Hello, Mates,
 
I just joined this site tonight and this is my first post.  Greetings from across the pond (Southern California, specifically).  Looking forward to e-chatting with you all.
 
My first question:  Is there an online vendor (in the U.S., preferably) that lists the media code for the blank media they sell?  I'm new to disc burning, and I'd like to buy the exact media that performed well in tests/reviews of the burner I just bought (an Asus DRW-1612BL).  Lots of Websites list the brands they sell, but I don't see any mention of specific media codes.  I've also looked at the boxes and/or packaging of various blank discs from Fuji, Verbatim and Maxell, at a couple retail stores, and there's no mention of media codes on the packaging either.
 
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
Ken
 

It's a crap shoot, but I always buy Verbatim and I have not been burned yet (this includes Sam's Club purchases).... though you may want to consider RIMA.com, the don't post the media codes, but they sell quality media at a decent price... and it looks like they are based in sunny California!  Tough for me to picture it here in the Snowy, cold mid-west.  Sometimes wish I took that job in Phoenix a couple years back....

(in reply to Ken across the pond)

quote:

ORIGINAL: SithTracy

It's a crap shoot, but I always buy Verbatim and I have not been burned yet (this includes Sam's Club purchases).... though you may want to consider RIMA.com, the don't post the media codes, but they sell quality media at a decent price... and it looks like they are based in sunny California!  Tough for me to picture it here in the Snowy, cold mid-west.  Sometimes wish I took that job in Phoenix a couple years back....

Thanks, Sith.  Reason I asked is that I did a lot of research for my first DVD burner purchase recently.  And I noticed that some reviews mention the media codes for the discs that were used in the tests.  Since there is such a HUGE performance difference in burn quality (and other performance measures) depending on the specific discs being used in a given burner, my impression is that just buying a brand of media is, like you say, a crap shoot.  My preference would be to buy the exact same media that performed best in testing -- that way I'd have a high likelihood of getting consistently great results.

I did check out RIMA.com, but like you say, they don't show the media codes.  Oh, well, I'll keep looking.  In another site's review of the burner I bought (an Asus DRW-1612BL), Verbatim, Maxell and Taiyo Yuden seem to perform best in the respective formats.  But I wonder if these mfgrs might change dyes or other chemicals in their discs from time to time and thus alter the discs' performance characteristics.  Without media codes, I'll just be rolling the dice even if I buy those brands of discs.

BTW, when I joined this site last night, I saw the Union Jack flag on the home page and just assumed this is primarily a British-based site and that maybe many of the forum members are British or European.  Hence my user name.  Is that the case, or would you say most of the members on this site are here in the U.S.?  (My user name isn't gonna make much sense if that's the case.)

(in reply to SithTracy)