“Of Mice and Megabytes Supplement”

CHOOSING BLANK DVDs
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One would assume that when shopping for blank DVDs the rule of thumb would be the more expensive the better. Right? Not quite. Such was the curiosity of writer Jim Louderback in a recent PC Magazine column. He tested blank DVD media, of varying price ranges, from Memorex, Maxell, Imation, TDK, and Verbatim. He burned a copy of the Scooby Doo movie on each, and then put them through the wringer, almost literally, as he placed each in the dishwasher, the microwave, in direct sunlight, a buffing with steel wool, fingerprint smearing, and a vertical and horizontal flexing.

He then attempted to play the DVD. His conclusion: Don’t buy DVD blanks based on brand or price. And, don’t expect generic disks to cost less. While none of them survived the microwave challenge, he found that most of the disks withstood the tests with one exception: The Verbatim disks, with their “VideoGard” protector layer, didn’t deliver the added protection the manufacturer claimed. The Imation discs offered the best value and decent performance at 50 cents each (from Wal-Mart), but for a mere 15 cents more per disk (from Target), the TDKs delivered the best mix of price and performance.

Re-printed from the Rafu Shimpo, December 2005. Copyright©2005 Rafu Shimpo. All rights reserved.