Plextor 8x DVD+R burns at 8x on 4x DVD media....

[Don2050]

Thought this looked cool.

Here is a review of the new Plextor 708A 8x DVD+R Drive:

http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.html?i=1864&p=1

[tompika]

Thought this looked cool.

It did...

[red lion]

Although its a 8x writer it should be noted that it only writes at 4x to
dvd-r.....................

[tompika]

Although its a 8x writer it should be noted that it only writes at 4x to
dvd-r.....................

Of course....... and the "2xDVD-RW but 4xDVD+RW" note too

[overloaded_ide]

Yea, what's the deal with that, trying to force a format even with a dual format burner??

I have seen 4x burners that write one format at 4x but the other still at only 2x, but then I see another that writes BOTH formats at 4x??

Now this 8X one 4x the other. I say X em all and stay with 2x!

Is this a case of the manufactor PREFFERING one format over the other, but only make the dual drive to keep a market share?

Then the other guy does not preffer either format so make a true DUAL 4x burner?

For way over $200 I expect to burn either format at 8X!
For $150 I feel the same with 4X! Burn em both 4X or keep the dual drive on the shelf!

[handyguy]

the plextor has alot of topics, first of all, you only get 8x on +r if you do a FULL disk, otherwise, back to 4 to 6x.

[tompika]

@handyguy

Someone who actually has a Plextor:

from start to end on 4X Arita + media.

2x speed from 0 - 2 %
6x speed 2 - 19%
8x speed 19 - 100 %

Avg speed 7.8X

@overloaded_ide

Its not like Plextor pushing one format.
The dash format is just not ready for that speed
NEC and Pioneer is coming out with 8xDVD-R and 4xDVD-RW in about a month.

Probably the plextor will be able to do it with a firmware update (I think)

[overloaded_ide]

Well I can see that with 8x, I think that's probably starting to push some limits, at least till we get better disks.

I mean the 4x this and 2x that drives! Some are 4x -r or 4x+, but then the other format is only 2x on them. Then we got 4x - + both drives.

That's what I'll be looking for, a drive writing both formats at 4x. Till the 8X drives drop in price ALOT. By then there may be some that write both fomats at 8x also.

Now that I have a 2x burner, I think for future purchases I will do like I do lots of hardware, set a price I'm willing to pay and wait till it drops to that price! Like I figure $100 is a good price for a CPU, Hard drive, good system board. $50 for a cd burner tops. and $75 for 512 ddr ram.
Then I see whats at that price or less. Can't lose much to price drops if you don't pay alot to begin with
Like I paid $180 for my burner, now it costs like $130. Figuring the disks I burned so far, that adds over a dollar or more to each disk, just the drop in price! I haven't burned 50 yet, close but not 50.

SO I set my price.....
Then I wait like a cat watching a mouse till it's in range, then I pounce on it!

[solarfox]

Let us not forget that "1X" to a DVD-R is approximately 8X to a CD-R... so, to keep things in perspective, a "4X" DVD-R burner is writing at an equivalent of 32X, and an "8X" DVD-R will be writing at 64X.

Why is this important, you may wonder? Because in the end, both technologies depend on the same basic process -- using a write laser to burn an organic dye or, in the case of -RW media, phase-change a metal alloy to one of two optically-different states. Anything which limits the top speed you can make a CD burner run at -- dye chemistries, alloy properties, the speed at which the electronics and optics can be driven -- will also be a limiting factor in DVD-R burners. * (And +R burners, too.) Considering that CD-R speeds are currently topping out at around 52X or so, and they only just recently came out with CD-RW drives and media that could go beyond a comparatively pokey 10X, I'd say that both DVD-R and +R are getting their respective speeds up as fast as the current technology will permit.

* well, almost anything. DVD burners aren't pushing the rotational-speed limits nearly as hard as CD burners are... yet.

[Cornucopia]

Let us not forget that "1X" to a DVD-R is approximately 8X to a CD-R... so, to keep things in perspective, a "4X" DVD-R burner is writing at an equivalent of 32X, and an "8X" DVD-R will be writing at 64X.

Why is this important, you may wonder? Because in the end, both technologies depend on the same basic process -- using a write laser to burn an organic dye or, in the case of -RW media, phase-change a metal alloy to one of two optically-different states. Anything which limits the top speed you can make a CD burner run at -- dye chemistries, alloy properties, the speed at which the electronics and optics can be driven -- will also be a limiting factor in DVD-R burners. * (And +R burners, too.) Considering that CD-R speeds are currently topping out at around 52X or so, and they only just recently came out with CD-RW drives and media that could go beyond a comparatively pokey 10X, I'd say that both DVD-R and +R are getting their respective speeds up as fast as the current technology will permit.

* well, almost anything. DVD burners aren't pushing the rotational-speed limits nearly as hard as CD burners are... yet.

That last part is the truest part of what you say

1x DVD's rotate at 570-1600rpm, vs 1x CD's at 200-500rpm (difference: 2.85X-3.2X), so 8x DVD would be ~24-32x CD rpm-wise. The rest of the difference comes from data density/coding efficiencies.

Scott

[tompika]

Sony develops new laser diode promising 16X DVD recording
Thursday, 28 August 2003

Sony announced that a new 650nm semiconductor laser diode is currently developed, allowing DVD recording speeds up to 16X. First samples of the new "SLD1236VL" series are planned to be available by December 2003, while mass production will start in June 2004. According to the company, current laser diodes used for Sony DVD recorders are capable of 8X recording.

The Plextor flys using the DVD R+ 4 x media, no doubt. I'm impressed so far.

Average burn time is around 8:10. The drive sort of like shifts gear around 20% into the burn and really gets moving. They have played in everything I have Panasonic S35 and my Sony DVP-NS315. Power DVD, Win DVD all played the disks okay as well. No complaints so far (so good).

[Don2050]

16x !!!! I will wait for that ........

[MackemX]

maybe I'll just wait for a writer that just presses the DVD in one big stamp