The only advice I can really give is a) CMC discs are good quality, if a bit fragile (I've heard complaints about them scratching easily [what CD doesn't scratch easily?]) and seem to be the most prevalent in the States, and b) different burners will work better with different media, so your mileage will vary.

A better question to ask would be "What brand name uses what manufacturer, and anybody have any advice on which type of disc works best with the burner I have?" And GOOD LUCK, it's a jungle out there.

[cfitz]

A better question to ask would be "What brand name uses what manufacturer, and anybody have any advice on which type of disc works best with the burner I have?" And GOOD LUCK, it's a jungle out there.

http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6005

[TheWizard]

Memorex also uses TY discs. And actually, it is quite easy to tell which discs are inside a branded spindle. TY cake boxes are famous for having the screw cap at the top.



CMC and Ritek cake boxes look different too. Next time you are in a store like Best Buy, put a cake box of Imation CMC discs, Fuji TY discs, and AT&T Ritek discs side by side and you'll see what I mean. CMC cake boxes usually have a black base and the outer edge goes straight up to the top and ends sharply (tough to explain, look at the picture below).



Whereas Ritek cake boxes usually have a gray base and the outer edge does not go straight up and end sharply, rather it curves over the top.

[aliaz]

According to the above link,

Memorex uses CMC, TY and RTK for the same speeds. How do I tell one from the other when it is the same brand and speed? I have read about TY using a screw on top...other than that I have no idea...

[TheWizard]

Look at my post above for deciphering between CMC and Ritek spindles.

[aliaz]

wow...that clears things up nicely

Thanks!

[TheWizard]

You're welcome.

One other thing, the Ritek cake boxes are usually made of harder plastic than the CMC cake boxes. You can tell the harder plastic by looking at the recycling code on the top of the spindle. The softer plastic is represented by:

. /\
/ 5 \
-----
PP

And the harder plastic is represented by:

. /\
/ 6 \
-----
PS

[cfitz]

They don't call him TheWizard for nothing... good summary. Allow me to add a few points as well.

Other giveaways that TY is inside are:

1. The label says "Made in Japan"
2. The label is the opaque shrink-wrap itself. Other brands have a paper label wrapped around the cake-box, and then the whole thing is wrapped in clear shrink-wrap. Compare the opaque blue shrink-wrap that extends around the base of the Fuji/TY cake-box to the simple paper cylinder of the Imation cake-box in TheWizard's photos.
3. Newer 48x TY media come in a cake-box with a thin, corrugated base that looks like this (with and without the plastic shrink-wrap label):





If you can get a peek at the actual media, you can get some more clues:

1. TY media have a frosted clear inner hub area.
2. CMC media have a narrow gap in the recording layer near the hub. This gap isn't silvered itself, but is surrounded by a narrow strip of silvered area on the hub side and the main silvered recording are on the outer side.

You can see both in the following picture (the arrow points to the gap in the CMC disc):

One other thing, the Ritek cake boxes are usually made of harder plastic than the CMC cake boxes. You can tell the harder plastic by looking at the recycling code on the top of the spindle. The softer plastic is represented by:

. /\
/ 5 \
-----
PP

And the harder plastic is represented by:

. /\
/ 6 \
-----
PS

Now we are even checking the recycling codes! Unbelievable! Oh well, whatever works. You'd think the manufacturers would want us to be able to easily identify their products so that we would be sure to select it in the store. Isn't that the whole point of branding? I guess that is the difference between the contract manufacturers and the distributors - the distributors add the brand "value" while the actual manufacturer remain anonymous. I guess we are supposed to trust the quality of the distributor's brand rather than decide for ourselves based on the actual manufacturer.

Hey Wizard, do you think it would be worthwhile to assemble "identify before you buy" info in the media compatibility thread or in a new thread?

cfitz

<edit>
Added picture of new Taiyo Yuden packaging with the Fuji label intact.
</edit>

[cfitz]

Memorex uses CMC, TY and RTK for the same speeds. How do I tell one from the other when it is the same brand and speed?

Here is a slightly more specific answer to your question - Memorex/TY on the left, Memorex/CMC on the right (obviously the chicken scratch was added by me after purchase).



The TY package looks just like the Fuji shown in TheWizard's photo ,except it uses black plastic. The Memorex/CMC spindle is slightly different than the typical CMC package as seen in TheWizard's photo. It has a frosted top section with "finger-grip" indentations. Also, the base extends up around the grooves where the clear top section locks into place.

Please keep in mind that these are guides, and some are more definitive than others. For example, the TY screw-top seems to be a 100% accurate indicator that TY is inside. It is probably patented or trademarked. But the Memorex packaging of the CMC discs shown above is less certain. About two years ago or so I bought a package of Memorex discs in the exact same packaging, but at that time Ritek was inside.

cfitz

[Action Jackson]

Just to throw another wrench into the machinery, I've purchased 24x Maxell's in the exact packaging as shown on the right.

They were TY's with the label saying "Made in Taiwan".

[cfitz]

Just to throw another wrench into the machinery, I've purchased 24x Maxell's in the exact packaging as shown on the right.

They were TY's with the label saying "Made in Taiwan".

Wow! That's a surprise. Finding TY media in that type of package is surprising enough, but made in Taiwan too? Is nothing sacred? I hope that isn't a trend. Are you 100% sure they were TY? Were they "regular" Maxell discs or something special? I always thought most older Maxell discs were made by Hitachi-Maxell and the newer ones by Ritek. However, I do see in TheWizard's thread that one person reported Maxell Silver Top discs made by TY.

cfitz

[BuddhaTB]

To check who manufactures your CD media, use Lite-On's Smart Burn Media Checker Program. Its' free and can be used with ANY CD-RW drive.
http://www.liteonit.com.tw/index-english.htm
It can be downloaded here

[cfitz]

CDSpeed and InfoTool (both bundled with Nero and available separately for free at www.cdspeed2000.com) will also tell you what disk you bought (subject to the limitations of ATIP encoding), but the question here is how to figure out what is in the box before you buy it, take it home, open it up and lose your ability to return it.

cfitz

[BuddhaTB]

but the question here is how to figure out what is in the box before you buy it, take it home, open it up and lose your ability to return it.

cfitz

You guys have been doing a good job of explaining who makes which media from all the replies posted above. Nice Pics too!

[Reg-da-Ripper]

I've mentioned this before, but here is a Taiyo Yuden-manufactured, Maxell-branded CD-R: the Maxell CD-R Pro. It's packaged in a Ritek-like cakebox (for the 25-pack). It has all of the telltale Taiyo Yuden features.

[TheWizard]

Hey Wizard, do you think it would be worthwhile to assemble "identify before you buy" info in the media compatibility thread or in a new thread?

cfitz

I think we just did compile such a thread and you're looking at it. For future inquiries about identifying media in cake boxes, I'll point users to this thread.

[BillyG]

Just a quick addition - Taiyo Uden TDK's also come with the same spin-cap package and use an opaque plastic shrinkwrap instead of shrinkwrap over a paper label.

[Coyote]

I still have a Yamaha CD-R which came with my Yamaha drive. Is their media any good? Here is what CDSpeed identified it as:

Manufacturer : Mitsui
Code : 97m27s56f
Disc Type : CD-R
Usage : General
Recording Layer : Dye Type 6: Short Strategy (Phthalocyanine)
Recording Speed : n/a
Capacity : 79:59.74
703 MB
Additional Capacity : n/a
Overburn Capacity : not tested

[Hitokiri]

Mitsui is accepted to be of even better quality than TY, but they are much more expensive
mitsui is top notch

[j_c_hallgren]

Any updates on this topic? Saw some Memorex today in store...two styles of package...one is CMC(?) based on cover but has thin black base...other does NOT have black "knob" on top but is more similar to CMC lid....and looks from side to be more green color...so what is what? And Fuji's I saw have similar lid...and say Japan...I'm wondering..can some expert update this GREAT thread?? With new pix as needed, please??? But keep em small for us dial-upers....

[BuddhaTB]

Please don't bring up old threads that are more than a month old.

All 32x and up Memorex's are made by CMC, unless it says Made in Japan. Memorex's that say Made In Japan are manufactured by Taiyo Yuden. Fuji's have always used Taiyo Yuden from the beginning, so your pretty much guaranteed that all Fuji media is made by Taiyo Yuden. TY has changed their cases on their 48x media as described above.

If you want Taiyo Yuden Media, just look for Made in Japan.
They are simply the best.

[aznjosh]

man, screw those. my tdk 4x-10x cd-rw and my $0.94 optimum cd-r's are teh w00t

[BuddhaTB]

man, screw those. my tdk 4x-10x cd-rw and my $0.94 optimum cd-r's are teh w00t

$0.94 for how many optimum CD-R's?

[j_c_hallgren]

I believe I saw that $.94 (after $10 MIR) at Staples today for std pack of 50...but as it was a CMC looking pkg, I passed on it.

And I brought up OLD thread since it was such a well done and INFORMATIVE one that really deserved to be found by any newbie such as myself...I wish I would have found it sooner...would have answered part of my first post! Plus I got a bit of flak for starting new ones on this board, ok?