DVD-R Archive

I just burned 70GB of pictures on to these DVDs. They all burned at 16X and all the disks were perfect. What more can you want, especially given the life span of these disks. Well... I guess I could want a lower price.

The discs are reasonably scratch resistant (more so that typical DVD or CD but less than a PSP disc) When written at high speed in even my loosest and noisiest drives they burn process is noticeably quieter and virtually vibration free indicating excellent balance of the media (10 at high speed). Discs scan well written at 1x on a Panasonic DMR-EZ48V/K DvD VCR combination and yield exceptional quality scans when recorded from said device. PIF has averaged 0.00 when scanned on a Lite-On iHAS424 and only one disc has had an instance of a PIF read of two consecutive failures in a row. PIE never more than 40 and typically in the twenties on the DMREZ48v. TY's are better but from a practical standpoint these will satiate all but the most extreme and demanding archivists. Like someone else mentioned the contrast between the written area and blank areas on these discs is the very sharpest I have observed save for TY's.

I don't burn a lot of DVD's, so when I do it's something special like a DVD-Audio image, BD-Audio image, or perhaps a rare VHS tape not commercially available on DVD. In any case, the quality needs to be high and the durability long. An internet search will reveal Verbatim, Taiyo Yuden, and some Sony discs to be the best. Less expensive blanks are reported to have a higher failure rate on burning as well as issues with longevity of the dye. Note that these are also DVD-R as opposed to DVD+R. DVD-R is more compatible and the only format carrying the familiar DVD-Video logo. I also like that these come with a full size jewel case so that the spine is legible on a rack in the movie/music library. On the topic of burning, I've noticed a trend of love/hate amongst blank media reviews. I think failure rates can be reduced dramatically if steps are taken before burning to ensure correct operation. -Update the drivers for your media drive via the drive manufacturer website or the computer manufacturer website -Don't run a lot of other programs while burning, or ideally don't use the computer at all...really it's only a few minutes. -Burn at the proper speed. For these discs it's 8x. Many burning programs default to maximum speed or adjust automatically. Instead choose the speed recommended by the disc and/or check forums for user experiences.

THese disks were OK, but in general these can't be expected to last longer than paper or mag disk copying back and forth

Only one bad burn out of 50. I burned them all at 4x. The scratch resistant coating is VERY nice though it's only on one side (the burn side). Using my fingernail it is very easy to scratch either side of a regular Verbatim disc (94852) but on these 95355 discs there is no way I can scratch the bottom side with my fingernail. The top (gold) side is easy to scratch. Overall I'm very happy with the discs and I've always been impressed with Verbatim products. UPDATE - Ordered and received another 50 discs because I had more stuff to backup then I thought I did! Burned 22 out of the second group of 50 discs. 100% trouble free. So of the grand total of 73 discs I burned I only had one coaster. No complaints from me on these discs!

When the internet goes down, you better have your 50-to-100-year archival Verbatim DVDs loaded with all your reference data, critical PC software/updates/drivers, and precious financial data and family moments (really - we all know that "clouds" eventually blow away, including storage clouds...). Writable CDs store their data on the TOP surface where it can be scratched-off or dissolved by permanent marker pens (so use only water-based CD pens on your optical disks). I have lost data on some writable CDs less than 5 years old. DVDs are better - writable DVDs store their data sandwiched between plastic layers (some scratch-resistant poly-carb like blu-ray) where it is safer, but even so, the "dye" can age over time. Verbatim makes the best dye on the market, and these archival disks add a thin layer of gold to ensure readability even after the dye wears out. Are these worth $300 for 50? I don't think so. But when Amazon sells them at $75 for 50, OH YEAH! You won't find a better deal anywhere else. One final tip... using a Plextor optical burner and Plextools software, I did tests on many writable disks and found the best "archival" burning speeds to be at 1/2 to 2/3 the rated disk speed. If that remains true, then these 8x DVDs should be burned at 4x-to-6x (not 8x). Too fast and the burned "pits" don't reach full depth and they "smear." Too slow and they "overburn." The 2/3 speed burn seems to yield the best pit depth, distinct pit spacing, and "excellent" readability for long term stability, and it only adds a extra minute or so to the burn time. If it is worth saving, then save it well. Auto-detect burn speeds (typically maximum) will work fine and be usable, but if you want longest archival storage, I recommend 2/3 the maximum rated disk speed (so a 52x CD should burn at about 32x for best quality).

These are gold foil DVDs, which “may” last 100 years. Simply buy Blu-ray discs or preferably M-discs if you have to have an optical disc storage medium. (These are also overpriced.)

Good value and the quality is very good.

I ordered these DVD's and unfortunately on receipt I noticed that they were damaged. However, after informing Happyspring of this they issued a full refund. I cannot fault the seller for their excellent customer service.

Ich wollte langlebige DVD s für meine langsam problematischen VHS Videobänder 25 bis knapp 40 Jahre alt. Und das gleiche Problem nicht schon wieder erneut in etwa 5- 10 Jahren mit heutigen Standard DVDs... Zum langlebigen Produkt: es hat 3 Wochen gedauert bis sie aus dem fernen Ausland endlich kamen. Über die tatsächliche Langlebigkeit kann man natürlich erst in 25 -30 Jahren wirklich etwas sagen. Aber sie machen einen wirklich sehr hochwertigen Eindruck und sind geruchsneutral wenn man die Packung öffnet. Was mir nicht so gefällt ist die goldfarbene Oberfläche auf der Beschriftungsseite. Die ist nicht eben (so etwas wie konzentrische Kreise hauchzart geriffelt). Das wäre eigentlich egal, aber nur dann nicht wenn man darauf mit einem DVD Marker etwas direkt schreiben will, das geht zwar, aber wird nicht sehr gut und ist auch ein wenig mühseliger zu lesen. Für Benutzer die da einen gedruckten runden CD Aufkleber anbringen ist das aber völlig egal. Mir wäre eine glatte Oberfläche als Untergrund oder ein dünner Papieraufkleber lieber für eine Beschriftung mit einem Marker.

Don't think there's been any duds yet. Arrived promptly & as expected. Using them for family camcorder footage. Recommended.

Awesome quality media! But given the fact that this is a DVD-R disc, it is best used to back up downloaded purchased software to install directly from the disc at a later date. But for archiving data only, such as audio, images and videos, it's always best to go with a DVD+R disc.

Chers et difficiles à se procurer vu que Verbatim ne les importe pas en France, bien qu'ils soient fabriqués dans les Emirats Arabes. Mais à ce jour aucun échec de gravure et l’inoxydabilité de l'or assure une tenue dans le temps inégalable. Je ne comprends pas que Verbatim n'importe pas certains de ses produits haut de gamme.