Tested: DVD±RW Endurance Round 2 – Part 1: The Contenders
At the time I posted the results of the first round, it seems there was still some interest in the topic of how long a rewritable DVD could last, even though the technology is considered by many to be outdated. Some people were not aware that such discs even had any failure or wear-out mechanism, while others were curious and interested in more media types and perhaps running a different drive. Truthfully, that was a long experiment that only got posted long after its completion due to needing to develop the analysis pipeline. While the first round was getting posted, the second round was already in-progress.
Why and How, Round 2?
Round 2 of the endurance test began (in part) thanks to pepst, a loyal reader and generous donor, who provided a load of additional rewritable DVDs to add to the list. This was alongside my own continued perusing of Suruga-ya’s catalog, snapping up whatever new and interesting discs I could find. Between the two sources, the number of additional discs made it very much worth running a second round.
This second round would seek to increase the number of tested types of disc, whilst remaining close to the original methodology for comparability. However, I didn’t want this to take a whole year before I had something to show for it, so instead of just running two iHAS120-6 drives, I upped the pool to five iHAS120-6 drives. These drives would come from a mixture of places – one was a spare I had acquired from a local shop, while another three came from a duplicator tower, originally MSI DH-20AS drives, cross-flashed to iHAS120 firmware. These drives were all tested to operate well at the commencement of the experiment.
This second round began on 3rd March 2026 and ran through to 25th May 2026 – a much shorter time required compared to the previous round of tests. While it won’t satisfy those who are calling for their “preferred” drive to be tested, the choice of a Mediatek-based Lite-On-made drive is simply because they were the dominant chipset and OEM of the time and the quality scan ability of the drives is relatively well understood and (to some extent) trusted.
The Contenders
Before we head into the results in the second section, let’s first take a look at the contenders who will be taking part in Round 2 –
Fujifilm 2x DVD-RW
This one comes courtesy of pepst – a brand new, sealed, single sample of a Fujifilm-branded DVD-RW. The speed suggests the disc is from the earlier days of DVD recording.
The inside inlay has the firmware update warnings in a number of European languages, with only one side of the inlay for user notes (although a copyright notice stretches across both sides – one of the first times I’ve seen this).
No doubt, this product is a European market product, with the address of a German office listed for the company and no clear country of origin. The barcode number 4902520252005 suggests that this is Made in Japan based on the GS1 prefix.
The disc has a green screen-printed top, but otherwise leaves the disc clear.
There is an ink-dot printing of “52A4” in the middle. This is a feature which seems common to older MCC discs.
A pressed code in the central hub has “MWB6521621213762” encoded in it.
The format of the stamping code makes it clear this is an MCC product – “ZCT506-DVRW-B47B”.
The media ID is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD-RW:MCC 01RW11n9] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disc & Book Type : [DVD-RW] - [DVD-RW] Manufacturer Name : [Mitsubishi Chemical Corp.] Manufacturer ID : [MCC 01RW11n9] Blank Disc Capacity : [2,298,496 Sectors = 4.71 GB (4.38 GiB)] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below ** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded ** INFO : Format 0Eh - Pre-Recorded Information In Lead-In 0000 : 01 40 d6 fd 9e d8 21 00 02 0e 08 06 88 85 0d 00 .@....!......... 0010 : 03 4d 43 43 20 30 31 00 04 52 57 31 31 6e 39 00 .MCC 01..RW11n9. 0020 : 05 06 88 85 0d 00 00 00 06 10 0b 05 60 05 10 00 ............`... 0030 : 07 10 0b 05 88 60 05 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .....`.......... 0040 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0050 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0060 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .......... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Imation 2x DVD-RW
This one I managed to grab from Japan …
… as a 5-pack with the firmware upgrade warning label stuck to the outer wrapping. Imation is a bit of an odd brand, as you can almost get anything – at home in Australia, they’re most frequently CMC-aligned, but in other regions, you get different results.
The inlay card for this disc indicates the disc is Made in Japan. Interestingly, the rear side has a small area reserved for promoting their “Century CD”, which is a CD storage unit but seemingly with a different exterior design to the Stakka. The barcode number is 4517327009495.
The inside of the inlay is given to the user to use …
… as is the rear inlay’s inner surface as the disc is packaged in a jewel case with a clear tray. As is customary in Japan, the graphic is on the rear of the rear inlay. In this case, this disc is advertised for PC use.
The top surface has a mostly white logo-print.
A pressed code near the hole reads “31-FX12060DC03”.
The stamping area contains a barcode …
… and tall, medium-thickness, pixelated text – “BGG Z8-2C”. These are characteristics common to JVC media.
The media ID is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD-RW:JVC_VictorW7] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disc & Book Type : [DVD-RW] - [DVD-RW] Manufacturer Name : [JVC Victor Company of Japan, Limited.] Manufacturer ID : [JVC_VictorW7] Blank Disc Capacity : [2,296,864 Sectors = 4.70 GB (4.38 GiB)] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below ** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded ** INFO : Format 0Eh - Pre-Recorded Information In Lead-In 0000 : 01 40 d6 fd 9f 3e 21 00 02 0f 09 05 88 95 0d 00 .@...>!......... 0010 : 03 4a 56 43 5f 56 69 00 04 63 74 6f 72 57 37 00 .JVC_Vi..ctorW7. 0020 : 05 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 06 0f 0b 06 60 05 10 00 ............`... 0030 : 07 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0040 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0050 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0060 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .......... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Imation 4x DVD+RW (Made in India)
Another disc from Imation, but this one comes to me from Europe thanks to pepst – still sealed in its wrapping. The packaging is certainly familiar – the inside of the inlay advertising the availability of 1GB and 2GB flash drives, which certainly dates the item.
The inside has an area for notes and a wall of text for the limited warranty.
An opaque tray is used and the rear inlay provides a compatibility matrix. A Netherlands office is listed as the contact for Imation Europe, with the media itself Made in India which means that it’s almost certainly going to be from Moser Baer (prior to going defunct and having their branding bought out by none other than Vinpower Digital). The barcode number is 051122199172.
The top has the standard pearlecent and clear design that is typical of Imation media of this time.
The central hub has fine ink printing which is characteristic of all Moser Baer DVD media – “5 073 601 0 B I5 15167 4X 0057”.
The stamping area is a bit of a mixture of thick and thin fonts – something I’ve only ever seen on Panasonic DVD-RAM media. The code format starts off a little MCC-ish, but soon diverges – “ZD2238-DVD+RW-VER1.2”. Definitely a unique specimen and the only one I have – it almost feels wrong to put it to the test … but I know that’s what pepst would have wanted :).
The media ID is as follows:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD+RW:MBIPG101-W04-000]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disc & Book Type : [DVD+RW] - [DVD+RW]
Manufacturer Name : [Moser Baer India Ltd.]
Manufacturer ID : [MBIPG101]
Media Type ID : [W04]
Product Revision : [Not Specified]
Blank Disc Capacity : [2,295,104 Sectors = 4.70 GB (4.38 GiB)]
Recording Speeds : [1x-2.4x , 1.6x-4x]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below
** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded
** INFO : Format 11h (Method 1) - ADIP Information
0000 : 92 0f 04 00 00 03 00 00 00 26 05 3f 00 00 00 00 .........&.?....
0010 : 00 00 01 4d 42 49 50 47 31 30 31 57 30 34 00 39 ...MBIPG101W04.9
0020 : 23 00 94 79 64 02 20 00 9c 7a 6c 02 20 00 9a 7b #..yd. ..zl. ..{
0030 : 68 02 20 12 12 10 e0 00 f0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 h. .............
0040 : 01 00 17 38 00 29 8b 3e 02 24 00 2d 8e 38 02 24 ...8.).>.$.-.8.$
0050 : 00 2c 90 3e 02 24 44 35 30 e0 f0 30 40 00 00 00 .,.>.$D50..0@...
0060 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
0070 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
0080 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
0090 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00a0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00b0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00c0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00d0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00e0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00f0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Imation 4x DVD+RW
This one also came from pepst, albeit this was supplied disc-only, so maybe it was extracted from a spindle or bulk package. Nevertheless, it has a layer design pearlescent logo-top design.
The central spindle hole has a pressed code – “VD800426DE408-S08200102112” which suggests Ritek to me.
The stamping code is a thick text but not all that tall – “VW47H-01062” suggesting to me a newer-production Ritek. Perhaps this is from Taiwan, but there’s a chance it could even be Vietnam as Ritek moved some production there in 2005.
There is another bit of text that just says “3T”.
The media ID is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD+RW:RITEK-004-048] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disc & Book Type : [DVD+RW] - [DVD+RW] Manufacturer Name : [Ritek Corp.] Manufacturer ID : [RITEK] Media Type ID : [004] Product Revision : [048] Blank Disc Capacity : [2,295,104 Sectors = 4.70 GB (4.38 GiB)] Recording Speeds : [1x-2.4x , 1.6x-4x] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below ** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded ** INFO : Format 11h (Method 1) - ADIP Information 0000 : 92 0f 04 00 00 03 00 00 00 26 05 3f 00 00 00 00 .........&.?.... 0010 : 00 00 01 52 49 54 45 4b 00 00 00 30 30 34 30 39 ...RITEK...00409 0020 : 23 00 9c 81 5c 02 28 00 96 8a 70 02 28 00 9c 81 #...\.(...p.(... 0030 : 68 02 28 04 04 20 e0 00 f0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 h.(.. .......... 0040 : 01 00 17 38 00 28 a5 46 02 2c 00 2f 94 3a 02 2c ...8.(.F.,./.:., 0050 : 00 2e a3 3c 02 2c 28 35 50 00 20 00 40 20 00 00 ...<.,(5P. .@ .. 0060 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0070 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0080 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0090 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00a0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00b0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00c0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00d0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00e0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00f0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Memorex 2x DVD-RW
This was another bare disc from pepst and there were no shortages of samples of this one. Perhaps they were easy to get. The top has a pearlescent finish that is more opaque than the Imation disc above, but the disc does have a waviness in appearance on the underside, not dissimilar to the old TDK 2x media I tested before.
Near the central hole, the pressed code says (as best as I can make out) “MWB6406A08050938”.
The stamping code area has thick-ish text that’s got a medium height – “DVD-RW TKOB 4722C2”.
There is a laser marked “0104”.
The media ID is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD-RW:CMCW02] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disc & Book Type : [DVD-RW] - [DVD-RW] Manufacturer Name : [CMC Magnetics Corp.] Manufacturer ID : [CMCW02] Blank Disc Capacity : [2,298,496 Sectors = 4.71 GB (4.38 GiB)] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below ** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded ** INFO : Format 0Eh - Pre-Recorded Information In Lead-In 0000 : 01 40 d6 fd 9e d8 21 00 02 0f 05 06 88 75 0d 00 .@....!......u.. 0010 : 03 43 4d 43 57 30 32 00 04 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .CMCW02......... 0020 : 05 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 06 0f 0c 04 60 08 10 00 ............`... 0030 : 07 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0040 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0050 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0060 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .......... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
While I didn’t know exactly how this disc was packaged, pepst did send me another consignment that had a newer design disc and packaging, matching the 4x DVD+RW (the next sample) –
This particular one was marketed for video applications, but isn’t like the Japanese discs in having CPRM coding. It’s rare to find CPRM media outside of Japan.
The set of five discs is part number 854612-05V with barcode 5024460005493.
The edge of the box seems to advertise a key use case as “replac[ing] your video tapes.” Interestingly, it advertises 6 hours in SLP mode as the headline figure, rather than the more common 120 min is SP mode which is demoted to smaller text. I’d say this is borderline deceptive.
The new design top is pearlescent with a film-inspired design. The plus version of the disc (below) is golden coloured instead. The inlay is the same design – ruled and printed on just one side.
Memorex 4x DVD+RW
Another one from pepst, the disc was initially supplied loose, but then I found it was likely part of a multi-pack of discs that were packaged in DVD library cases, with a single-sided inlay that was ruled for the user to write their own notes. I don’t have the cardboard sleeve that held the pack together, which would have contained the artwork.
The disc had a golden coloured logo top design with a film theme.
An ink-dot code is printed in the clamping area – “1907062900149115”.
The stamping area has a fairly long barcode.
It also has the text “DVD+RW1 06071901” in a thin font.
The media ID is as follows:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD+RW:INFODISC-A10-001]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disc & Book Type : [DVD+RW] - [DVD+RW]
Manufacturer Name : [Infodisc Technology Co. Ltd.]
Manufacturer ID : [INFODISC]
Media Type ID : [A10]
Product Revision : [001]
Blank Disc Capacity : [2,295,104 Sectors = 4.70 GB (4.38 GiB)]
Recording Speeds : [1x-2.4x , 1.6x-4x]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below
** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded
** INFO : Format 11h (Method 1) - ADIP Information
0000 : 92 0f 04 00 00 03 00 00 00 26 05 3f 00 00 00 00 .........&.?....
0010 : 00 00 01 49 4e 46 4f 44 49 53 43 41 31 30 01 39 ...INFODISCA10.9
0020 : 23 00 9c 7c 5c 02 28 00 96 7e 70 02 28 00 9c 7b #..|\.(..~p.(..{
0030 : 68 02 28 04 04 20 e0 00 f0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 h.(.. ..........
0040 : 01 00 17 38 00 28 8b 46 02 2c 00 2f 8a 3a 02 2c ...8.(.F.,./.:.,
0050 : 00 2e 8c 3c 02 2c 28 35 50 00 20 00 40 20 00 00 ...<.,(5P. .@ ..
0060 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
0070 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
0080 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
0090 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00a0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00b0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00c0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00d0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00e0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00f0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Omega 8x DVD+RW
This is another one-off special from pepst, from an unassuming and unknown brand (to me) – Omega. Most intriguingly, the disc is claimed to be made in EU, without being any more specific. The barcode number is 5906737562475. This is a high-speed 8x DVD+RW disc – I’ve only ever met very few >4x examples of rewritable disc, which makes this an exciting addition.
While I do normally expect discs in the endurance testing round-up to be brand-new, this disc arrived used, but I made an exception for it as it is a particularly rare (in my eyes) type of disc.
In the clamping area, there is a tall dot-pressed code “F22217-262-L3”. The substrates have IFPI code of 2E10 and 2E11.
This disc is especially special as it comes from Philips OM&T (Optical Media & Technology) and it makes this clear in the stamping code – “PHILIPS OM&T 8x DVD+RW E53531”. I would expect this to be a pretty good disc, given that Philips OM&T were one of the major sources of calibration discs for the optical media industry’s quality testing drives and themselves are a pioneer in driving the standards around CD and DVD. They were acquired by Moser Baer.
There is also an IFPI code of LE71 in the stamping area, corresponding to Philips ODTC (Optical Disc Technology Centre) in the Netherlands.
The media ID is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD+RW:PHILIPS-RW8-000] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disc & Book Type : [DVD+RW] - [DVD+RW] Manufacturer Name : [Philips] Manufacturer ID : [PHILIPS] Media Type ID : [RW8] Product Revision : [Not Specified] Blank Disc Capacity : [2,295,104 Sectors = 4.70 GB (4.38 GiB)] Recording Speeds : [3.3x-8x] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below ** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded ** INFO : Format 11h (Method 1) - ADIP Information 0000 : 93 0f 04 00 00 03 00 00 00 26 05 3f 00 00 00 00 .........&.?.... 0010 : 00 00 03 50 48 49 4c 49 50 53 00 52 57 38 00 20 ...PHILIPS.RW8. 0020 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0030 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0040 : 02 00 01 2e 70 54 00 69 8e 3f 03 32 00 6f 9b 2d ....pT.i.?.2.o.- 0050 : 03 24 00 68 9b 26 03 28 00 00 04 0a 08 00 00 00 .$.h.&.(........ 0060 : 82 00 04 04 ff fe fe fd 01 ef ef ec 10 0f 02 01 ................ 0070 : 02 00 02 03 02 03 11 0e 02 02 02 01 02 05 05 07 ................ 0080 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0090 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00a0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00b0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00c0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00d0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00e0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00f0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philips 4x DVD-RW
This one is another product from pepst, this one supplied bare-disc only. It has a white and pearlescent logo top and appears slightly aged or sun-damaged near the bottom corner where it’s started to bronze slightly. Still worth a try, I suppose.
The disc has an ink-dot code printed – “1709080304204743”.
The stamping area has text that says “DVD-RW 1 0001”. This is a design not known to me so far, so it’s another new type of media (yay!).
The media ID is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD-RW:INFOMEDIAA20] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disc & Book Type : [DVD-RW] - [DVD-RW] Manufacturer Name : [Infomedia Inc.] Manufacturer ID : [INFOMEDIAA20] Blank Disc Capacity : [2,298,496 Sectors = 4.71 GB (4.38 GiB)] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below ** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded ** INFO : Format 0Eh - Pre-Recorded Information In Lead-In 0000 : 01 02 d6 fd 9e d8 31 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ......1......... 0010 : 03 49 4e 46 4f 4d 45 00 04 44 49 41 41 32 30 00 .INFOME..DIAA20. 0020 : 05 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 06 15 0c 05 50 10 10 00 ............P... 0030 : 07 15 0c 05 88 50 10 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .....P.......... 0040 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0050 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0060 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .......... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pioneer 2x DVD-RW
Sourced from Japan, this 5-pack of Pioneer DVD-RW 2x discs has a bit of a special place in my heart, being from the pioneers of DVD recording technology. This disc is CPRM coded.
While my understanding was that Pioneer didn’t stay around in the media market for very long, noting the fact I’ve never seen any “PVC” media code faster than 4x, this one seems to be late enough that full surface printable tops were already in production. In my eyes, full-surface-printable tops were a later “innovation” so to see that along with colour tinting was a surprirse. Nevertheless, they called this “crystal print” technology. That being said, as rewritable discs are usually not used for playback distribution due to poorer compatibility and may have their contents changed, the utility of having a printable top is very dubious.
The discs are Made in Japan with a barcode number 4977729620313 and model DVS-RWP47CCM5.
The five pack has five different colours. Green was selected for the test.
That’s what the edge of the outer wrapping looks like.
Perhaps this disc is still too early to have met 5mm slimline jewel cases (which were half the height of an ordinary CD jewel case). Instead, these ones were packaged in ~7mm jewel cases as you would find with CD singles, making for a slightly awkward handling situation as such cases don’t quite have as much clearance between disc and hard surfaces. Nevertheless, the inlay has one side for notes and the other side is printed with information.
The tinted colour printable surface is unique with the branding in a ring near the middle. To make the top printable surface more appealing, the metalisation has been extended, with that area appearing a dark blue to the human eye.
There is a pressed code near the spindle hole – “KAWJ0502463E”
As is customary for Pioneer-made discs, the stamping code is laser etched in two short groups – “2WA5S 0003”.
There is also a barcode in the stamping area, a bit narrower than many other discs.
The media ID is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD-RW:PVCW00V00245] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disc & Book Type : [DVD-RW] - [DVD-RW] Manufacturer Name : [Pioneer Video Corp.] Manufacturer ID : [PVCW00V00245] Blank Disc Capacity : [2,298,496 Sectors = 4.71 GB (4.38 GiB)] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below ** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded ** INFO : Format 0Eh - Pre-Recorded Information In Lead-In 0000 : 01 40 d6 fd 9e d8 21 00 02 0f 07 07 88 75 0e 00 .@....!......u.. 0010 : 03 50 56 43 57 30 30 00 04 56 30 30 32 34 35 00 .PVCW00..V00245. 0020 : 05 07 88 75 0e 00 00 00 06 10 0c 06 60 07 10 00 ...u........`... 0030 : 07 10 0c 06 88 60 07 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .....`.......... 0040 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0050 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0060 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .......... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Smartbuy 4x DVD-RW
This is another batch I procured from Japan, this time from a brand called Smartbuy. They were often rebadging other people’s media – I’ve had some decent MCC003 discs from them in the past for a good price, obtained locally, but what’s in this box is a bit of a mystery.
The outer cardboard box is mostly red, this is a five pack with all discs contained in slimline cases.
Some handling precautions are printed on the side of the box.
The back of the box indicates that the discs are CPRM coded and have (presumably) paid royalties to SARVH (Society for Administration of Remuneration for Video Home Recording). The barcode number is 4710970614256 with a model of DRW47B4XSP and the disc is Made in Taiwan.
The slimline inlay card has graphics on one side and an indexing area on the other. THe individual disc barcode is 4710970614263. Interestingly, there is the AAA grade marker on the front – usually a dead giveaway that this is Prodisc made.
The disc has a rich, pink top with white and clear sections.
There is an ink-dot printed code in the middle – “5160C312-05198 08”.
The stamping code is “DW07-1101-5110-No. 5293-1” which is a new format for me.
The media ID is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD-RW:Prodisc DW06] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disc & Book Type : [DVD-RW] - [DVD-RW] Manufacturer Name : [Prodisc Technology Inc.] Manufacturer ID : [Prodisc DW06] Blank Disc Capacity : [2,298,496 Sectors = 4.71 GB (4.38 GiB)] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below ** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded ** INFO : Format 0Eh - Pre-Recorded Information In Lead-In 0000 : 01 02 d6 fd 9e d8 31 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ......1......... 0010 : 03 50 72 6f 64 69 73 00 04 63 20 44 57 30 36 00 .Prodis..c DW06. 0020 : 05 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 06 15 0c 05 50 10 10 00 ............P... 0030 : 07 15 0c 05 88 50 10 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .....P.......... 0040 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0050 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0060 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .......... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is interesting that the media code is DW06 but the stamping code says DW07. I wonder what happened there?
Smedia 2x DVD-RW
This is perhaps a lesser-known brand in Japan, S-media. They seem to sell Optodisc products all the time. This DVD-RW 2x disc has a green glass marble graphic design on the front inlay and claims both CPRM but for PC data use.
Three of the four surfaces have space for the user to write inlay notes or an index.
The rear of the inlay provides some information about the disc. This layout is less Japanese and is more akin to the western way of laying out the artwork. Nevertheless, it is Made in Taiwan with barcode number 4710837108577.
The top surface has a duotone logo top print – black and gold with clear areas.
There is a pressed code near the central spindle hole – “SS10L25C4C06768”.
The stamping code area has a long barcode …
… and tall thick text “OTC-W82095N2 W002” and laser-etched code “0000”. This is undoubtedly an Optodisc product.
The media ID is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD-RW:OPTODISCW002] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disc & Book Type : [DVD-RW] - [DVD-RW] Manufacturer Name : [Optodisc Technology Corp.] Manufacturer ID : [OPTODISCW002] Blank Disc Capacity : [2,298,496 Sectors = 4.71 GB (4.38 GiB)] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below ** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded ** INFO : Format 0Eh - Pre-Recorded Information In Lead-In 0000 : 01 40 d6 fd 9e d8 21 00 02 0f 07 07 88 75 0e 00 .@....!......u.. 0010 : 03 4f 50 54 4f 44 49 00 04 53 43 57 30 30 32 00 .OPTODI..SCW002. 0020 : 05 07 88 75 0e 00 00 00 06 12 0b 07 60 07 10 00 ...u........`... 0030 : 07 12 0b 07 88 60 07 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .....`.......... 0040 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0050 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0060 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .......... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SWTechnology 2.4x DVD+RW
Another disc from Japan, this arrived in a spindle pack of 10 from an unknown brand and seemingly priced low enough to have me think that it’s “junk” which it probably is. The top is a duotone logo top, with no speed rating.
A heat pressed code “Z02604PA07030” is in the clamping area, offset in some way to be not concentric with the spindle hole – that’s not quality.
The type of disc is heat-pressed into the clamping area and is also in the stamping area code.
From the underside, tall thick text says “OTC+W82081N0 OP1” making it clear, it’s another Optodisc product.
The media type code “+RW” as seen from the other side.
The media ID is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD+RW:OPTODISC-OP1-001] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disc & Book Type : [DVD+RW] - [DVD+RW] Manufacturer Name : [Optodisc Technology Corp.] Manufacturer ID : [OPTODISC] Media Type ID : [OP1] Product Revision : [001] Blank Disc Capacity : [2,295,104 Sectors = 4.70 GB (4.38 GiB)] Recording Speeds : [1x-2.4x] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below ** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded ** INFO : Format 11h (Method 1) - ADIP Information 0000 : 92 0f 04 00 00 03 00 00 00 26 05 3f 00 00 00 00 .........&.?.... 0010 : 00 00 00 4f 50 54 4f 44 49 53 43 4f 50 31 01 39 ...OPTODISCOP1.9 0020 : 23 00 84 80 68 02 28 00 8c 7d 44 02 32 00 8a 78 #...h.(..}D.2..x 0030 : 58 02 28 24 13 10 00 20 10 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 X.($... ........ 0040 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0050 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0060 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0070 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0080 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0090 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00a0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00b0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00c0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00d0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00e0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00f0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
TDK 2.4x DVD+RW
This one comes to me from Japan and is a five pack, made in Japan, with barcode number T4906933521086 and model DVD+RW47X5F. This one appears to be sold as a PC-type media.
The individual discs have a front inlay with much the same information, barcode number T4906933521062 and model DVD+RW47F.
The inside of the inlay is split into ruled or dot-guided.
The disc is packed in a clear tray, so the inside of the rear inlay is shaded. The outside is used for the promotional graphic – in this case, a green cube seems to be what they were going for. I’m not sure the symbolism here … but it’s definitely something against a white background.
The top of the disc is a plain white, but not a printable surface, with the branding subtly in mint-green along the outer edge.
The ink-dot printing in the clamping area says “PW1103105044605293”.
As is normal for Ricoh discs, the stamping area code is a thin text that appears to be laser etched – “DO121510704W”.
This text is next to a set of long and short dashes. Not surprisingly, this is the 2.4x predecessor to the RICOHJPN-W11 4x discs which were one of my favourites when I was still rewriting discs on the regular.
The media ID is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD+RW:RICOHJPN-W01-001] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disc & Book Type : [DVD+RW] - [DVD+RW] Manufacturer Name : [Ricoh Co. Ltd.] Manufacturer ID : [RICOHJPN] Media Type ID : [W01] Product Revision : [001] Blank Disc Capacity : [2,295,104 Sectors = 4.70 GB (4.38 GiB)] Recording Speeds : [1x-2.4x] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below ** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded ** INFO : Format 11h (Method 1) - ADIP Information 0000 : 92 0f 04 00 00 03 00 00 00 26 05 3f 00 00 00 00 .........&.?.... 0010 : 00 00 00 52 49 43 4f 48 4a 50 4e 57 30 31 01 39 ...RICOHJPNW01.9 0020 : 23 00 8a 79 6a 02 1a 00 8e 7a 6a 02 1a 00 8c 7a #..yj....zj....z 0030 : 6a 02 1a 23 13 10 f0 10 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 j..#............ 0040 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0050 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0060 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0070 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0080 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 0090 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00a0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00b0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00c0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00d0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00e0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00f0 : 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ DVD Identifier V5.2.0 - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
TDK 4x DVD+RW (Bonus)
Finally, I decided to include another sample of a TDK 4x DVD+RW. This was not noteworthy enough to warrant photos or any further analysis as it’s simply the same PHILIPS-041-000 type as in the first round, but this disc comes from a different pack obtained from a different thrift shop, so we might get some insight as to the variation in rewritability for the same media code type.
Roll Call (Round 2) – Who’s Still Missing?
Adding more media to the tested list will reduce the number of media types we have yet to meet. As a result, here’s an updated roll call -based on scraping a few firmwares for supported media codes and consolidating the results, I’ve come up with the following lists of known codes (with the contenders of Round 1 in bold-green and contenders of Round 2 in bold-red):
DVD+RW (48 types) CMC MAG W01-000 CMC MAG W02-000 CMC MAG W03-000 DAXON D41-000 DAXON D42-000 DAXON W81-000 INFODISC A01-000 INFODISC A01-001 INFODISC A01-002 INFODISC A10-000 INFODISC A10-001 INFOME A20-000 MBIPG101 W03-000 MBIPG101 W04-000 MBIPG101 W05-000 MCC A01-000 MKM A02-000 MKM A03-000 NANYA DRW-000 NANYASC DRW-000 OPTODISC OP1-000 OPTODISC OP1-001 OPTODISC OP4-001 OPTODISC OP8-000 OPTODISC OP8-001 PHILIPS 010-001 PHILIPS 010-002 PHILIPS 010-049 PHILIPS 041-000 PHILIPS RW8-000 PHILIPS RW8-003 PRODISC W01-000 PRODISC W01-002 PRODISC W02-000 PRODISC W03-000 RICOHJPN W01-000 RICOHJPN W01-001 RICOHJPN W11-001 RICOHJPN W21-001 RITEK 001-001 RITEK 004-048 RITEK 008-000 RITEK W04-000 SENTINEL W01-000 SENTINEL W02-000 SONY S11-000 SONY S21-000 TDK t01 DVD-RW (50 types) CMCW02 CMCW03 CMCW04 DAXON_RW2X01 INFOMEDIA INFOMEDIAA20 INFOMEDIAA30 JVC/VictorT7 JVC_VictorW7 JVC0VictorD7 JVC1Victord7 JVC2Victor<7 JVC-WD20 MBI01RWG 20 MCC 00RW11N9 MCC 01RW11n9 MCC 01RW4X MCC0000002Y1 MKM 01RW6X01 MXLRW001M OPTODISCK001 OPTODISCW002 OPTODISCW004 OPTODISCW006 PRINCO PRINCOR PRINCORW0004 PRINCORW2X01 Prodisc DW04 Prodisc DW06 ProdiscDVDRW PVCW000001Q9 PVCW000002A9 PVCW00D002K9 PVCW00V00245 RITEK V11 RITEK000V11A RITEK004V11 RITEK005V11 RITEKW01 RITEKW04 RITEKW06 SONY000000U9 TDK301sakue3 TDK302saku=3 TDK401saku=3 TDK501saku]3 TDK502sakuM3 TDK601saku TDK701saku
It’s a bit better than last time – as a bonus, I’ve also highlighted PRINCO, thanks to a donation from pepst which I analysed in an earlier post. There’s now representation from most vendors in some way, although overall coverage of the list is still not anywhere near complete, as some of these discs may not have circulated in any great numbers and would be very difficult to find (as few, aside from collectors, would be fastidious enough to check media codes).
Conclusion
Thanks to pepst and my shopping trips at Suruga-ya, we’ve amassed a pool of DVD rewritable discs that would be good to put to the test and see if they will be able to make it to the fabled 1000-cycles. While the test and analysis will follow closely with the methodology of the last round of tests, the speed has been increased by recruiting more drives into the effort. The results may not satisfy all, but should add to the body of knowledge regarding rewritability of DVD media.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this close look at the contenders. The results will be in part two – unfortunately, it is not yet ready but will be coming soon (within a day or two) so stay tuned.
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