DVD Newbie questions

I have some things I'd like to get cleared up about DVD media . First I have been reading different threads about brands and I know that all brands are not created equal but as I read I'm understanding that not all DVD of the same brand are the same either. So question #1:
1)How can I tell a good spindle of DVDs from bad when I'm in the store?
2)Are all DVDs made in China cheap and of lesser quality?
3)What does CAT, MIT, MIJ, TY mean are these brands?
If someone can answer these question for me it would make it easier for me to understand some of these threads.
Thanks and BTW great place with loads of info

1) "Made in Japan" on the label is always a good sign, but certain Made in Taiwan discs can be excellent, too.
2) At least so far, they haven't produced anything better than Taiwan ... yet.
3) CATS is a dedicated disc-scanning device that is often used in standards testing. MIT = Made in Taiwan, MIJ = Made in Japan, TY = Taiyo Yuden (high quality discs almost all the time).

Might as well add this one, too: MID = Manufacturer Identity code.

Good MIDs to look for are:

MCC004 (Verbatim 16X DVD+R)(Made in Taiwan or India)
TYG02 (Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD-R) (Made in Japan Fuji brand, not made in Taiwan!)
Yuden000-T02 (Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD+R) (Made in Japan Fuji brand, not made in Taiwan!)

There are many other brands that produce excellent results, but that depends very much on individual batches, what burner is used.

I was going to say check the BenQ threads for DQ60 scan results, but that burner doesn't seem to be well-liked there.