Can I burn x8 speed DVD-Rs with my Mac?

[kroc_kroc]

I've been using Ritek silver top x4 for a year now and have had no problems. The shop I usually buy from has stopped selling them and are only stocking Ritek silver top x8. I'm unsure whether these will work on my Mac. I generally use my imac to burn DVDs but also use a couple of others. Cheers in advance.

[terryj]

what are the specs on your burner?

go to Apple-->about This Mac in
the upper left corner, when the window
pops up, select show more info,
it will open apple system profiler,
select the tab on the left for
Hardware-->ATA and post back
the info on your burner.

[Frobozz]

I understand that you're not asking if you can burn at 8X but rather if the 8X media work on at speeds your drive supports. The answer is it should. However, older drives may have firmware that doesn't support newer media. Probably the only way to know is to try it. Also, do check to see if there are any firmware updates available for your DVD burner.

[kroc_kroc]

Sorry for the delay. I wasn't at home when I posted this message. here's the details:

ATA-3 Bus:

SONY DVD RW DW-U10A:

Manufacturer: SONY
Model: SONY DVD RW DW-U10A
Revision: A13b
Serial Number: DAC76CE5
Drive Type: CD-RW/DVD-RW
Disc Burning: Apple Supported/Shipped
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal

I would mainly like to know if I can burn x8. Where can I go to update this firmare? The other thing is I'm asking on behalf of 4 other people who have different spec Macs. we normally buy about 500 discs together. That's why Iwant to be sure. So long as my one works I'll be happy Once again thanks for your help and quick responses.

[Frobozz]

It is unlikely that the firmware of your drive(s) can be updated to burn at 8X. The place to learn about this is xlr8yourmac.com. Look up your drive in the CD/DVD database to learn what others may have done. For example, I read there about how I could upgrade my Sony DW-U14A by installing the drive in a PC to change the firmware. Since mine is working fine as it is I've chosen not to do the upgrade.

[kroc_kroc]

No, I don't want to burn at x8. I still want to burn at x4 but wanted to know could I still do it on my imac with x8 dvd-r's?

[Frobozz]

I went to the Ritek web site. They have a PDF file that describes support for many DVD burners. Their 8X media can be burned at 4X or 1X on most (if not all) 4X drives.

[terryj]

from xl8yourmac.com:

SONY DVD RW DW-U10A:

Firmware version - 1.1d
Max write speeds:
DVD-R 4x
DVD-RW 2x
DVD+R 4x
DVD+RW 2.4x
CD-R 24x
CD-RW 10x

Max read speeds:
DVDs 8x
CDs 32x


Of course Apple disables the +R/+RW specs,
but it should, depending on media brand,
burn 8X at 4X speed.

[kroc_kroc]

Cheers for your help

I may just take the plunge now and buy 100 ritek x8. So long as they burn at x4 or lowwer I'll be happy

[galactica]

at any rate those disks are awesome!
they register at all burning levels in my drive, even 12x and those burn very stable at that speed even though they are rated 8x max