Where can I find top notch Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim media locally?
A. This is somewhat of a crap shoot. Big manufacturer’s like Fuji and Sony have at one point past or present payed Taiyo Yuden to manufacture media for them. The big companies slap their name on the label even though the discs were manufactured in Japan by Taiyo Yuden. These discs will always be made in Japan. Authentic TY media isn’t made anywhere else. Even if it says Made in Japan on the label, there is no guarantee of getting authentic Taiyo Yuden media. You could still end up with Sony or Fuji media codes. Hence why I said this is a crap shoot. Places like Comp USA, Office Depot, Sam’s Club, and Staples will carry Made In Japan branded discs. If you don’t want to risk getting non TY discs, you can find 50 packs of Verbatim in the afore mentioned chain stores. There’s a trick to spotting Taiyo Yuden’s under the Sony label. Newer 8x Sony DVD+R’s (Media ID: Yuden000T02) will have an octogonal spacer (piece of styrofoam) on top of the spindle.
