Recently, JVC/Taiyo Yuden announced that it would discontinue its Valueline CD-R and DVD-R media.
Why the change? According to industry gossip, this line just became too successful for what it was originally intended to be. Valueline was created out of optical media that didn't quite meet Taiyo Yuden standards. They were still excellent discs, but they had not met Taiyo's rigorous standards for the premium grade. So, they created the Valueline brand to move them.
Customers soon learned that buying Valueline discs was a great way to get some really good discs at a more affordable price and they grew in popularity.
Therein lies the problem: thanks to JVC/Taiyo Yuden's rigorous manufacturing standards, they weren't producing a lot of discs that "weren't quite good enough." Sources tell Polyline that, for a while, Taiyo Yuden filled its orders by mixing in premium discs with the Valueline. (Ironically, we think this added to the Valueline's reputation as a quality disc and its overall popularity.)
In the end, you just can't sell premium discs at B-grade prices. Taiyo Yuden realized this and decided it was time to put an end to their allegedly B-grade offering. It was a good run.
We still have Valueline discs in stock. But it's time to start thinking about alternatives.
The first option is MBI. Yeah, it's Moser Baer and they make a much better disc than what they are typically given credit for. We asked some of our larger customers to test them and we researched online. The disc MBI makes for the professional user is a good disc and it's affordable. They are certainly worth testing in your equipment.
Spin-X, Ritek, Maxell and Verbatim also make good, affordable discs.
Another brand that's been gaining interest from Polyline customer is Falcon Pro media. The disc quality is really on par with "Japanese manufactured discs." (You know who we mean, don't make us say it.) On top of that, the print surface is phenomenal, especially the Smart White, Smart Guard and various "glossy" discs. If you're using an inkjet printer, you can actually reduce your ink consumption by up to 20% by using Falcon Pro's recommended printer settings and save even more money.
Our final suggestion: go to JVC/Taiyo Yuden's premium line. Let's face it, you've become accustomed to Taiyo quality. Sure, paying premium price after all this time is going to sting a little. But, admit it, you kind of knew you were getting a super sweet deal before.
Click here to see a complete list of Valueline alternatives.
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