New Verbatim DVD-Rs are actual junk.

Okay, so I've gotten back into burning PS2 games, right? It's overall been a great time, and I made sure to stick to decent brands like Verbatim, I remember them being the top dog back in the days before my PS2 laser died out.

So, I get the first batch, a simple 25 pack, they all work perfectly. Smooth topside. They're the kind that are so clear you actually see the verbatim logo on the readable side. No issue there.

Three months later, I get another batch, even contemplating getting a 50 pack. I got the 25 pack, same packaging, same exact description, but then I open the box and these fucking things are NOTICEABLY cheaper. Very scratchy topside, which is basically ALL white besides a tiny verbatim and dvd-r logo on the middle, somehow feels heavier.

Now, out of the first batch, I essentially got every game perfectly fine, and also a few homebrew applications. The SECOND BATCH was essentially half a box of duds. One game was not getting past a sony logo (not the system logo mind you), another gives me a black screen after the playstation logo while still clearly spinning and apparently finding nothing for minutes, and some even give me a DVD error, meaning the burn was so bad it didn't even qualify as a game backup.

SOME worked, haven't even checked all of them frankly so I might actually have even more faulty ones, but this is just a complete ripoff. Why the sudden downgrade? Some even downright gave me the deadly "uncorrectable error," a clear sign that these are complete garbage. I know the console's drive is fine, I know the computer's drive burned at least half of these correctly, and I know for a fact the games I ripped are not to blame.

I doubt I can get a refund for discs I've used, plus, probably not even worth it. But, maybe take it as a warning, some Verbatims have the same packaging, but are actually hunks of crap.

11 comments

To those complaining about Verbatim discs, understand that for decades, disc manufacturers have been selling discs from other makers under their brand name and virtually all first tier disc manufacturers around the world, notably Japan, Singapore, India, UAE have closed. CMC Magnetics used only manufacture 2nd & 3rd tier discs until they completely bought out Verbatim and Taiyo-Yuden, including their proprietary formulas.

What's always been the measure of quality is the media code https://www.videohelp.com/dvdmediaform.php?dvdinfo=1#dvdinfo which you can then cross reference in this list: https://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia

lordsmurf at digitalfaq.com gave a list of 1st tier blank DVDs that's still relevant today since only Verbatim (Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) and Taiyo-Yuden are the only brands/formulas in use today. https://www.digitalfaq.com/reviews/dvd-media.htm

Name brands like Sony, TDK and Maxell are still on the market today, but the media code will show the discs are 2nd or 3rd tier inferior products.

The reason for the quality decline in blank DVDs is that like CDs, the price bottomed out and 1st tier media could no longer be sold at as premium. The good news is you can still get Verbatim AZO discs if you shop carefully and read the package label, lookin for the AZO name and logo. Taiyo-Yuden discs are also still available at a premium.

Note that the media code can be faked, so be sure to buy from a known, reputable seller where you can return your unused discs if they're bad.
ps2 has a fantastic selection of network ISO loaders. WIth the disk based consoles you have to be comfortable using network and/or flash based solutions (such as GDemu for Dreamcast) because we don't want to wear out our PS2 lasers.
- Sadly I have a slim model, no HDD. Why is that a bad thing? Well, for one, OPL literally doesn't work for any game I tried before I fixed my laser. Second, the USB slot is notoriously slow, and for some games which require dynamic loading, it straight up freezes (the Jak series for example, which I thankfully already burned on good discs).
Thank fuck for this post so i can finally think i am not an only one. Dad asked to write a CD so he could listen to beats on his car. I bought a 10 pack. First didnt work out, but second worked. And after being done with Dads request, i thought i would do one for myself. 8 discs later to the can i thought i was losing my marbles. Was trying like 4 different possible CD writers.
Wasn't it Verbatim also who started selling normal looking Blu-ray recordables but stamping them "M-Disc"? M-Disc is supposed to be glassy carbon and have that huge archival time. Honestly, Verbatim is looking like a scumbag company nowaydays after being sold and bought.

Physical media is sadly dying. It's stupid, there's no good alternatives for some applications. Very annoying.
- Yeah I have no idea on bluray disks, I don't even have a bluray player really. It's honestly sad that even the gold standard for cheap archival and backups is in ruin. Even my old, nearly destroyed backups from 2008 worked better.
I mean it's 2023, it's very possible the discs are junk. I got out of optical discs a long time ago but even then it was doom and gloom for the industry. Every other month an article about a plant shutting down or a brand changing discs from a good MID to a bad MID.

If a reader supports it, I would always use DVD+R over DVD-R. It's the superior format in terms of how it handles errors etc.

People who know a little about optical media will tell you to burn slow for better burns. People who know a lot will tell you to burn at the rated speed of the disc. If you are concerned about disc quality, go one notch below the rated speed (eg 12x for a 16x disc). Burning slow - such as 4x on a 16x disc - results in inferior burns. "Burn as slow as possible" is one of those stubborn myths that never goes away, you can even see it elsewhere in this thread.

You should always verify a burn, which means read it back and compare the CRC to the image file. Good burning software can do this automatically. If your burns are verified but they don't work in the PS2, it's possible that your PS2 optical drive is going bad or just not compatible with these discs.
They're the kind that are so clear you actually see the verbatim logo on the readable side

Those are the silver reflective layer ones. They use silver because of it's better archival life vs aluminium, I have many pressed CD's that also use silver and the rest is to see how much light shines through.

Very scratchy topside, which is basically ALL white besides a tiny verbatim and dvd-r logo on the middle, somehow feels heavier.

Printable disc. That's a different item code for sure, not the same discs you used earlier. You say it had the same packaging? What logos were on it? Was the "AZO" logo on it?

You said the printable surface was "scratchy" well that's not normal it's supposed to be smooth.
- Well, from what I remember (I will possibly reply later if I find the packaging I left over somewhere in my apartment), they had the exact same packaging. Just the orange and purple (edit: blue, I'm blind I swear) wrapper with the Verbatim and DVD-R logo on it.
  
  Ironically now that you mention it, the single disk jewelcase I bought WAY back DOES have an AZO logo, but it was the reflective layer variety I described before! I did not notice a difference between these disks. This is just BEYOND ridiculous!
I'm pretty sure they're from CMC Magnetics. Depending on how old the stock is and if it's been exposed to light, it could be the reason you're having issues.

Check the disc info with Imgburn if you're on windows. If you're on linux, dvd+rw-mediainfo /dev/sr0 should tell you the same info.
- Verbatim blank media has been wholly owned my CMC Magnetics since 2019 and continues to make AZO media using Verbatim's proprietary formula and techniques. However, as I posted above, even before Verbatim was bought, they sold non-AZO disks under their Life Series name.
  
  And yes, blank media degrades from the moment they're manufactured.

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