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I have been buying 3 - 5 months worth of CDs and supplies at a crack. The last several purchases I have noticed the quality and availability of CDs has plummeted each time. Been buying various Pro or high end CDs (probably doesn't really matter, but for my father), or some other premium CD, the best of what is available, and in the standard case. (He likes the spine labels, and this is not doable with the slim cases.) I have had to 'respec' the CD a couple of times to maintain a premium product and downgrade my preferred choice of quality the last couple of times.
This time it was nearly impossible to buy a decent CD at all. Went to about eight different places, which all should have excellent selections, and was in greater disbelief with every stop. NO CDs at any source available in standard case. ONE source had bulk standard cases available so I bought a 50 pack. Off-off brand, but all that was available.
Virtually no premium CDs available anywhere. Strictly low-end stuff. Fancy 'colors' for the kids I guess. Junk. Wound up finding some Memorex Music CD-R on spindles of thirty. Okay quality, but sadly representing the very top end of what was available anywhere. Only three spindles available, so I took two.
So, I'm good for supplying my father's show for close to a year at one show a week, but third-rate standard cases and second-rate CDs - after stopping at so many places.
Even online sources were bleak. Amazon had Maxell CD-R Pro - but only four left in stock - period. No more to come it looked like. Maxell CD-R Music Pro 'out of stock' - period. Just for starters.
Is the CD dead? Is it all 'devices' now? ipods, .mp3 storage devices/players, and such? Pretty good selections and range of quality on DVD everywhere. Little bit of Blu-ray (not much).
Will any decent CDs be around in a year or are they old news already? I've bought some time, but sure looks like I am going to have to reevaluate how I provide his show when this latest and maybe last supply runs out. Though I have noticed the downgrades of quality and supply, it really hit hard this time. Literally took the best that I could get. Probably spent several times the cost of supplies in gas refusing to believe that I couldn't get anything decent anywhere.
I used to write music to CDs to play it on a portable CD player. I would use a stack of 50 CDs a month. I bought a stack of CDs a year ago and have used about half a dozen - all for a linux distribution (later ones I've put on DVD). For me - the writeable CD is dead - I doubt I will ever buy blanks again. I can see writeable DVDs going the same way as other memory sources become both cheaper and usable for OS installation.
These are the driving factors which mean that premium consumers aren't making so many purchases, leading to an inability to support many premium writeable CD brands on the market. It is assumed that if you are a premium consumer that you are no longer going to be using writeable CDs... you'll be using DVDs or digitally transferring data to your entertainment system.
Today I use a wifi internet radio for 90% of my music. With tens of thousands of stations to choose from to suit every taste - most in great quality and many ad-free - there seems little need to bother with maintaining my own music library just for the privilege of being able to pick out a few tracks on my own.
Since you are streaming the Jazz show - is it not possible for your father to do the same? Streaming radio is usually available worldwide. There are many WIFI Internet Radios on the market which are as easy to use as an analogue system - not to mention giving your father access to over 500 dedicated Jazz stations at the touch of a button.
Still use CDs myself. Have no trouble finding them in bulk. As for cases, buy those in bulk, too...though recently I've just been reusing the original spindles and stacking them back on top of each other.... 50 or 100 at a time.
Doing that a bit less each month as it is too easy to plug in another 500gb or 1tb USB external drive...
But I still use them for "permanent" storage and off-site storage.
<added> HERE'S [digitalfaq.com] a guide for DVDs. I assume manufacturers of quality DVDs also make quality CDs. </added>
There's only a few manuafacturers of writable DVD media in the world and I'd imagine the same is true of CD's.
Everything is rebranded, you can most certainly get "econo" media which are really good discs and buy "premimum" discs and have junk.
You need to check who the manufacturer is... There's some tools on that site and guides as to who makes the best. TY's usually top the list for DVD. I know you can buy them on on large spindles with no labels, not sure about CD's
You could get the non slim jewel boxes from the same people also in hundreds ..or source the boxes nearer to you ..
I now buy unbreakable slimline boxes ( which are cheaper than jewel boxes ..and really are unbreakable ) for both CD and DVD ..and then just write or print out smaller when I make the spine labels ..
In my experience the verbatim CD's make about one coaster in a thousand burns ..and no degradation after 5 years so far ..
Taiyo Yuden are much harder to come by on line in mainland Europe ..
DVD's that are reasonably priced here online are Philips DVD-R ( about €22.00 per 100 ) maybe one coaster in 500 burns ...and again data is still pristine upon read after 5 years so far ..
If you want to know who actually makes the media you buy ..because most is not what it says it is ..I would recommend imageburn ( freeware from lightningUK ) run with dvdinfopro ( shareware ) ..
But if you remember, there are other things you can put on a CD.
Who here has a stereo. A good stereo? A stereo good enough that you CAN easily tell the difference between an original CD track, and a compressed, downloaded, MP3?
I spent a lot, and I mean a LOT of money on my stereo, and the sound is fantastic. First time my girlfriend heard it she kept asking me if I had different versions of the music as there was so much more to the sound.
Play an MP3, and frankly it just sounds flat and dull.
The CD is not dead. And I for one really hope it doesn't die at all. I realise that people don't really use it for data anymore, and with USB flash storage people don't really even use DVD's anymore.
But there are still some things you can't do without one.
Play an MP3, and frankly it just sounds flat and dull.
I completely agree. But I dont think young people (who consume the most new music) know the difference.
But I dont think young people know the difference
They will. When they can afford to spend the money on a decent set of hifi separates.
I find one thing I notice, is quiet, or even silence. On my stereo, it's silent, no matter now far it's turned up.
If I plug my laptop or personal mp3 in, suddenly the silence is silent anymore. :(
is it not possible for your father to do the same?
Strictly speaking, yes. But he is 69 years old. He does have a computer, but the quality is so-so at best, sound quality probably bottom-end, it's a desktop so he wouldn't be able to have it play out onto his deck/backyard, and although the computer otherwise does what he needs - he is never going to be a tech guy, and sorting out his 'best choice' options is probably asking a lot. This is especially true because the show is streamed as a continuous track. Of course, he has favorite songs and I have the software and experience to split the show into tracks so that he can easily play a favorite. And he can also give me a list of favorite tunes that I can pull out of the 'master library' and burn him a custom CD. He can't do that, and wouldn't, but enjoys that it is something he can have.
He really likes getting that envelope every week with a 100% ready to go CD. I've got a zero second delay between tracks, so he can listen to the show as if it were being streamed live, or he can skip to the favorites. Custom label for the CD, custom front and back case inserts with the tune list. It's a pretty slick presentation. Truth be told, it's a PITA, in part because the splits have to be manually marked which takes time, but I can't not do it. Except for a very unfortunate six week hardware/software crisis at one point, I haven't missed a show in the three years that I've been doing this. He's got quite the collection now.
I've got enough supplies now to cover 40 - 45 weeks, so I've got some time to assess how to handle going forward.
In my experience the verbatim CD's make about one coaster in a thousand burns
Verbatim doesn't manufacture discs, they are rebranded. Having said that I know in the DVD world their better discs are branded TY's.
If you haven't checked the page out linked to by Lawman I'd suggest giving it a read, you'll be quite surprised to find out how little difference there is between Brand X and Brand Y. In a lot of cases they are going to be the same disc with different label. A cheapo brand may actually be the superior band depending on who the real manufacturer is.
Verbatim doesn't manufacture discs, they are rebranded.
I can find B+M dealers here that handle Ritek marked as such ..at nearly €1.00 per CD :o ..
Problem isn't only knowing what media is what and who makes what ..it's what you can get access to ..
BTW ..mostly use blank CD's for ripping music CD's to as either flac or monkey's audio format ( both lossless ) ..then archive the original for safe keeping ..and listen on PC with what you would call "high end" speakers or Sennheiser cans ..
Setting up our separates music system again has to wait till I've finished renovating the house ..
Agree .."real silence" is nice ..:)
added ..BTW ..dBpowerAmpConverter is usefull for the above
[edited by: Leosghost at 9:28 am (utc) on Oct. 2, 2008]
