problems with Memorex

[rav555]

I had been burning Memorex printable DVD's with Plextor drives with terrible results. They run on the computer but not on my Philips set top DVD player. Since I've switched to TDK printable media I've experienced 0 (Zero) faults. I can burn them side by side; TDK run's, Memorex doesn't.

The solution is pretty simple, I use TDK media (duh), it's just not as commonplace as Memorex, I have to order it on-line as opposed to going down to Staples.

Any ideas why Memorex is unreliable?

FYI

[zebadee]

Hi :)
It's likely that the coating has a lower reflective quality with Memorex. (I don't really know as I've never bought it).
Obviously TDK has a better coating.
This question of coating has been known to produce such results in the past.

[chalky607]

I had been burning Memorex printable DVD's with Plextor drives with terrible results. They run on the computer but not on my Philips set top DVD player. Since I've switched to TDK printable media I've experienced 0 (Zero) faults. I can burn them side by side; TDK run's, Memorex doesn't.

The solution is pretty simple, I use TDK media (duh), it's just not as commonplace as Memorex, I have to order it on-line as opposed to going down to Staples.

Any ideas why Memorex is unreliable?

FYI

Coz they're cr*p! Go with Taiyo Yuden, they cost more, but I've never made a coaster yet. You can also use the default volume in Shrink (4.7GB) no problems. I order them online, and with the postage factored in, they cost 33p each.

[hac]

I have had problems with all Memorex products at one time or another products beings VCR tapes, floppy disks, cd's and dvd's. As a consequence I simply don't buy that brand. I have had good luck with TDK, Fuji and even CompUSA own brand.

[musicman]

I have never even liked Memorex tape. All thier products have given a hard time. I use Plextor 760 A. and Maxell DVD- 16 times and have never had a problem. I buy it in units of 75 @ Wallmart. It is cheaper there than Staples, and I think it is also cheaper than TDK. Never had a problem. Make sure you also update the firmware for your plextor burner. Really makes a difference. Good luck.

[Dannoz]

I too have had some viewing difficulties...movies always run on computer, but I am running about 50% on the set-top player. I use the Fry's house brand of blank dvds (GQ) and a Memorex burner. Why do some movies play and others do not?

[saugmon]

Inkjet printable:

I only use Verbatim,Maxells made by Hitachi of Japan,and Taiyo Yuden.

Prodiscs makes a lot of printable media-which is usually the culprit when playback or burning issues arrise.

Maxells: Look for the Made in Japan on the outer shrink wrapper for the hitachi's. For their white full hubs,beware of the Made in Taiwan spindles.

[stellacotton]

This is a very helpful media guide.:agree:

http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

You might want to check out vso inspector its practically a must have and best of all its free.:clap:
http://www.vso-software.fr/products/inspector/inspector.php

Disclaimer:Im not advertising as I dont work for the links Ive listed above. Just passing along useful info.

Detect and list information about the inserted media:
- Media type
- Capacity
- Media ID (manufacturer and/or model)
- Number of layers
- Supported speeds (with current writer)
Detect and list the features of your CD/DVD writers:
- Supported formats
- Region details
- Firmware versions
- Buffer size
- Region Code
- Read modes
- Write modes
- Etc
Media Analysis
- Sector reading
- Definition of the area to check
- Definition of the read direction (as medias are mostly weak at the end of the burning zone, starting from the end is a good idea for a quick quality indication)

[bstard201]

Taiyo Yuden and Sony are listed as 1 class media....have never had a problem with either brand....the above link for the digitalfaq website is an excellent reference for brands of media and their rankings.

[Ripper]

Any ideas why Memorex is unreliable?

Because the dye used when manufacturing the disks themselves is of a poorer quality than that of Taiyo Yuden and the like. This can cause bad burns and un readable disks; or even if you're disks start out readable, chances are they will be unplayable/readable in another 6 months due to deteriation of the crappy dye. Another thing to consider is your burner's firmware and write strategies compatibilty with the media itself. Some media works for some burners, and vice versa. However, this does not mean if you get good burns with memorex to continue using them due to reasons stated earlier.

~Ripper.

[b1030]

Taiyo Yuden are the only media to use. Especially if others will be borrowing your DVD's.
The Azo dye they use is professional grade. You'll find different burners perform better with different media.
TY is avail in shiny silver for thermal, white inkjet printable to the hub and silver injet printable that prints to 42mm. They also produce a watershield surface that will make your finished printed disc look like factory and won't run if water gets on them. Unfortunately the watershield are kinda hard to find and quite expensive.
TY's compatability with burners and players exceeds all others.
Here is about the least expensive place I've found, SuperMediaStore (http:/http://www.supermediastore.com//taiyo-yuden-white-inkjet-printable-8x-dvd-r-media.html)
I buy 400-600 discs monthly and get maybe 1 coaster every 2 months.
Meritline also has good deals once in a while.
Everyone has a favorite burner, but I use nothing but NEC. Have zero compatability problems no matter what DVD player is used.
Hope this helps.

[uhall]

Ty and Verbatim are all I use. I tried Memorex DL 2 out of 10 coasters worked.All my DL are Verbatim or fuji

[Ripper]

You do realise that Memorex and Fuji use the same disks for their DL media. Lol. Oh, with the excpetion of Memeorex using another code, which is a Phillips disk! Lmao.

Verbatim DL FTW!


~Ripper.

[looker]

I have allways had problems burnning movies on memorex,they burn but wont play on anything. When I put them in the dvd player I get no disk present, or it skips jumps or freezes,it even looks funny when you look at the burned disk.Doing a internet search it seems that quite a few people have problems with memorex. I have gone back to the cheapie Staples DVDs and never have a problem

[Ripper]

I have gone back to the cheapie Staples DVDs and never have a problem

You realise, in the long run, they are just as bad as Memorex. About 6 months in, they won't play the same. I'd hazard a guess they were Optodisk or something similiar...

[L@TIN]

I try everything on the market.. the best one that i like is Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim!!! , On the verbatim you can go to your local best buy. I get them when they are in sale and i pack them up lol ... For Taiyo Yuden SuperMediaStore.com but who want to wait to get the package? I bought a pack a of tdk like 25 disc was bad and the other 75 was good ... And the i bought Memorex 2 packs of 100 waste of $$ .. I like to try other but im wasteing my time and $$$... On the verbatim I bought 2 packs of 50 and all of them was good..... i hope this will help you out.

[stellacotton]

I always buy my Tys online thru Rima http://www.rima.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv 95% of the time I get them in 3 days. Also, theyre really good about sending free samples of various disc you'd like to try out-email them and specify what format and speed you're interested in and youll get an assortment of 6 or so to try before you buy in quantity.:agree:

[Androo79]

I really think it has a lot to do with the burner. I have only been using Memorex discs with my Sony burner (DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD+R DL) and I have not had any bad discs and have used them on many DVD players.

[forumfreak]

Any ideas why Memorex is unreliable?

FYI

Because they are made by CMC, cheap and nasty, even if you can get a decent burn out of one you can bet that within a year or less they will have so many errors that they will only be good as coasters.

Use TY, Verbatim, or Sony and they'll still be good in 5 years.:agree:

[85thor]

Because they are made by CMC, cheap and nasty, even if you can get a decent burn out of one you can bet that within a year or less they will have so many errors that they will only be good as coasters.

Use TY, Verbatim, or Sony and they'll still be good in 5 years.:agree:

DITTO. The same advice I always give. Here is a free media checker program that is updated with newer media codes often. Lets you know what you got with media. DVD identifier: http://dvd.identifier.cdfreaks.com/

Nero cd speed test is also free and works well, too.

[TPLAT]

In my opinion just about all media made in Taiwan is crap with the exception of Verbatim and the newer Sony media, TDK -R is ok. The media I use the most is Taiyo Yuden and Verbatim, I also have some made in Japan Maxells which are also really good but are hard to find most of the time. I have only had one burn fail with Verbatim, never had one fail with Taiyo Yuden, had maybe 5 with TDK and none with made in Japan Maxel, however I will never buy TDK +R 16X media again as it can have a CMC-MAG media I.D. This is from a little over 1000 dvd`s burned to date.

[NeO6274]

I guess most of you have crappy burners because for the past 2 years I have been using Memorex media and have absolutely no problems to date. Yes occasionally I may get a coaster in a pack, just like any other companies media, but I have no problems playing any of the movies I have burnt, even the very first movie I copied, in almost any DVD player I’ve tried. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but from personal experience, Memorex makes a great product that lasts for quite some time.

[Houdini]

I once had a 100/pk spindle of Memorex whites. 100% coasters @ 8x with my Sony 710; 20% coasters @ 6x; 0% coasters @ 4x.

I get 100% perfection even w/CMC's @ 4x, so I keep two brands going here: Verbatim's for archival stuff & the $28/100 pk Wal-Mart Specials for casual burning.

Houdini

[bwolf]

I guess most of you have crappy burners because for the past 2 years I have been using Memorex media and have absolutely no problems to date. Yes occasionally I may get a coaster in a pack, just like any other companies media, but I have no problems playing any of the movies I have burnt, even the very first movie I copied, in almost any DVD player I’ve tried. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but from personal experience, Memorex makes a great product that lasts for quite some time.

I have been using anydvd and clone dvd now for a couple years, and I have heard people complain a lot about certain media brands being routinely bad when used with anydvd and clone dvd. I also have used memorex blank dvd+r for a good portion of my back-ups and have never had a problem. In fact I have used just about every type of media brand available at one time or another and have never found one brand that has ever given me a single issue. Sure every once in a while you do get a bad disc. I would say on average, that in a spindle of 50 that 4 or 5 tend to be bad discs in my personal experience. I either throw those bad discs out, play mini-frisbee with them or use them as coasters. But when it comes to the myth of there being specifically bad brands, I have never found any. I have burnt my backups on a variety of different burners with a few different pcs, and played those copies on more dvd players either portable or not than I can remeber, and have even played them on a couple different laptops and still have never experienced any problems.

The only problem I ever had with making back-ups was an issue with episodic dvds, but that turned out to be a setting issue and as soon as I discovered it, I corrected it and everything has been fine since. So, and I dont wish to offend anyone here, but I definitely have to disagree with the specific bad media brand myth. I would say, based on my own personal experience, that 98% of any problems with back-ups made using anydvd to rip and clone dvd to burn are either settings related, dvd burner hardware/software related, or some software conflict/setting conflict with your pc. The other 2% would be due to the occasional bad disc in a bundle.

[Webslinger]

I have been using anydvd and clone dvd now for a couple years, and I have heard people complain a lot about certain media brands being routinely bad when used with anydvd and clone dvd. I also have used memorex blank dvd+r for a good portion of my back-ups and have never had a problem.

Memorex is, on average, utter junk and should be avoided

Consider yourself lucky if your backups still work 5 years from now


The other 2% would be due to the occasional bad disc in a bundle.

No. The vast majority of stuttering and burn issues on these forums is a result of using junk blank media

[bwolf]

Memorex is, on average, utter junk and should be avoided

Consider yourself lucky if your backups still work 5 years from now




No. The vast majority of stuttering and burn issues on these forums is a result of using junk blank media

Like I said, memorex or any of the other media I use hasnt been an issue, but the occasional bad discs can and do cause the above issues. After all, the problems you do hear about are in fact a small portion of overwhelming number of people who not only use any dvd and clone dvd but probably also use memorex and/or some other media brand that has been said to be bad. Since the people who arent having any issues with those programs or memorex blank media arent generally posting here, there is no real way to tell if bad blank media brands really are a factor. But my memorex discs from 2 years ago still work fine, other than re-copying some due to the normal degradation from usage. So I dont know what to tell ya, other than use what works best for you. But regardless of all of that, the bad media myth mostly comes down to preference in my opinion. Sorry to disagree with you, but I could understand if they had ever given me the problems you describe, but they never have.

[Webslinger]

But the bad media myth mostly comes down to preference in my opinion.

It's not a myth. It's a fact. It's from the experience of thousands of users, experienced testers, and people who burn blank media on an industrial level (several million a year). On this forum alone, those that use Memorex tend to experience the most problems.

And people who use junk should expect problems.

If you want to go around believing Princo and other crap are perfectly fine, that's your choice, but I do not want to see anyone recommending this crap to forum users.

[bwolf]

It's not a myth. It's a fact. It's from the experience of thousands of users, experienced testers, and people who burn blank media on an industrial level (several million a year). On this forum alone, those that use Memorex tend to experience the most problems.

And people who use junk should expect problems.

If you want to go around believing Princo and other crap are perfectly fine, that's your choice, but I do not want to see anyone recommending this crap to forum users.

Well as I said, sorry to disagree with you, but I stand by my earlier statements. If that offends you then I am sorry, but I tend to recommend products and services that I personally find to be reliable in my own personal experience. I have never used princo though.

[Webslinger]

This is a very helpful media guide.:agree:

http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm


This guide is somewhat outdated, and, in some cases, should be avoided. I still laugh whenever I see people linking it. You can read my opinion of it here: http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?t=3118 (but be warned; your eyes may bleed).

[Webslinger]

Well as I said, sorry to disagree with you, but I stand by my earlier statements. If that offends you then I am sorry, but I tend to recommend products and services that I personally find to be reliable in my own personal experience. I have never used princo though.

You can believe what you want. If you go around on these forums, recommending junk to people I will take serious exception (not all Memorex is junk, but on average, it is too variable in quality to be seriously recommended to anyone).
:policeman:

[bwolf]

You can believe what you want. If you go around on these forums, recommending junk to people I will take serious exception. :policeman:

Like I said, I do stand by my statements. Sorry, but there will always be those who havent had the issues you have described, and some of them might openly disagree with you. Rather than get upset about it, why dont we just continue to enjoy what slysoft has to offer. Besides, memorex is only one of the brands I use. That's how I see it.

[Webslinger]

Sorry, but there will always be those who havent had the issues you have described

Of course. Most have no experience testing blank media (much less thousands of blanks) over a wide variety of burners, don't know how to read pi/po and jitter scans, and, in general, are uninformed.

Memorex outsources its contracts to the lowest bidder (bad news). Memorex does not make its own blank media (not a big deal, since many companies don't).

Unfortunately, those who help out around here have enough problems teaching people without adding mediocre, variable, blank media into the mix. And Memorex falls into this category (some is o.k.; some is horrible; it's like playing Russian Roulette).

And Princo is pretty bad.

[bwolf]

Most of your laymen users of these programs arent going to be testing blank media as a general rule either. They would only know what they have personally experienced as their own frame of reference when it comes to recommending this brand or another, so naturally if that person has not experienced a problem with a particular brand or has always had good experiences with a particular brand, than they will most likely either recommend that brand and/or not condemn that brand. So it does come down to personal experience. If they havent had problems with it then they might tend to disagree with your assessment. As for myself, memorex is but one brand I have used. My back-ups tend to look like a whos-who of blank dvd+r media brands, as I have used many different brands. So unless I start having the issues you have described, I will continue using the brands I do, but if I do have any problems, its a simple matter to just use a different brand.

[Webslinger]

I will continue using the brands I do, but if I do have any problems, its a simple matter to just use a different brand.

That's fine. I don't care what you use if you're not having problems. I do care about people recommending Memorex to people that are having problems.

Recommended Blank Media

CD-Rs = Maxell CD-R Pro (these are Taiyo Yudens with a protective coating), Verbatim Datalife Plus, and Taiyo Yuden
DVD±Rs = Maxell Broadcast Quality Series 8x (not regular junk Maxells you find everywhere . . . I'm not sure if these are being made anymore), Verbatim Datalife Plus (avoid Ritek made Verbatims), and Taiyo Yuden (not Valueline, not Trublu) 8x
DVD+R DLs = Verbatim made in Singapore (preferably not India) and MAM-A 8x only
dvd -R DL = useless format



These have a special anti-scratch coating:


1. Taiyo Yuden (That's) Triple Guard (sometimes called "Triple Coated" in the U.K.)

Good luck finding these in North America (someone may be able to special order them for you). They are sold in Japan.

2. Maxell Broadcast Quality -- very expensive and not easy to find (I'm not even sure if Maxell Japan still makes them)
Maxell (X-Treme) Protek also has an anti-scratch coating

3. Verbatim Videguard -- not cheap either, but you can find them at Amazon

4. It's possible that Mori Media in Japan also produces something with an anti-scratch coating, but I'm not overly familiar with Mori media (but Mori is another premium brand)

This stuff with anti-scratch coating may run anywhere from $2.80-$7 per blank

[oldjoe]

I'm thrilled for anyone who has had success using Memorex (or any other sub-standard media) to back up their valuable DVD's.
Be certain that those persons will regret that choice in due time. Hopefully they have their original DVD's stored safely.

[bwolf]

I'm thrilled for anyone who has had success using Memorex (or any other sub-standard media) to back up their valuable DVD's.
Be certain that those persons will regret that choice in due time. Hopefully they have their original DVD's stored safely.

I guess most of you have crappy burners because for the past 2 years I have been using Memorex media and have absolutely no problems to date. Yes occasionally I may get a coaster in a pack, just like any other companies media, but I have no problems playing any of the movies I have burnt, even the very first movie I copied, in almost any DVD player I’ve tried. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but from personal experience, Memorex makes a great product that lasts for quite some time.



Well isnt that the point of backing up your original dvds???, so you can keep them safely so as not to have to go and buy replacements in the event that they would get damaged or just worn from being played over time. Afterall if you are making back-ups for this purpose then if your back-ups get worn or damaged you can simply make new back-ups at no cost other than the price of the blank media. As for any regrets, I havent had any in the last 2+ years of using what you folks have called "sub standard media", they still play fine and if I would have any future problems I can always make a new back-up. So I am CERTAIN that I WONT have any real regrets regardless of what media brand I use. Either way, there is no complaints here. I am also not the only one who has not had any problems, NeO6274 hasnt, and quite a few other people that I know outside of this forum who use these programs and memorex as well as some of the other un-popular or substandard brands feel the same as I do and also have no complaints/regrets. In fact the only complaints that I have seen have been those whose feathers I seemed to have ruffled by openly disagreeing, for which of course I do apologize. But as I stated to webslinger, I stand by my statements and my choices, even if they might differ from the mainstream. Hopefully this isnt going to end up being a continuous arguement on this subject, as it really seems now that everyone is just repeating the same things. Not much esle can really be said about this subject. No matter what is said it wont change my attitude or view on this subject as it wont change the view of anyone else here who also hasnt had much in the line of problems from the unpopular media brands. The bottom line is that I have not ever encountered any routine problems that have been specific to any certain brand of blank dvd+r media, and that any problems that I have encountered have been software setting related or due to the occasional bad disc which is often present in any bundle of media regardless of the brand name. Obviously some people here take extreme offense to that, but It is still the truth as it has been in my own experience. Hopefully this clears the matter up, and hopefully this doesnt continue to offend people as I have already re-explained myself and apologized more than once. There is nothing more I can say on the subject other than when anyone asks me whether memorex or any other un-popular media brand is worth using or not, I will still recommend the brands I use even if they are on that un-popular list. If anyone wishes to get the last word in on this subject feel free, its gotten a bit too tedious for my tastes.

[Webslinger]

There is nothing more I can say on the subject other than when anyone asks me whether memorex or any other un-popular media brand is worth using or not, I will still recommend the brands I use even if they are on that un-popular list.

I respectfully request that you do not do so on these forums.

And Memorex is a highly popular brand based on sales. But just like most things, simply because something is popular doesn't mean it's good (in fact, in this case, it's quite the opposite).

[bwolf]

I respectfully request that you do not do so on these forums.

I can understand your opinion on this and I will do my best. But if someone asks me about my experiences with any of the un-popular media brands that I have used, not just memorex, I wont lie to them, I will relay to them truthfully my personal experiences with those brands as I have already done here. I hope that will be fair enough.

[oldjoe]

The people that are telling you that Memorex is junk are people that have years of experience dealing with problems that arise from those that use it.
Feel free to ignore that accumulated knowledge but please do not encourage others to do the same.

[wildthang]

Sony is a good brand to use (DVD-R or DVD+R). I usually buy them when they are on sell for $23.00. Haven't had any problems out of them in the past 3 years.

[bwolf]

The people that are telling you that Memorex is junk are people that have years of experience dealing with problems that arise from those that use it.
Feel free to ignore that accumulated knowledge but please do not encourage others to do the same.

Their experiences are just that, "their" experiences. My experiences have been vastly different, and so have quite a few other people that I know personally who use memorex media. In the last couple years they have worked fine for me in every player I have played them in, regardless of how long ago it was that they were opriginally recorded upon. So thanks for the advice joe, but I still stand by what I said earlier. I tend to stick with what works for me. Just because a brand might be hated by some, doesnt always mean its bad for everyone, I have already proved that. Sorry guys, but my position on this is final. Like it or not. Besides I thought I already stated this, as well as the fact that memorex is just one of the brands I use. Unless I start having routine problems with them, I will continue to use not only memorex but any other brand that works for me. Rehashing this certainly isnt going to change my mind. Like I said before, if that offends anyone, I am sorry. But getting upset over this isnt going to change my mind either. Thats just the way it is.

[Webslinger]

Their experiences are just that, "their" experiences.

No. It's fact. It's closer to hard science since the effects are repeatable and observable over thousands of burns across a wide variety of burners. Your experiences are "just that", while ours can be corroborated. Using Memorex is akin to playing Russian Roulette (some may work well; some may not). If you go around these forums recommending Memorex to people that are experiencing problems, you will find yourself unwelcome here for the reasons I stated earlier. I just simply cannot have people being misled by this nonsense.

Your right to your express your opinion does not supersede my responsibility to ensure forum members resolve their issues using accurate information at their disposal.


I don't care if you simply want to express that you like Memorex in your own thread (and that's great that you've never had problems), but if you start recommending Memorex to people that are having problems (especially in troubleshooting threads) in these forums, you will find yourself unwelcome here.

Do consider this a warning. :policeman:

[bwolf]

No. It's fact. It's closer to hard science since the effects are repeatable and observable over thousands of burns across a wide variety of burners. Your experiences are "just that", while ours can be corroborated. Using Memorex is akin to playing Russian Roulette (some may work well; some may not). If you go around these forums recommending Memorex to people that are experiencing problems, you will find yourself unwelcome here for the reasons I stated earlier. I just simply cannot have people being misled by this nonsense.

Your right to your express your opinion does not supersede my responsibility to ensure forum members resolve their issues using accurate information at their disposal.


I don't care if you simply want to express that you like Memorex in your own thread, but if you start recommending Memorex to people that are having problems (especially in troubleshooting threads), you will find yourself unwelcome here.

Do consider this a warning. :policeman:

I can understand your opinion on this and I will do my best. But if someone asks me about my experiences with any of the un-popular media brands that I have used, not just memorex, I wont lie to them, I will relay to them truthfully my personal experiences with those brands as I have already done here. I hope that will be fair enough.


I already cleared all of that up with you web ( as I stated in the above quote), it was old joe that I was responding to. If someone asks me for help or asks me specifically on this subject, then I will answer them truthfully to the best of my experiences. As far as I can tell it isnt a break in the rules which would garner a ban or a warning, but if you feel the need to issue a warning then ok. But either way thats my position on it.

[Webslinger]

If someone asks me for help or asks me specifically on this subject, then I will answer them truthfully to the best of my experiences.

I have no problems with that. Thank you very much for your understanding in this matter. I have no interest in banning people in general (creates more work for me, and I hate work).

[bwolf]

I have no problems with that. Thank you very much for your understanding in this matter. I have no interest in banning people in general (creates more work for me, and I hate work).

You're welcome. This arrangement works for me too.