Hi. I backup all of my DVD movies, and I'm in the market for hardware so I can backup all of my VHS tapes to DVD. I also want to backup my PS2 games, and soon Xbox and GameCube games. Right now I am only focusing on my DVD movies and PS2 games. I'm not sure what PS2 DVDs are (DVD5 or DVD9).
Anyway, I've read around a bit and I guess AZO is a thing of quality, so I was wondering what I should get and where from. I've tried searches on Google, but I guess I did not do something right as I have yet to really find a match. I don't care if disc are lightscribe or not, granted it's nice to have that option, but it's not important to me. I would at least like for them to be printable, I don't care if they're printable hub or if they are white or silver. I am going to buy a printer as it looks a lot nicer when it's not a Sharpie (R).
I have a Plextor PX-504A and a Samsung 182M/BENB. If the Samsung is not a good quality drive then I will RMA they drive if you can recommend another. I will pay a bit more, as long as it is worth it.
I've read that Taiyo Yuden and Verbatim with Advanced Azo are the best I guess... So which is better? I do know that I will more than likely need DVD5 and DVD9 discs. I do a lot of general file backups.
And the lower the price the better... as always. I'm not saying that I want price over performance/quality though.
if your wanting disc to backup your PS2 games if my memory is corredt you want 8x+r taiyo yuden media. the best there is.im not a 100%on the +r instead of the -r but you will never go wrong with either.. you might want to look in the PS2 forums for exact media type.
as far as your dvd's. any type of TY's or Verbatim media is the choice of many here along with myself. once again the TY 8x+r is the best IMHO. ive ebeen useing 8 and 16x +r verbs just recently got some 8x+r TY hubg printables and they are awsome. ordering 50 more today.
as far as where to get them online...
supermediastore.com------ they tend to have sales on them more than other places.
Meritline.com-----is where i just ogt 50 8x+r hub printable TY's for 18.99 on sale.
newegg.com----- has sales also with free shipping from time to time.
Just wondering, but how do I know if a DVD has AZO or Advanced AZO? I seen some Verb. disc that said AZO, however I did not find anything saying Advanced AZO. Also, I read that +R is more compatible with DVD players and game consoles in general, so would it be a bad idea to get a bulk pack of DVD-R Media White Inkjet Hub Printable 200 Pack in Tape Wrap" target="_blank">Taiyo Yuden 8x DVD-R with media ID TYG02?
Yes I did list DVD5 media, but since I think I'll only need to use it for my game backups I am going to check through the PS1/PS2/XB/GC forums I can find and figure out what I need to get. I know PS1 uses only CD. I did also see some TY media with the water shield, which I guess makes it glossy, so I'm looking into that.
Also, if you haven't noticed I only got around to searching Super Media Store
Additional Questions:
--> What is thermal printing? Is it only b/w, similar to a LASER printer? Yes I know there are color LASER printers. I'm just giving an example. I will more than likely end up going with a inkjet printer being as they give the highest resolution as well as most color. I'm not wanting to print at 4800 dpi or anything. I just want something that looks nice and is readable.
--> What is the difference between white inkjet printable and silver inkjet printable? Is one matte and the other glossy?
--> If I want to print to disc, would I be ok using a standard inkjet printer instead of a $1,000+ disc printer/duplicator?
--> Why are the white Taiyo Yuden YUDEN00T02 media above hub printable but not the silver? Are silver disc not hub printable?
--> Does the Verbatim MCC004 media have a bigger hub printable area than the Taiyo Yuden YUDEN00T02? I'm going just by the appearance of the pictures.
--> Does Taiyo Yuden not manufacture double/dual layer DVDs?
In ending, I would like to thank you for you help and recommendations.
Does afterdawn automatically link DVD5, DVD9, etc to the glossary? Also, sorry about my first paragraph in my previous post. The bbcode I entered might have had a flaw in it. Sorry.
so would it be a bad idea to get a bulk pack of DVD-R Media White Inkjet Hub Printable 200 Pack in Tape Wrap" target="_blank">Taiyo Yuden 8x DVD-R with media ID TYG02?
It should have read:
so would it be a bad idea to get a bulk pack of Taiyo Yuden 8x DVD-R with media ID TYG02? I don't know how the other stuff got there, but it is.
Thermal printing uses a wax ribbon that is heated to melt the wax under pressure and leave it on the disc. Ribbons are usually black, but thermal printers can also do 4-color printing with multiple ribbons. These printers are in the $5,000 range and used mostly by duplicators. The print does not run as it does with ink-jet printers, but both Imation and Taiyo Yuden have introduced new coating surfaces that solve the water problem. Imation's is water proof; TY's is water resistant.
The difference between white and silver ink-jet printable is merely the color. The finish of the surface is determined by the type of material used. The discs that leave a large hub area have stacking rings that prevent the application of the printable coating (sometimes applied by a silk-screen process). The stacking ring prevents the discs from sticking to each other in automated printing hoppers, a problem that often occurs with full-face printable discs.
Taiyo Yuden does not yet make DL discs. That leaves them in a precarious position because no DL drives have firmware for TY DL. The first users who try them will have problems and either blame their drives or claim that TY quality has failed. (A quality claim most of the truly "uneducated" level at brands other than Verbatim or Taiyo Yuden.) The only way for TY to get around the problem is to introduce IS DL media at a high speed such as 8X or 10X to try to get firmware for the newest drives. They will have to forget the older DL drives in the market.
Thanks much for that info Joe. So by the sound of things, I would be best off to buy an inkjet printer and use CDs/DVDs that don't have an inkjet printable hub so they don't stick together, or would it not matter if I just do one at a time?
That being said, I need to find a decent printer. Any suggestions? One other question about printing, could I copy an image with a scanner then edit it and put a watermark on it or just plain text so that I could know it was my copy of it? E.G. Take a high resolution picture of a game or lay it on a flatbed scanner and place the picture in the program to print it to a disc, but before printing add a water mark or text that reads something like "Copy", "Backup", or "Property Of" with one of the previous labels.
Epson makes most of the consumer-grade ink-jet disc printers, and they are quite good. Discs are printed one at a time, so any sticking problems are irrelevant. Sticking is a concern only for automated systems used by duplicators, and they are much more expensive.
Scanning images and adding text as XeroLaw suggests is actually very easy. The quality of images even on average quality printable surfaces is suprisingly good. Once the ink is on the printable surface, it is nearly impossible to remove all traces of it, even if the disc is soaked in water. Some printable discs are actually water proof, such as Imation's AquaGuard discs. Taiyo Yuden's Water Shield discs are extremely water resistant and look great after ink-jet printing.
