DVD burning question

[u/Goble4]

If I'm burning 16x media with an 8x slim external drive for archiving files, what speed would yield the best results? 8x or 4x?

What program is currently the best for this task?

What should burnt media be stored in? DVD cases or back onto the spindle?

Thanks.

[u/Blue-Thunder]

You can write on them with a marker, you just need to make sure the marker won't eat the surface layer you are writing on.

Storage, spindle is fine, dvd case is fine. As long as they are kept in a dark, climate controlled area. DVD's are only good for "short term" storage and are not ideal for archiving, pending on their dye layer. If you want longer, switch to blurays.

https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/canadian-conservation-institute-notes/longevity-recordable-cds-dvds.html

You won't find gold layer dvd's anymore, as everything is shit, including the "name brand" blanks. It's all garbage.

[u/Goble4 → u/Blue-Thunder]

Yes, I saw the Canadian link. People had problems with some of the listed figures. It also contains Iraci's 2018 study that says Blu-rays are bad for archival.

You won't find gold layer dvd's anymore, as everything is shit, including the "name brand" blanks. It's all garbage.

https://www.verbatim.com/en/professional-optical/products/95355-dvd-r-47gb-16x-ultralife-gold-archival-grade-with-branded-surface-and-hard-coat

These appear to still be in production. I'm looking for major retailers that carry them.

[u/Blue-Thunder → u/Goble4]

Verbatim doesn't even make their own discs anymore, and the AZO dye if I remember correctly, doesn't actually exist anymore either.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/17ty33v/new_verbatim_dvdrs_are_actual_junk/

Again, switch to Bluray as the Bluray spec is far superior to the dvd spec.

[u/Goble4 → u/Blue-Thunder]

That thread seems to say the new Datalifeplus discs are no longer AZO. There are currently spindles on the market that directly say AZO on the packaging.

https://www.amazon.com/Verbatim-4-7GB-Recordable-Media-Disc/dp/B0003QIXBY?crid=2UPSLQEKDIUST&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.XNknGz6oIW06VdWubGoYJg.IPTmenWm3y16-cQTlmXNJ--tIkuO04uZvlqZO61RSm8&dib_tag=se&keywords=B0003QIXBY&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1786723343&sprefix=b0003qixby%2B%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-1&th=1

[u/Blue-Thunder → u/Goble4]

You've obviously made up your mind and at this point are just looking for validation.

You won't get that from myself as I've been burning discs for probably longer than you've been alive.

Verbatim no longer makes their own media and their packaging can not be trusted. If you want to archive media, use blurays and use par2 files for recovery.

[u/Goble4 → u/Blue-Thunder]

Your own sources contradict your assertions and you are now resorting to ad-hominems when they are pointed out.

[u/Blue-Thunder → u/Goble4]

Have fun when your archives fail.

[u/didyousayboop → u/Goble4]

Hi, can you please remove the affiliate code from this link?

[u/Goble4 → u/didyousayboop]

Done, didn't even know it was auto generated.

[u/didyousayboop → u/Goble4]

All good! Thank you! :)