X-bit labs

Ultimate Testing of Recordable DVD Media Discs (page 22)

Category: Storage

by Andrey Kuznetcov

[ 04/14/2005 | 08:08 PM ]

Verbatim DVD+R 8x

This DVD+R blank is manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corp.

The scanning of the operational layer of the medium betrays its low quality. The maximums of PI errors and failures by far exceed the norm. The quality of the recording layer is not stable, judging by the appearance of the diagrams. It is worse at the beginning and the outermost half of the disc. We don’t think this disc is going to be a good purchase for people who care about the safety of the recorded information.

Verbatim DVD+R 2.4x

This disc is made by Mitsubishi Kagaku Media. This is the only dual-layer blank in this review.

So what about quality? The sudden increase in errors on the second layer is evident of course. This fact is quite comprehensible from the technological point of view as it’s more difficult to ensure quality on the second, farther layer. The peak of PI errors on the second layer by far exceeds the recommended limit. The maximum of PI failures can be considered normal, though. Although Nero CD-DVD Speed says there are seven PI failures, KProbe found only four, probably ignoring single spikes due to the selected data display mode. So, we’ve got a medium whose quality is immaculate on the first layer, but is much worse on the second layer. There are few dual-layer media available as yet, so you may want to consider this one as an option.