The 5 Most-Talked-About Optical Discs

When I say "most-talked-about" I’m referring to "most-reviewed", as in the optical media most people were willing to write reviews about on popular tech-shopping web sites. The results I found were interesting, because the top 5 may not be what you thought would show up in this list.

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1. Verbatim 8.5GB 2.4x DVD+R DL 95310 20-pack

First on the list took me by surprise because of the low unit count. Not a 5, 10, 50 or 100-pack, a 20-pack. Ordinarily people stray away from these but in this case, 20 seems to work for most people. Evidently, when people are shopping for dual-layer DVD+R discs with an 8.5GB capacity, 20 is the just-right number people want. It may be that most shoppers consider 20 the best bang for the buck with DVD+R DL discs.

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2. Verbatim DVD+R 95098 100-pack

"Aren’t all Verbatim 100-pack DVD+R spindles the same?" No, they’re not. There are many who very specifically seek out the 95098 spindle, meaning not the 97459 and not the 97460. Many people feel that the 95098 is the best DVD+R recordable Verbatim makes. And no there is no price difference between this particular spindle and others by Verbatim; it just happens to be that people like the 95098 the most.

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3. Verbatim 700MB 52x CD-R 97458 100-pack

In yet another offering from Verbatim is the tried-and-true CD-R in 97458 flavor. These aren’t exactly easy to find on store shelves, but online people are buying these things up left and right. Why? I really have no idea. I personally bought them so I could have better disc compatibility with older computers I have. Maybe the retro PC crowd is what makes these such a hot seller?

4. TDK DVD+R Model 48521 100-pack

This one is actually very easy to explain as to why it’s popular as it has the most compatibility with both computers and console DVD players. If you’ve ever burned a video disc and it didn’t work in your console, chances are very good that if you use these TDKs, it will. The same applies from PC to PC or PC to Mac and vice versa. When you use the TDKs, there’s no worry whether or not it will work in specific computers, because it will. Worth the extra 5 to 10 bucks to buy this spindle? Absolutely.

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5. RiDATA 4.7GB 8x DVD-R Inkjet Printable 50-pack

The reason these sell well is because of their inkjet printer compatibility, and the fact they’re only 8x max-speed-write. And yes, the slower write speed is actually a selling point, because some claim this particular disc has one of the longest life spans for the least amount of money. How long? Up to 3 decades if taken care of properly. But will it actually survive that long? Time will tell. This is an ugly disc in an ugly package, but a darned good product nonetheless.

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3 comments

Adam B. / February 2, 2012
This article was not about what I thought it was going to be. I’m still talking a blue streak about my laserdiscs, so I thought that would make at least number four or five.
At any rate, when I buy in bulk, which is usually how I do buy my blanks, I like the RiDATAs. Zero coasters (or as close to zero that I can’t recall and bad burns), and they work in every device I put them in. And my combo scanner/inkjet printer loves them. Thumbs up here!
- Rich / February 2, 2012
  The best application of LaserDisc I ever knew was in a Dragon’s Lair arcade machine. Fine game that was.
  And yes it is true that most RiDATA spindles will usually qualify as zero-coaster and the discs work everywhere. Macs, PCs, 1991 Chevy Camaros with “ERS” stereos, etc. Pretty much all covered.
Tar / February 3, 2012
haha the reason the 20pk verbatims are so popular are because of a certain video game console…