Problem with Verbatim media

Question

Problem with Verbatim media

I have been having lots of problems with Verbatim DVD-R #95102. This product has an excellent reputation, and I had been using it without problems for a long time. Several months ago, I started noticing lots of disks with obvious visible defects and some that my computer wouldn't recognize. Just about every disk I insert will start spinning at high speed for perhaps a minute. In some cases, the burn will start. In other cases, it will eventually be rejected. I tried a SuperDrive from another MacPro and got the same results. So it seems that the Mac suddenly doesn't like Verbatim. It works fine with other media. The Verbatims work fine in a DVD duplicator. So it doesn't appear that they are defective (other than the ones that have visible defects). Anyone else having these problems? Is there another brand that is more reliable and also has a reputation for high quality?

Mac Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5), Mid 2012, 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel X

Posted on Oct 7, 2014 5:53 AM

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Answer 1

Allan Jones

Level 9

72,434 points

Oct 7, 2014 7:26 AM in response to Michael Collins3

You might wish to look at this excellent resource:

http://www.digitalfaq.com/reviews/dvd-media.htm

There is a note on Verbatim media near the top; check out the parenthetical statement (my italics/underscore for emphasis):

Mitsubishi Verbatim DVD-R, DVD+R or DVD+R DL, made in India, UAE, Singapore or Taiwan. (Do not buy the “Life Series” or “Value Series” discs.) Good Verbatim is getting harder to find in local stores.

Note toward the bottom there is a section on "fake media." Might see if anything there applies.

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Answer 2

Oct 7, 2014 7:35 AM in response to Allan Jones

Thanks for the reply. The disks that have been giving me so many problems are the ones listed at the very top of the discussion and also at the very top of the list on the left. Something has gone dreadfully wrong with Verbatims this year. There are definitely quality issues -- cake boxes of 100 often have a dozen or more disks with obvious flaws (such as spots in the dye and scratches). Some of them do not have visible defects but will not burn on either of my Macs.

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Answer 3

Allan Jones

Level 9

72,434 points

Oct 7, 2014 8:32 AM in response to Michael Collins3

So yours did not fall under the "Life Series" or Value Series" monikers?

I've watched the sight I referenced for some time. It seems that the author makes a serious effort to keep up with changes but, with global sourcing, vendors can change faster than you and I change socks.

The digital FAQ site says it has forums; the link is at the very bottom of the page I linked. Might help to see what's being chatted up there as it is almost "real time" compared to the informational pages.

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