How to get the Media Code

There are two tools available for reading the (complete) media code from a media:

DVDInfoPro - by Nic Wilson (the free version has some ads but it is not spyware).

DVDIdentifier - by Kris Schoofs (freeware). Both utilities return equivalent data so you may use either of them.


Read here for intructions of how to get the (complete) media code using DVDInfoPro and read here for intructions of how to get the (complete) media code using DVDIdentifier.

There are also some general things you should note first:

Before adding new media to the list use the search function on the media page to see if a media of the same brand, type, speed, size and with the same (complete) media code is already in the list. If you find a match please use the "Add comment" function instead.

Many (old) DVD writers can't check the media code on blank DVD+R/RW media so if the media code is not displayed you may need to burn something on the disc first.

The complete media code has a 4 byte header (see example below). It's not really a part of the media data so please ignore any differences here (with DVDIdentifier these are set to zero).

The 3 last bytes on the first line in the complete media code for DVD+R/RW media (see example below) specify the data zone end sector. A reported difference here between two discs does not mean that the media is dissimilar so please ignore any differences here.

How to get the Media Code using DVDInfoPro
Download DVDInfoPro v 2.00+ and run the setup to install it.
Start DVDInfoPro and insert the media in your DVD writer (if it complains about ASPI when you start it or it does not work install the latest ASPI and reboot):

1. Select your DVD writer from the list.
2. Click on the "Media Information" button. This will give you the Media code/Manufacturer ID.
3. To copy the Media code mark it and then right-click and select "Copy".
4. Select "Show Complete Media Code" from the "ADVANCED COMMANDS" list. This will give you the Complete media code.
5. To copy the complete media code click the "Copy to Clipboard" button. Please don't use right-click+copy (or CTRL+C) here as doing so will also copy the offsets (00000000, 00000010 etc.).




How to get the Media Code using DVDIdentifier 3.1+
Download DVDIdentifier v 3.1+ and extract it anywhere.
Start DVDIdentifier and insert the media in your DVD writer (if it complains about ASPI when you start it or it does not work install the latest ASPI and reboot):

1. Click on the "Identify"-button.
2. Right-click on the "Clipboard"-button and select "Attach Data Formatted For www.DVDrHelp.com/DVDmedia".
3. Left-click on the "Clipboard"-button and then paste the data temporarily somewhere, for example in the text area below.
4. The Media code is the (usually) 11-12 characters in the last line (marked in red in the example below).
5. The Complete media code is the 3-4 lines of hex data (marked in blue in the example below).

Example of output from DVDIdentifier:


You can paste the data temporarily here:













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