Diagnostic/ Utility - CDR Identifier

[Corey]

http://ftp.isu.edu.tw/pub/Hardware/cd-r/utility/CDRIdentifier/CDRIdentifier.exe


There are three dyes used in CD-Rs. Cyanine, Azo, and Phthalocyanine. Phthalocyanine.is the longest lasting, Cyanine is the least. CD-Rs made with Cyanine can lose the data saved on them in just 2 years. Finding out which dye is used on any given brand of CD-R can be tricky. This tool reads the ATIP track pre-written onto blank CD-Rs that holds information the burner needs to work with a given disk and decodes it to tell you where the disk is from, who really made it, and most important, what dye is used on it. No surprise, the supposed 100 year Maxells are made with Cyanine dye. BIG surprise, the el cheapo COMP USA disks turned out to be using Phthalocyanine dye, the most stable.

[Lorne]

Lots of manufacturers fudge the ATIP codes, so be wary.

If you want quality, just buy Taiyo Yuden CDs (e.g. FujiFilm made in Japan, or actual Taiyo Yuden) from a reputable retailer. (Reputable, because lots of CDs illegally use the Taiyo Yuden ATIP codes in order to fool customers who think a completed high-speed burn indicates quality/success.) Those CDs are the quality standard that all other CDs are compared to.

[eric_darling]

Actually, Lorne, that's true. Taiyo Yuden are great - the real TY media. Of course, it is cyanine dye, and that part doesn't sit well with archivists.

Basically, the underlying information presented in the link Corey provided is right. But, a lot more goes into the quality of optical media beyond just the substrate layer. So, it's probably not the most important consideration for most people doing CD duplication. There is a lengthy discussion on the topic over at CD Freaks if you're interested in more of the nitty gritty details.

But I distill the information as this: unless you're into long-term (and we're talking over 10 years) archival on CD media, you're pretty safe with a good quality cyanine disc. Taiyo Yuden make the best cyanine discs.

I have yet to lose a single properly burned and verified CD-R to anything other than poor handling or poor storage. I've been burning discs since 1997 or so, and since 2000, I've been increasing that output. We now handle well over 12,000 CD-R duplications every year in combined short run orders.

[Lorne]

Ah, thanks for the clarification Erik. :)