Question about DVD's to use with the crystal chip.

[Tormented]

I've just modded my PS2 (fat) with the crystal 1.1 chip.
I have a question about the kind of discs to use with it, for minimum damage to the "eye" (reader).
Does using cheaper DVDR's shorten the lifespan of the eye?
I heard that using DVD-R's (minus) is preferable, and prolongs the lifespan of the eye, is it true?
What will happen if I use DVD+R's?
If I use DVD+R just several days, will it have any effect?
Thanks.

[Ex-Cyber]

I heard that using DVD-R's (minus) is preferable, and prolongs the lifespan of the eye, is it true?No, and it should be read "dash", not "minus" (that's a little bit of clever marketing from the +RW Alliance to suggest that it is the "lesser" format). The quality of the discs and their compatibility with your burner are the most important things, and there's no hard rule about + vs. - formats in that regard. Actual testing with a tool like K-Probe is the only way to have any objective information on which discs are best for your burner.

[Tormented]

Ah, ok, so if I burn onto DVD-R with the speed x2, but my discs will be cheap(for example cheap HP discs, 50cents a piece, or the like) will my console be alright for a relatively long time?

[Ex-Cyber]

I don't really have enough PS2-specific experience to give you any kind of useful estimate. The specific lifespan depends on which particular pickup you have, how well your laser diodes turned out (this sounds silly, but when making silicon devices the results tend to vary by location on the wafer), how well the drive electronics were calibrated at the factory, etc. As for "HP discs" what really matters is who the true manufacturer is, which can be determined by various tools including K-Probe. I would stay away from CMC Magnetics and unknown manufacturers, and usually the Japanese manufacturers (Hitachi-Maxell, Mitsui, Taiyo Yuden, Mitsubishi, Ricoh) are good, but again these are only guidelines; final burn quality depends quite a bit on your burner as well, which is why I suggested K-Probe testing. CDFreaks forums (http://club.cdfreaks.com) have a forum dedicated to media testing so you can search for your burner and see what results people have gotten with various media.

[Tormented]

Ok, thanks for the answer.
I don't know how my PS2 was calibrated at the factory but my burner is fairly good (the latest NEC), I will take the risk with cheper discs, getting more or less known makers, and I'll burn on the lowest speeds. That should last me quite some time I think.