1 Is it best to use 8x or 16x?
2 I don't have a printer for discs but wondered whether the printable discs are more protected from damage and are worth the extra money
3 I'm very confused with all the different TY discs available at differing prices. I have looked at SVP, DVDshop online,Cd media .co.uk and UKdvdr.
DVDshop online do 100 discs tyg03 made in japan for £25.99 cheaper than SVP whose discs seem to be over £30.
Taiyo Yuden 16x DVD-R - Caketub 100 : DVD Shop Online Ltd Taiyo Yuden 16x DVD-R - Caketub 100
Would these be OK. I have things I want to archive and don't want to make a mistake.
1. This really depends on your machine. A few years ago when X16 was new there was questions over reliability of the dye including TYG03 and its +R equivalent T03, however, with steady progress and the introduction of new firmwares both produce comparable results, although this can still vary from machine to machine. Tests have been made with X8 media which can actually be burnt at X12 and produce less errors than a X16 equivalent. If you want to be really picky you could always buy a batch of both, complete some test burns and then compare PIE/PIF and jitter (basically disc errors). On a PC nero CD-DVD speed will do this but you need a burner with scanning capabilities. Another thing to remember is that the burn quality will vary from batch to batch. If you post your machine type perhaps someone with specific experience could help more.
2. No difference at all between printable and non printable. However if you want to add a printered label later to a disc tests have shown this will effect the longevity of the recording.
3. Taiyo Yuden is a manufacturer of dye and discs. Your can therefore buy TYs own discs and dye which is what you are looking at or another manufacturer who uses TY's dye. I personally always use verbatim with TY or MCC (mitsubishi chemicals) simply because they suit all my burners. With regard to made in Japans (MIJ), and again I can only comment on verbatims, but Taiwan (MIT) and India (MII) discs can be found. From running tests the quality tends to vary without really seeing a clear winner.
On a final note, I have found that for archiving purposes standalone DVD recorders are not as good as PC burners (when comparing burn quality). Simply checking if a disc will play is not an ideal test as it may contain errors or high jitter which can be 'corrected' during playback. The concern here is that over time these tend to increase and will eventually reach the point where it causes the disc to error. To put this in perspective it is realistic to expect a disc that will play on day one, if stored correctly, to also play for the next few years. However one with higher errors will have a much shorter lifespan than one with a better burn quality.
If you want to make sure your recordings are safe my suggestions would be:-
1. Always use a reputable disc. TYs are a very good place to start but at the end of the day you also need a disc that suits your machine. Unless someone has experience with your specific machine it may take a bit of testing before you are happy.
2. Never keep only one copy of your archived material. Consider a second burn as a minimum or, if you have a PC with the correct facilities, rip the disc, consider mass storage via possibly a HDD or burn a second disc on your PC and test your burn.