CD/DVD recordable discs

This is something that’s just killing me…I’m having a devil of a time finding DVD+RW discs that my recorder and players are happy with. Time was that NameBrand-M discs worked like a dream. Now I get disc errors almost all the time when recording. If I happen to get through a recording, then they often don’t play well in my DVD players.

This isn’t a gripe about NameBrand-M (hence the hiding of the name). It’s a gripe for the lack of predictable standards with recordable disc media. It’s not a new phenomenon. Years ago when I decided to risk trying StoreBrand-C CD-Rs. These caused my new CD recorder to screech so loudly that I was concerned that I’d broken the recorder. Needless to say, no more experiments with StoreBrand discs.

Is it unreasonable to expect that there should be a legal minimum expectation of quality in these discs? Shouldn’t they be commodity items that should work in almost all (ideally all) recorders and players that recognize the format? I’d like to think so. It should be a no-brainer. Higher-quality discs might boast greater longevity or durability, for example, but for basic recording of CDs and DVDs consumers shouldn’t have to do hours of research in order to make an informed decision that might, in any given circumstance, be nothing more than another opportunity to buy coasters.

I’m getting tired of all of the research and buy & try.