Just bought a spindle of 50-pack Philips CD-R from The Source by Circuit City for only $9.99C. Just wondering are these coasters? I have not opened it yet, so I don't know any of its info like manufacturer, etc. I would like to return it if they are coasters. Here is some info that is on the outer package:
Philips CD-R
CDR80D52N/600
9082 100 01991
Made in Taiwan
My guess is they are CMC Magnetics (type 6). I've bought Philips before (and still working on finishing off a 100-pack), and they were CMC Mag, the same manufacturer as Verbatim. I did a C1/C2 error test on both, and the Verbatims had better results but the Philips were acceptable. Also, I only bought the Philips (from Circuit City) because they were $10 after rebate for 100 of them. I really don't like them because they have the stupid logo all over the disc so it looks very ugly when you write on them.
Thanks for reply, a few more quesions about your Philips CD-R:
1) Does your Philips CD-R have the same manufacturing code as mine (CDR80D52N/600)? If so, it is very likely that mine are CMC Mag as well.
2) How many year have you been using Philip's CD-R and any coasters so far?
3) Heard the life of bad CD-R is quite short. Do you have any of the Philips CD-R gone unreadable or starts having CRC errors. I just want to estimate for how long should I re-do my backups if I start using the Philips.
4) $10 for a 100-pack of Philips, do you mean $US10? I never see that deal here in Canada.
1) I can't help you with the code because I threw out the wrapper, but they are Philips 52X 700MB/80min with the PHILIPS CD-R logo on top and the shiny box with 52X on the bottom. Stupid watermark covering half the disc.
2) I've only used these Philips for a year now. No coasters yet.
3) I don't buy into the CDR rot paranoia. I've burned CDRs from lesser makers, and they still read well after a decade. Unless you really mistreat them like leaving them to fry out in the sun or using them as coasters, CDRs will last. That's assuming you don't use the ultra-cheap CDRs from Kypermedia, Princo, etc. and stick to name brands like TDK, Sony, Fuji, Verbatim (stay away from Memorex, HP). I do have some no-name brand CDRs for junk backups that have turned yellow (but still readable) in 5 years. DVD media is a different story. Because they pack so much more data, you do have to be careful about playability and longevity.
4) $10 USD for a 100-pack is expensive! ;) I used to buy 50-packs of high-quality Sony and TDK CDRs for $2.99 after rebate!!! Even now, you can buy Verbatims which last for 100 years (so they claim) for $12.99 after rebate at Buy.com: http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10375403&loc=101&sp=1 I think non-U.S. CDRs have a music royalty tacked onto them that make them expensive (at least in Europe). Can you buy from Newegg in Canada? They have 100-packs of Ritek CDRs that are good quality and cheap.
