DVD Writing Problem

[Daddyjaxx]

I consider myself very confident around computers, being I can build them in my sleep and reloading the software takes longer than building one, but there are some things that bother me and with the wealth of knowledge from the users here, I hope to get this answer:

I have a 16x D/L HP DVD Burner. It burns just fine except I have never, ever been able to burn +R faster than 8x. I bought Verbatim 16x media, the only kind I could find and it went to 8x and never went faster. It cost me 30.00 for 25 DVD's. Compusa had some cheap Memorex 4x +R on sale for like 4.99 so I pick some up. I slap in the media and low and behold, the 4x is burning at 8x.

What's going on here?

[Dermen]

Firmware maybe. Most the time when they release new firmware it is to add support for newer media.

You could also look into hacked firmware. Hacked firmwares usually let you rip dvds faster, add bit-setting to DVD+R (basically makes it more compatible), and speed up burning on some types of media.

The best place I have found to learn about this stuff is the forums at CD Freaks (http://www.cdfreaks.com)

[Sonny]

The problem is that you’re looking at the recommended burn speeds by the people that package the media. The people that package are different from the people that actually make the media. You should really look into finding out about DVD±R Media Codes (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=343758).

Dermen mentioned Firmware & it’s the start of how your drive works. Within the Firmware is a list of Media Codes & how fast they can be burned. The drive manufacturer sets the limit after testing the media. I have had some media that are rated at 8X but the firmware that I use for my drive, modded for better write quality, will only burn it at 4X.