Beyond the Office [Burning Questions: Picking the Right Media, Part 2 - 05/24/2005]

May 24th, 2005

Burning Questions: Picking the Right Media, Part 2

Sr. Assoc. Ed. Melissa J. Perenson

Even those in the know admit it: The cacophony of optical media
options is simply dizzying. Last month, I started with the basics:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/485264/15377831/971779/0/

I delve deeper this month, examining who should use printable media,
exposing the truth behind video and music discs, and giving you the
scoop about archivable and scratch-resistant media.

Media Ready for Labeling

Thermal. Inkjet. LightScribe. All of these terms describe different
approaches to labeling your optical media. The only reason to buy
discs in one of these formats--which you'll find from such companies
as Imation, Memorex, RiData, TDK, and Verbatim--is if you have
hardware that uses this kind of media. Otherwise, you'll be spending
more money than you need to; for example, printable media may cost
about $10 more than inkjet printable media for a 100-disc spindle.
Thermal media can cost twice as much, and it can be used only with
pricey thermal printers--although Primera does have an entry-level
model, the $150 Signature Z-1 CD/DVD Printer, which I reviewed last
November:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/485264/15377831/967960/0/

Inkjet-printable discs are a great choice if you have one of Epson's
printers that print on optical media. These printers have been around
for a while; read what I said about them in my column on inkjet
printable media and printers last March:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/485264/15377831/971780/0/

Of course, buying such media isn't as simple as saying you want
"inkjet printable" discs; these days, some vendors offer varieties
within that category. For example, TDK's PrintOn DVDs come in a slick
Photo Quality finish ($4 each), a White Matte finish ($2 each), and a
Color Matte finish ($2 for a five-pack). Verbatim's media comes in
surface-printable varieties and hub-printable types; the latter let
you print on the entire disc, from the outermost edge to the innermost
ring. Either way, the cost for Verbatim's media is $34 for 50-piece
spindle.

LightScribe media are best used in to optical drives that incorporate
LightScribe technology, which uses a drive's laser to etch a label
into the top side of a disc. In addition to Hewlett-Packard, several
drive makers are shipping LightScribe drives, or will soon; among them
are BenQ, LaCie, Lite-On, and Philips. Compatible media from makers
such as Imation, TDK, and Verbatim command a premium over prices for
standard discs; for example, Imation's 52X CD-R 30-disc spindle sells
for $20--more than you'll pay for a 30-disc spindle of ordinary CD-R
media.

For more on LightScribe, read our review of HP's DVD Writer 640i,
which uses the technology to good effect:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/485264/15377831/971781/0/

Unfortunately, you may have to settle for slower performance if you
choose a specialty disc. Some, including LightScribe-compatible DVDs
from Imation, TDK, and Verbatim, and some inkjet-printable media
(including hub-printable DVDs from Verbatim and RiData, and discs from
Imation and TDK) max out at 8X write speeds. That's not to say that
faster 16X media won't ever surface; but it should be a consideration
if you value maximum performance over advanced labeling capabilities.

Another consideration: Some of these disc types are available in the
more popular disc formats only, such as CD-R, DVD+R, and DVD-R.
Depending upon the format you prefer, you may find yourself forced to
make a choice between discs in your preferred burning format and discs
with special features that you like--such as surface-printable vs.
hub-printable.

Tip: If you're concerned about the speed differences, consider this:
the actual time savings per disc between 8X and 16X media is about 2
minutes. That's long enough to notice, but not long enough that it
should affect your buying decision.

CDs for Music, and DVDs for Movies

Ah, CDs that look like vinyl records. CDs in packaging that claims
they're music CD-Rs. DVDs that come in movie-reel tins, and have
movie-themed designs.

There's no lack of gimmicks in this "designer" category. And there's
no lack of caveats for consumers, either. For one thing, most of the
discs that get this special packaging are slower than standard-looking
media (8X for DVD+R, for example). Plus, regardless of whether the
discs are called "video" or "music" discs, or "movie" or "director's
cut" discs, you can expect to ante up more money at the cash register.
For example, 8X Memorex media costs $10 for an ordinary ten-disc
spindle, or $15 for a ten-pack of Director's Cut discs in a tin can.

Some of the themed packages are cute, no question--but I'd probably
buy the discs only if they included packaging appropriate to the
intended recording content. For example, Verbatim sells DVD-R and +R
media with slimline DVD movie cases that could be useful if you're
planning to burn movie discs and hand them out as gifts, or store them
on your shelf. However, it might be just as useful--and more
economical--to get a 50-spindle pack of media and buy the slimline
cases separately.

Discs marketed as being for video or music use are not specially
optimized for those purposes. In fact, music CDs carry an extra cost
because the manufacturers pay royalties for special technology on
those discs. That's because they were intended for use in a CD-burning
deck that's an audio component, and such components look for a special
identifier on the disc that designates it as a music CD.

Tip: If you're buying optical media to use in a living-room DVD
recorder, pay close attention to speed ratings, especially on the
rewritable side. If your recorder is an older model, it may have
difficulties recognizing newer, faster media--let alone recording to
newer discs.

Scratch-Resistant and Archivable Media

Handle your discs with care: This should be your maxim no matter what
kind of disc you buy. But let's face it--stuff happens, whether it's
because the plastic teeth in a jewel case break, or your toddler
decides to see what happens when she scratches a DVD.

For these reasons alone that I think buying discs billed as
scratch-resistant or archivable is a good idea. Granted, in talking
with experts, I've heard conflicting opinions about disc dyes, disc
longevity, and the real-world benefits of using a gold substrate vs. a
silver substrate. But ultimately, if a disc is well-made and properly
cared for, it should last a long time--anywhere from 30 years to 60
years or more, according to industry experts.

That said, I'm not a gambler: I prefer to maximize the chances that my
discs will last by taking measures at the outset to protect my data.
That's why I'm glad that the National Institute of Standards and
Technologies and the Optical Storage Technology Association are
exploring the possibility of industry-wide labels to certify discs as
archivable. After all, once you've bought a digital camera and
captured irreplaceable images, don't you want to preserve them as best
you can? Yup, that's my line of thinking, too.

And in the meantime, I find intriguing the two approaches that disc
makers are now taking to extend media life and protect the data on
discs. They're long overdue steps in the right direction.

Long-Lived CDs: On the CD-R side, we have the resurgence of interest
in gold CD-Rs. I say resurgence, because way back in the early days of
recordable CD, about a decade or so ago, Kodak offered a line of gold
CD-Rs that were actually made out of a gold-and-silver alloy. Now you
can find two companies marketing gold CD-Rs: MAM-A, which has quietly
sold gold discs for years, using Mitsui Chemical's phthalocyanine dye;
and Delkin, a company that has focused on digital photography supplies
and is marketing the discs to photo hounds.

MAM-A offers two varieties of 640MB gold CD-Rs, standard and archive.
The discs are all made the same, but the archival media is held to a
higher quality assurance standard. Both discs include a 24-caret gold
substrate. The company says that since gold is not a corrosive metal,
the discs will not degrade as quickly as discs made of other
materials--like silver, for example. In theory, though, if a silver
disc is sealed properly and the substrate is not exposed to the
elements, that disc shouldn't degrade, either.

MAM-A's standard and archival discs both use phthalocyanine dye, which
the company says is UV resistant--a boon just in case you
inadvertently leave your discs in direct sunlight. The discs also have
a scratch-resistant coating. They're more costly than standard CD-Rs,
but then again, these discs are not designed to compete with
free-after-rebates CD spindles.

Sadly, MAM-A's technology is limited to CD-Rs at this time. The
company says it's looking into the viability of creating archivable
gold DVDs, and it expects to have the results of longevity testing in
the next few months. But even if MAM-A produces archival-quality DVD
media, the company says the burn speeds will be slower than the max
16X of DVD media. This is due to gold's low reflectivity, which slows
down a disc's burn.

Scratch-Resistant DVDs: The other big trend in media is the evolution
of scratch-resistant coatings offered by TDK on its Armor Plated
discs, which are billed as being up to 100 times more
scratch-resistant than ordinary discs); by Verbatim, on discs using
VideoGard (in spite of its name, these scratch-resistance discs are
not limited to protecting video); and by Imation, on discs using
ForceField Scratch-Resistant Coating. These discs typically burn more
slowly than those you'll find in a standard spindle--and, of course,
they carry premium price tags. But they're worth using for important
recordings.

Scratch-resistant coatings won't completely prevent scratches or other
damage, but they do provide better protection for your data than an
ordinary disc can. I've tried the Armor Plated discs, and doing so
gave me peace of mind: I found them easier to clean and resistant to
the casual scratches I tried to inflict with my fingernails, the
plastic teeth of a broken case, and a pen. Unfortunately, TDK's discs
are available in DVD-R format only, and they're $4 a pop. Imation's
ForceField DVD-R and +R media are available on spindles: a 30-disc
spindle costs $40. And Verbatim's discs--available in DVDR and
DVDR/RW--are not much more costly than standard media when bought in
a multi-disc spindle.

Tip: Buy a spindle of standard discs for everyday use, but back up
precious images or make special recordings on hard-coat,
scratch-resistant media.

Confused by all these media options? If it makes you feel any better,
we in the United States have it easy. Typically, our local stores have
only a handful of shelves of various optical media types. In contrast,
on a recent visit to Tokyo I saw entire store walls stocked with
shelves full of a confusing array of DVD and CD media.

For the latest news on optical media, plus DVD drive reviews, go to
our new DVD Drives and Recorders Info Center:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/485264/15377831/971782/0/

Have a question or comment? Write to Melissa Perenson:
burningquestions at pcworld.com

Read Melissa J. Perenson's regularly published "Burning Questions"
columns:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/485264/15377831/239045/0/


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"Until last October, Christ had a very limited involvement in my life. I believed in God; I just never had to prove I believed. Belief is an absence of proof."
-- Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling

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