Are all mini dvd for a camcorder work the same way and buying a cheap mini dvd would last long as a good one ?

Question

on ebay a wholesaler is selling alot of mini dvds for very cheap and good ones at the store are expensive will the cheap kind be exactly the same such as saved video lasts as long as good mini dvd?

Answer 1

It's not an issue of the video "lasting as long" as on the quality DVDs; it's about data loss.  Poor-caliber discs will fault, meaning you won't always be able to record to them, or they'll fail entirely, meaning the disc will be dead to you.  High-quality discs (Sony, Memorex, others) have a very low failure rate; you can almost always count of them to work, and to retain data.  Cheap discs may not always function as they should, but if they do, then once the data is written TO the disc, it should last as long as 'most anything else.

If you're buying in bulk, and it's a lot less expensive, it may be worth it -- but beware that, most likely, not all of the DVDs are going to work reliably.

Cheers,

Answer 2

No... just like regular sized (12cm) DVDs, mini-DVDs (8cm) vary considerably by manufacturer.

There are several issues. One is certainly the formulation of the organic dye... some dyes are just more longer lasting than others. That's an important concern if you're expecting these to last a long time.

Next is the reflecting layer... usually aluminum on cheaper discs, gold only on archival discs these days. There's nothing inherently wrong with aluminum, but it does oxidize if exposed to the air, which means you're more dependent on a proper mechanical build... any leaks, and the disc could fail in a short time. Then there's the amount of aluminum... if they're cutting corners, the disc could have an insufficient coating of aluminum, which could make it difficult to play in some DVD players/drives, and more likely to fail in storage over time.

Then there's the mechanical build. All DVDs are effectively two-layer sandwiches of polycarbonate. That's because the read/write layer of a DVD is at 0.6mm, while the disc is 1.2mm thick... unlike CDs, which read/write at 1.2mm on a 1.2mm disc (the non-read side of a CD is covered with laquer to protect it, while a DVD is polycarbonate on both sides). So if the DVD isn't properly made, glued, etc. it can separate, causing data failure... and that's also much more likely with super bargain discs.

There's nothing inherently "cheap" about buying DVDs in bulk... you can find both high quality and poor quality discs, whether you buy one or 1,000. I only buy discs from companies I trust, and I only buy from vendors that identify the actual disc... most DVD manufacturers make a bunch of different discs, some better than others. You can find reviews of DVD media here:

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia