We just started receiving pallets of Taiyo Yuden media with new barcode and description markings. Taiyo Yuden told us they were implementing a new barcode and description label on the master carton and spindles that will be phased in throughout 2008. This is a welcome improvement which only helps reduce confusion by customers and end-users. Taiyo Yuden CD-R and DVD-R media has been a staple for professional duplicators for many years. Professionals are used to Taiyo Yuden’s generic packaging; in fact most products used by professional CD/DVD Duplicators have generic packaging since they are not packaged for retail sales. Just as e-commerce has done for so many other product markets, the lines between professional and consumer have blurred significantly. Thus for years tech savvy users have been hip to Taiyo Yuden quality and have recommended CD-R and DVD-R made by Taiyo Yuden in many respected tech forums such as Digital FAQ, VideoHelp and CDFreaks. The confusion for many end-users, who don’t typically buy CD-R and DVD-R in master carton quantities they buy them in 100 packs, is how do I know this is Taiyo Yuden media? The 100 pack spindles either come in a beehive or what is called tape-wrap with no brand label or markings to indicate the media is made by Taiyo Yuden. Once again the tech savvy users recognize Taiyo Yuden’s distinctive beehive or even better just used a CDR Identifier to verify Taiyo Yuden’s manufacturer ID (More on that here).

In 2005 Taiyo Yuden started distributing their “ValueLine” CD-R and DVD-R in America to compete with Taiwan media manufacturers Prodisc and Ritek. Taiyo Yuden ValueLine media again with generic packaging further confused the end-user. Some users even wondered if they received ValueLine or Standard Taiyo Yuden. I have had countless follow-up emails from customers who bought Taiyo Yuden for the first time and asked how they distinguish that the media is from Taiyo Yuden once they received their order.

So it should come as no surprise that a simple package label is a welcome improvement and probably should have been implemented long ago. Hey…..better late than never, right? Let’s hope this will quell the confusion. After all Taiyo Yuden is trusted for their quality media and anyone who uses CD-R and DVD-R should consider giving Taiyo Yuden a try.

Home audio standalone CD recorders use SCMS which is a copy protection scheme that limits the number of copies that can be made as well as prohibits recording through digital inputs. These home audio CD recorders require a CD-R that is approved for Digital Audio. The digital audio distinction means that the disc is compatible with recorders that use SCMS. This means that home audio CD recorders can not just use any CD-R, they have to be a digital audio CD-R, or “music only” CD-R. Consumers have limited product availability of digital audio CD-R because …

Taiyo Yuden has just lowered there prices on 16x DVD-R and DVD+R. Also Taiyo Yuden has adjusted the pricing for Silver Inkjet and Silver Thermal (Everest) to match White Inkjet and White Thermal. In the past Taiyo Yuden used to charge more for Silver Inkjet and Silver Thermal (Everest). Gotmedia now has the lowest prices on Taiyo Yuden DVDR. We plan on keeping pace and or beating prices compared to Meritline, Rima and Supermediastore. Gotmedia.com is the newest source for DVD-R, CD-R and supplies.

DVD recorders for use in Home Theater are on the rise, many people are using DVD recorders to replace the “traditional” VHS VCR. I have been using this DVD Recorder since 2005 and I absolutely love it. I mostly keep personal archive copies of UFC fights on DVD. The amount of physical storage space that a DVD saves as compared a VHS tape is astonishing. I know it is common sense, but when I look back over my collection I see 15 UFC fights that stack up to be less than 4 inches! That is 2 years of fights in less than 4 inches. If this was still VHS days, 4 inches would be 4 fights. I store my DVD copies in Slim Jewel Cases instead of DVD cases. I got my DVD recorder before Couture vs Liddell II and I have never been happier. However recently I went to view that UFC 52 fight on an older JVC DVD player and I was frustrated to experience “freezing”, this is where the DVD player gets confused and the picture freezes. Actually it is the laser that is having a hard time reading the data on the DVD that causes this. I recorded this fight on a Gigastorage DVD-R. Fortunately I only had 1 sample of this brand DVD-R because all of my subsequent recordings were on Verbatim DVD-R. I say fortunate because I viewed those subsequent recording and sure enough they played flawlessly in that same JVC player.
So……if you are new to DVD recording brand is probably the most important thing to consider when you are shopping for a blank DVD-R. A quality brand will almost always be the best choice for any application whether it be archiving, master recording, duplicating or just burning a DVD to watch on your TV. Quality brands are made to perform better, last longer and have the most universal compatibility across various DVD players. If you want your burned DVD to play in 95+% of DVD players without “freezing” then you should stick with brands known for quality. Verbatim, Taiyo Yuden and MAM-A have been known to produce the highest quality DVD-R media.