[AV Media Matters] CD-R compatibility with various CD burners

[Robert Brian Levy <xernaut@yahoo.com>]

Hello fellow archivists somewhat adrift in the uncertain waters of digital
possibility, etc.:

I wanted to ask for some recommendations from people who unlike myself are
using CD Testers.  At Kiwat Hasinay we don't yet have grant monies to
purchase a tester, but plan to, as per advice of a few participants on
these lists.  In the meantime, could I please get some recommendations for
which _specific_ CD burners seem to perform best with which blank
media.  Right now we are using only Kodak gold (and soon, due to
discontinued supplies, gold-silver, as discussed a few months ago on this
list) CD-R's, using computer grade ones, and also Consumer Audio ones.  We
use a Plextor 8x4x32 internal ATAPI burner for our computer grade burns,
and also make use of a Harmon Kardon CDR-2 stand-alone burner (which does
CDR duplications at 1 or 2 or 4x speed) for consumer audio media.  As I
understand it, there is no archival difference that anyone has mentioned on
this list between computer-grade and consumer audio media.

However, in light of a recent posting or two, I am re-assessing the issue
of which media to use in which burner.  Should we switch to Mitsui golds or
any other brand, given the equipment we currently own?

We hope to buy a professional burner, a stand alone, such as the HHB CDR800
mentioned some months ago on the list, but still lack funds for that, and
for a CD Tester.  If anyone would like to briefly mention CD Testers again,
I am wondering whether a stand-alone tester such as one available from CD
Associates.com would be as effective as the full computer system CD tester
also available.  I understand that once we buy one of those, we get into
the whole arena of what is the acceptable number of errors before needing
to migrate one's information to avoid complete digital drop-out/disc
frisbeehood.

Thanks to you, the more technically saavy out there who hopefully can put
up with my more layman's approach to trying to understand these issues, and
take fitting action in light of what I am learning.

Please share any recommendations you may have with us.  We really
appreciate the help.

Brian Levy
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Robert Brian Levy
Executive Director
Kiwat Hasinay Foundation
Box 305
Binger, OK  73009 USA
tel: (1) 580-515-6011
kiwat@bigfoot.com
http://www.ahalenia.com/kiwat