A question for the Blu-Ray media guys.
Are these the same as the SmartBlus that everybody is speaking so highly of?
http://www.mediamegamall.com/smartblu-bluray-disc-25gb-branded-25pk-cakebox-sbr4br25-p-28554.html
I have 2 Blue-ray burners on the way which are my first ones and I want to feed them good media. The burners are both Pioneers, a BDR-2207 and a BDR-207 in case that matters at all. If there is a better media for these I am all ears.
Thanks in advance, budzos
[QUOTE=budzos;2644004]A question for the Blu-Ray media guys.
Are these the same as the SmartBlus that everybody is speaking so highly of?
http://www.mediamegamall.com/smartblu-bluray-disc-25gb-branded-25pk-cakebox-sbr4br25-p-28554.html
I have 2 Blue-ray burners on the way which are my first ones and I want to feed them good media. The burners are both Pioneers, a BDR-2207 and a BDR-207 in case that matters at all. If there is a better media for these I am all ears.
Thanks in advance, budzos[/QUOTE]
The branded SmartBlus you linked to, along with the blank shiny and inkjet printable variants, are some of the best burning BD-Rs around. All three produce similar, high quality burns. The branded ones are the least expensive normally, and my favorite. Your Pio burners will be very happy with them. As for alternatives, some members are having success with Panasonic 4x and 6x media, and the INFOMER30 discs sold by Maxtek and Melody. But you can’t go wrong with the SmartBlus. Enjoy your new buners!
[QUOTE=jadburner;2644072]The branded SmartBlus you linked to, along with the blank shiny and inkjet printable variants, are some of the best burning BD-Rs around. All three produce similar, high quality burns. The branded ones are the least expensive normally, and my favorite. Your Pio burners will be very happy with them. As for alternatives, some members are having success with Panasonic 4x and 6x media, and the INFOMER30 discs sold by Maxtek and Melody. But you can’t go wrong with the SmartBlus. Enjoy your new buners![/QUOTE]
Thanks for the reply jadburner, I’m gonna order a couple of packs. I only wish they didn’t tack on 5 bucks for an order under 50. I can’t justify enough of them to wave the shipping charge either so I get hit with both fees.
budzos
Hey jadburner, I just ordered these off of ebay per your recommendation.
Seemed like a decent deal. Thanks again for the help!
budzos
And now I also ordered 3-25 packs of the Smartblus. Just enough to put me in the doghouse but enough so I won’t have to order any for a while.
budzos
[QUOTE=budzos;2644204]Hey jadburner, I just ordered these off of ebay per your recommendation.
Seemed like a decent deal. Thanks again for the help!
budzos[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=budzos;2644215]And now I also ordered 3-25 packs of the Smartblus. Just enough to put me in the doghouse but enough so I won’t have to order any for a while.
budzos[/QUOTE]
budzos - Congrats! I’m sure you’ll like both brands/MIDs and their burn quality. Let us know how you like them once you’ve burned a few.
Not a problem but I will have to purchase another BR device capable of scanning discs.
I will be using it primarily for backing things up and my wife will enjoy the large capacity of
the Blu-ray discs for backing up her photos. Now she will not have to split things into
4 gig chunks. Maybe after a while I’ll try a few movies just for grins.
budzos
[QUOTE=budzos;2645344]So far 10 burns and not a coaster yet!
budzos[/QUOTE]
Thanks for letting us know, budzos. Were those burns with the SmartBlus or INFOMER30s? Or both?
So far just the SmartBlus. When I get a few more days off of work I will give the INFOMER30’s a try. These Pioneer drives seem to be working out well so far. I can’t wait to get a drive that scans so I can verify things a bit.
budzos
Let us know how the INFOMER30’s work for you, I am assuming that they are the Melody brand. Also please post check the MID.
And does anyone happen to know if media used for Smartblu is sold under any other brand names?
[QUOTE=assdfgh;2645973]Let us know how the INFOMER30’s work for you, I am assuming that they are the Melody brand. Also please post check the MID.
And does anyone happen to know if media used for Smartblu is sold under any other brand names?[/QUOTE]
SmartBlu 4x 25GB BD-R are imported directly from Falcon Technologies International in the UAE. FTI BD-R are also sold under the Falcon brand.
[QUOTE=deanwitty;2645988]SmartBlu 4x 25GB BD-R are imported directly from Falcon Technologies International in the UAE. FTI BD-R are also sold under the Falcon brand.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the info Dean, but I was hoping to find out if they are sold under any other company brands and relabled like they are with MMM’s SmartBlu. That way they would be cheaper as the ones sold under the Falcon brand command a higher price. MMM’s prices are great, but it never hurts to have more options 
I do keep watching for other resellers to take advantage of FTI for their BD-R’s :). MMM’s parent company is smart enough to use them as their in-house duplication media and buys them in huge quantities to make their pricing possible. Just not enough companies out there that draw the line on the quality of their offerings this high. Disc Makers has re-branded FTI media from time to time. Currently selling FTI’s glossy diamond CD-R’s as their own “Ultra Hydroshield Diamond”. You might keep an eye on them.
I would love to try some of the Smartblu from Megamediamall for my pioneer BDR-2207 but there shipping does seem too high or you have to order too much product to get free shipping. Do they ever offer free or discounted shipping specials? I’m also having a hard time identifying the proper codes when looking at other websites for bd-r media. What other media would you recommend?
[QUOTE=Intelanot;2648537]I would love to try some of the Smartblu from Megamediamall for my pioneer BDR-2207 but there shipping does seem too high or you have to order too much product to get free shipping. Do they ever offer free or discounted shipping specials? I’m also having a hard time identifying the proper codes when looking at other websites for bd-r media. What other media would you recommend?[/QUOTE]
MediaMegaMall is primarily devoted to selling at the professional, large quantity level. Their deals are tailored to appeal to those buyers. They have offered free shipping on 2 spindle purchases before, but I haven’t seen that for a while now. If you happen to use Blu-ray cases, putting together an order of 100 of their double Blu-ray cases and a couple spindles of discs gives me a very reasonable $12.50 shipping and a good deal all-around.
We are all frustrated by the fact that most brands selling BD-R’s are switching to different sources and media codes and making buying them a game of Russian roulette :a. This is why a find like SmartBlu is such a breath of fresh air in the lower cost BD-R range.
The only other low cost option I would consider right now is Melody BD-Rs. They have been yielding good burn quality at 4-6x burn speeds in my burners. Not quite as much overspeed headroom as the SmartBlus.
[QUOTE=budzos;2644215]And now I also ordered 3-25 packs of the Smartblus. Just enough to put me in the doghouse but enough so I won’t have to order any for a while.
budzos[/QUOTE]
Yo budzos-
Well I have done the same/similar thing - mostly based on your experiences and others too.
I bought a 2207 offa Amazon for $90 shipped and three 25 packs of SmartBlus offa MMM.
Still looking for a BD reader that does quality scans-eh!!
Yo Myke,
You would probably do best grabbing an iHBS112 for scanning. The readers can be pretty hit and miss for scanning, and as a bonus the 112 is my go-to ripper for movie discs. Sails through commercial BD-DLs that my other drives will slow down on.
[QUOTE=deanwitty;2653183]Yo Myke,
You would probably do best grabbing an iHBS112 for scanning. The readers can be pretty hit and miss for scanning, and as a bonus the 112 is my go-to ripper for movie discs. Sails through commercial BD-DLs that my other drives will slow down on.[/QUOTE]
Yo Dean-
Thank you SO much for the 411 bro-eh!! 
Yo Dean-
OK - got the LiteOn iHBS112-04 off of Newegg for $70.
Now need advise on which Disc Quality Testing Programs are available (any good free ones around-eh? )