Media Review: Bulkpaq Orange 8x Printable DVD-R

Continuing our series of media reviews, we have a look at affordable 8x printable media by Bulkpaq. According to their website these discs offer hard to beat quality / price ratio and the best selling media brand in Europe. Unfortunately, our experiences weren't quite live up to their promises.

Read the review!

Written by: Lasse Penttinen @ 16 Apr 2005 0:05

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10 comments

dlc2000

this doesnt really surprise me as i've had my most problems with CMC made disc's . here is what i think CMC stands for , crap making company !

16.4.2005 10:46 #1

BazNZ

I use Princo 4x and have had no problems with them. Can anyone tell me there views and quality of Princo? www.princo.com.

Regards
BazNZ

16.4.2005 13:29 #2

domie

"Note that this is not an actual review. Since we only had a few sample discs, no real conclusions can be made based on these results. It is possible that results in general do not match the ones shown here. Only a single recorder was used, and no playback compatibility tests were performed."

-That about sums it up doesn�t it ?
i hate to say it but why even bother publishing the "results" with such a ridiculously limited sample.tested on one burner, come on !!! everyone knows that certain burners have problems with certain discs no matter how good the quality, your results don�t prove anything (although i have to say personally, i think bulkpaq are cheap crap)
I�m really surprised at afterdawn for allowing this type of "report" to be published... it�s like asking one person in a survey who is going to win the election and then assuming that the party he likes is gonna win....same data sample: one voter, one burner

16.4.2005 13:57 #3

A_Klingon

Domie.... you're being just a wee little bit harsh, don't you think?

At least someone has taken the time to freely share their detailed hands-on experiences with you should you happen to stumble upon a spindle-pack or two of these discs in your favourite local supply store.

The information provided was FREE, and you are free to reject any or even all of it if you wish. Did you wish to submit any of your own findings for media that you think might interest any of our readers? Perhaps you have some favourite media recommendations?

I far prefer the one-to-one hands-on personal experiences described in this review (yes, it is a personal review, not an in-depth scientific industry-standard analysis) to dry charts, graphs and sterile numbers that can, and often are, manipulated by the manufacturers to hype their otherwise mediocre products. There's no substitute for personal experience with something. Consider this review a "buyer beware" heads-up !

I bet most folks will appreciate these helpful pieces when the fledgling blu-ray disc begins coming onstream. At that time, I'll appreciate any information I can get.

- (My .02c). -

17.4.2005 00:27 #4

Manu_DVD

Mixed Bag...

I have tried bulkpaq and have mixed results..
Their recent Printable + R with a Verbatim dye was an excellent disc and the best print surface I have ever seen. (I believe they sold out quick) I can't find them anywhere.

Recently I bought 75 printalbe Datawrite (Again with the promising Mcc 003 dye) 50 were rubbish, a bad batch perhaps but the last 25 work fine.

Recent offerings from CMC made printable Bulkpaq + R are good quality, I'd recommend them for movie back up and their cheap! which we all like!

17.4.2005 02:41 #5

cd-rw.org

Domie,

If you want to provide me with larger test batches of media, please feel free to do so and I shall do more comprehesive tests.

As for the results - it seems quite clear that this is not an issue of the used recorder. The first half of the burn is good. I decided to do this report because it was clear that the discs were not premium quality, and I could help people save a few pennies if they do not take the risk of buying these.

There was enough discs to say that this batch is faulty. Are all batches like this? I don't know. What does it tell you about the quality control of these products, if discs like this go through to the market?

As regarding CMC - their premium quality discs should be quite fine these days. The problem is that B-grade goods are sold under lesser known brands. Same issue with RITEK.

17.4.2005 08:23 #6

cd-rw.org

UPDATE: I received reports that the recordings are failing on other recorders as well, so the test results seem valid, even though the test set is limited.

17.4.2005 22:02 #7

A_Klingon

Isn't it strange? Current DVD-5 blanks, whether +R or -R, are so so cheap these days it defies description. At the near-dawn of the next-generation of recordable formats (blu-ray in particular) it seems that manufacturers are trying to wring the last vestige of profit they can from what may soon be a rapidly-fading format. In the wake of HI-DEF and other high-capacity media, I really believe we are entering the final twilight days of that which has served us so well. The DVD.

Here in Canada many many Major Label blanks are going for .50c apiece. (Kodak; Sony). I can easily recall paying $10+ each for them. If I told you I once saw a $20 Verbatim blank DVD-R would you believe me? (It's true!) Quite often, DVDs are even cheaper than CDRs which only have 1/7th the capacity.

Not so long ago I used to order my blanks from the USA (*any* brand that didn't cost an arm and a leg!) because the local prices were positively insane. Shortly thereafter, I began ordering from Toronto as prices came down a bit. But nowadays? I'm surprised they don't include free discs in boxes of Kellog's Corn Flakes! :-)

When I look over my somewhat massive collection of dvd video-discs, I see brand-names that have since vanished off the face of the earth. There are some names NO one would recognize today because they were only in production for a very short time. I have discs which - if you hold them up to the light - you can see another *totally unrelated* brand-name printed underneath!! (Heavy silkscreen printing was used to cover up the original label. These were the now defunct "Eagle" brand discs made (presumably) somewhere in China). Right now, blank-discs are in a sort of "Meat Market". Anything goes. What you see is not necessarily what you get - software disc identifiers don't tell the whole story *at all*. You don't know who is making what, or quite often *where* it's made (the package doesn't say), and any manufacturer can take a known company's disc-mold and purple dye, and spin-off 18 different brand-names from it.

The other day I had to replace my aging burner. Not only have prices for burners plummeted since my last one, but the capabilities have also gone *way* up. All modern burners accept either + or - R media, as well as dual-layer, and I was amazed at the increase in burning speed! When I bought the unit (from a local, dedicated computer-supply shop), the guy was proudly proclaiming that *they* "have the lowest DVD prices in Canada!", and would I like to try a few of their unbranded discs?

"Unless your discs are 50c my friend, you do *not* have the lowest price in Canada." I gave him two 50c-per-disc sources right off the top of my head, and he (shut) right up. :-)

Walmart Canada, after years of charging over-the-top prices for blank dvds, have finally "come round" so-to-speak. They were losing scads of business, because frankly, people aren't *stupid*. And does not Walmart pride itself on never being undersold? ("Low prices every day."). Well, for the first time ever, I now see they have 50-packs of either + or - R SONY media going for 50c per disc. The same is true of "Future Shop" (the Canadian arm of the USA's 'Best Buy' chain) - all kinds of 50c discs, known and unknown brands alike.

Price isn't everything of course - but in general, I find that if a recognized company name is printed on the label, that company has a LOT to lose if the discs turn out to be bummers, regardless of *where* they are outsourced (manufactured). For example, I find that my 50c India-made KODAK discs work perfectly.

No doubt, when Blu-Ray hits the market, we'll be going Full Circle all through this Cycle again, and I'll be more than happy to read *any* findings from cd.rw.org !!

-- AK --

18.4.2005 03:20 #8

domie

I�m not sure how valid your argument is about dvd media being low in price due to blu-ray. I�ve been buying cheap dvd media at more or less the same price for 2 years now, long before blu ray was even announced.
If blu ray was the cause of this then we would be seeing cheap dvd dl media but we are not so........
Everything out there, hardware, software, media discs, starts off high and then spirals down in price.Hell, i can still remember paying $ 1000 for an akai hi fi stereo vcr.....cost about $ 100 tops now.

18.4.2005 16:53 #9

A_Klingon

Hi Domie.

I'm not certain either how _much_ of an effect the pending blu-ray discs are responsible for today's dirt-cheap DVD prices, but to me, the coincidence is too close to ignore, y'know? It's just a gut-feeling I have. A BIG one.

If you've been buying your media at (approx) the same price for the last two years, then you are highly blessed, my friend. You are in the minority. 2 years ago my local Walmart was selling blank dvds for $10 a pop. And if I had asked them for a .50c blank a year ago, I would have been looked at like I was from outer space. (Which I am anyway). :-)

If and when blu-ray catches on, (it will) how long do you think the DVD will be around? Please understand, I *love* DVD, I always have, but the writing is on the wall.

I'm convinced that's why dvd prices are so low. Few people are going to want DVD blanks 2 years from now if they can get a 20+gig blu-ray disc for 5 bucks or less.

(Bought any audio cassettes lately?) [Rhetorical]. Out with the old/in with the new. It's all Profit-Driven. You can't even buy a VCR at Walmart anymore.

All of which I admit has nothing to do with cd-rw.org's review of BulkPaq's dvds; (it's just that I enjoy going off on tangents.)

:-)

18.4.2005 20:10 #10

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