Haven't been down to Pantip for a while and searching on here, I could only find information from almost 6 months ago.

How much are dual-layer DVD blanks at Pantip, etc. these days? When I last looked, they were more than twice the price of single layer discs so weren't worth buying. My burner is dual-layer so I'm wondering if the situation has changed yet...

Thanks.

Actually, you can find cheap single-layer DVD-R media for around 15-25 baht, and "made in japan" fuji media for around 70 baht. Dual-layer media goes for around 250-300 baht, so that's about 10x as much. The price hasn't dropped significantly in the past year.

Actually, you can find cheap single-layer DVD-R media for around 15-25 baht, and "made in japan" fuji media for around 70 baht.  Dual-layer media goes for around 250-300 baht, so that's about 10x as much.  The price hasn't dropped significantly in the past year.

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DL media in the U.S.A. seems like it's closer to 80 baht per (~ $2.00 USD)?

I just purchased, and brought back, some 8x DVD-R Taiyo-Yuden in the U.S.A. for ~ 12 baht per. (They were $32.99/100 but there was a $5-off sale the day I bought. I split an order of 100 with a friend here; they came in two separate 50-pack cake-boxes.)

One month ago. Ritek DVD+R DL 2.4x; 230 Baht

Petch01

Prices in the US and prices here, at least for media, are very different, and has always been different. I of course make it a habit to buy media in bulk (yep, Taiyo Yuden) from the US whenever I can.

I was just at fortune today, and saw Mitsubishi DL media going for 350 baht. Cheaper shops sell around 250 for ritek, but you'd be hard pressed to find anything significantly cheaper.

Is there any shop in Thailand that sells Taiyo Yuden blank optical medias? Years ago it was regarded as the most reliable optical media maker in Japan, is it still the case today?

Dual-layer media goes for around 250-300 baht, so that's about 10x as much.  The price hasn't dropped significantly in the past year.

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Thanks for the update. I knew it was more than 2x as expensive but couldn't remember how many more. Looks like I'll be sticking with single layer disks for a while yet...

I know that a shop in Pantip, around 4th or 5th floor, in the back corner, sells Taiyo Yuden branded media... However, they overcharge by quite a lot, and so I stopped buying from them a long time ago. You can get by with buying other brands of media that are made by Taiyo Yuden, such as some Fuji media. Just look for the words "made in Japan", as opposed to "made in Taiwan" or "Made in Singapore" (which I avoid like the plague).

Of course, the cheapest way would be to bring it in from the US.

I know that a shop in Pantip, around 4th or 5th floor, in the back corner, sells Taiyo Yuden branded media... However, they overcharge by quite a lot, and so I stopped buying from them a long time ago.  You can get by with buying other brands of media that are made by Taiyo Yuden, such as some Fuji media.  Just look for the words "made in Japan", as opposed to "made in Taiwan" or "Made in Singapore" (which I avoid like the plague).

Of course, the cheapest way would be to bring it in from the US.

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Thanks Firefoxx. So are you suggesting if it bares a name of reputable Japanese brand with "made in Japan" label like TDK or Mitsubishi Chemical, it is most likely made by Taiyo Yuden? or are you simply suggesting they are as reliable as Taiyo Yuden?

If it's "made in Japan", then it's most likely from Taiyo Yuden's factory, and comparable to TY branded media. That's because the only major CD/DVD recordable media factory in Japan is Taiyo Yuden. It doesn't neccessarily have to be a Japanese brand, since I've seen HP and 3M use TY media too.

While not helpful prior to purchase, you can use a program like DVD Identifier to verify your media. I guess this can be spoofed/cloned but is unlikely. So you can buy a few of a certain brand, identify them, and then if satisfied with both the performance and manufacturer, buy more.

Here is the result for a T-Y DVD-R 8X:

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Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD-R:TYG02]

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Disc & Book Type : [DVD-R] - [DVD-R]

Manufacturer Name : [Taiyo Yuden Co. Ltd.]

Manufacturer ID : [TYG02]

Blank Disc Capacity : [2,298,496 Sectors = 4.71 GB (4.38 GiB)]

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[ DVD Identifier - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ]

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If the price for blank DL DVD is that expensive, then why they sell pirated movies in DL DVD for as low as 20 Baht (IDR 5000, even cheaper if you buy in bulk) in Jakarta? I don't understand.

If the price for blank DL DVD is that expensive, then why they sell pirated movies in DL DVD for as low as 20 Baht (IDR 5000, even cheaper if you buy in bulk) in Jakarta? I don't understand.

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Not sure. Are they really DL DVD's? Or even DVD's? If they are then maybe they got them for the same price as they paid for the content they put on the media? (Meaning their cost was zero as they stole them.) The really cheesy pirated movies (from a hand-held camera in a theatre) seem to be on CD.

DL *recordable* media is expensive, since it's expensive to make, and not many produce it in volume. DL *ROM* media is not, and is not that much harder to make than SL ROM media... same method as CDs, a template is made and used to stamp a metal disc. Most pirated movies are sold on DL/SL ROM, which is non-recordable, and very very very cheap/easy to produce in volume.