Cory Seedan wrote in message . ..
On Mon, 04 Oct 2004 11:02:54 -0700, Mike Richter
wrote:

wrote:
Staples (USA) is extending that $7.99 sale another week for a
50-spindle of HP (made by CMC) CDR's. I guess they couldn't get rid
of enough of them last week. g

I normally buy *only* Fuji/TY as I know I can trust them. But...

Since they're cheap, (and I'm a cheap *******), I'm thinking of buying
a couple more spindles for "giveaway" and low-priority discs for times
when the Fuji's are kinda expensive for the task. Anybody know how the
CMC disks hold up over time -- disk rot, bit dropout, etc? I don't
mind burning at lower (20x-30x) speeds if they show errors at higher
speed - just that they hold data for at least 6 months before crapping
out. TIA for any comments!

The question is what errors you get when you record them, so measure the
error rate and make your own decision. For example, I've found some
inexpensive media which have reasonable error rates to 60 minutes or so;
I use them for such non-critical CD-DA purposes with that limit. I've
also found low-priced media with zero recoverable errors burning at 12x
on my Plexwriters and used them for many purposes short of mastering a
disc to be pressed.

Thanks for the reply, Mike.

As I said, I'd already burned several of the HP labeled CMC's with
data to the 650+ meg mark at 20x without any noticible errors,
recoverable or otherwise. I burned another 10 today without a single
error. Based on that, I bought a couple more spindles, just to use
for non-critical discs, e.g. giveaway and throwaway discs.

Just for shirts and goggles, I'm going to run a few on my old CDR
Diagnostic software ovenight and see the error-count that gets hidden
behind the recovery process.

Unfortunately, only a very low error rate is helpful in determining
longevity and it is not a sufficient measure. Where you need to be sure
that the disc will last, T-Y or Mitsui is still recommended.

Definitely. I use only Fuji/T-Y for my critical discs. But where I
don't need to be sure, media that costs half or less the price of T-Y
is easier on the wallet. It will be interesting to see what the true
error-rate on the cheap discs is, however.

For the record, I have never experienced a failure with the HP/CMC
CD-Rs. The only problem I have had is FINDING them at the local
Staples. It seems they want to put them in another location and make
people hunt for them. This past week, they had them BEHIND the
checkout counter, and customers had to ask for them. This is really
irritating, Staples!!