Media, Media, Media...
There are SO many things one can say
about this subject. I'm going to try and be as objective as possible here, and keep
it short and sweet for those of you trying to dig for certian information.
First of all, if you're looking for the
right media to buy for your specific drive, check HERE
first. It outlines what people have had good and bad experience with.
If you are wondering why it makes a
difference what media you buy, keep reading.
What Kind of CD-R Discs Should I Buy?
**To help ensure quality control, please take
the survey now available!**
Ok. This is a highly debated subject, but let
me start by saying this: what I am about to say has *FACTUAL* evidence to back it
up, not personal speculation as most people use when commenting on this subject. I'm
going to start basic, then get more throughough as we 'dig deeper' on this subject.
I've seen so many false claims about media differences it's time to clear the air, once
and for all...
Depending on who you ask, you'll get a different
answer about which media is the best to use for PSX backups. Normally this might
mean that SOMEONE has to be wrong, but in this case that may not be true. There are
a lot of different brands out there to choose from, and there is no one brand that is
truly 'outstanding' above any other, however some are DEFINITELY better than others.
A general consensus about media is this: don't
buy cheap discs. If you do, you're asking for it. Many people claim a lot of
success with the Verbatim Data Life Plus media (as do I). There is a good following
for the TDK (blue/green) and KAO discs as well. What do other people say about
it? Well, I'm not going to list everyone I know here, but I will go over some of the
more reputable places...
Goldenhawk Technolgy (makers of CDRWin) have this to
say about it:
"We only recommend Mitsui, Philips, Kodak, and
TDK brand discs. Many people have reported problems with Maxell, Verbatim, and other
'cheaper' discs." (excerpt from http://www.goldenhawk.com/support/faq.htm#media)
I find it interesting that they label Verbatim as
"cheap", but they may be referring to the Verbatim Golds - which are not near as
good as the Data Life Plus'.
Mitsumi recommends Kodak, TDK, and Taiyo Yuden brand
CD-R media. They say:
"These three brands have been tested and found
to work best with the Mitsumi CD-R. Please understand the CD-R industry is not yet
standardized and not all CD-R media is going to work with all CD-R’s. " (excerpt
from http://www.mitsumi.com/drivers-redirect.html)
So that's 2 votes for Kodak and TDK by
manufacturers...
Another popular question is: "What's the
difference if I use blue, green or gold discs?" Now, as much as you're probably
going to balk at this - CD DRIVES ARE COLOR BLIND. The color of the disk doesn't
mean anything so far as the quality of the disc. You can have a gold/green disc from
Company X in one hand, and a gold/green disc from Company Y in the other, and get
COMPLETELY differnt results in the same drive with the two. The better question is,
"What's the best BRAND of media for my DRIVE?" Once you understand that no
color is purely superior to another, you can see that the brand name can mean a lot to
your drive. You also have to understand that there are a number of factors to
consider when purchasing CD-R media: the manufacturer of the media, type of CD-R
drive you have, how old your PSX is and how you did the burn process. If you really
want to know all about what the different colored discs are all about, this should satisfy your curiosity.
If you want to know what brands of CD-R's work here's a short list of media and other info I've compiled.
Now, for those of you who don't agree with me, read this before you start badmouthing anything I've said
so far.
If you're still reading, and still want to know more,
this page gets a little more technical on the subject.
If you have any personal experiences you'd like to
contribute to this area, please e-mail me with the
following information:
- Your computer specs (RAM, MHz, hard drive size and
type (IDE or SCSI), and Operating System type)
- Your burner specs (Make, model and interface)
- Type of media you're reporting on, and approximately how many successful and
unsuccessful burns you've had with this media.
- Your PSX model.
- What method you use for playing your backups (mod/swap/plug-in device).
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