Advice: media and newer burn speeds

[Madseason]

I bought several hundred Taiyo and Sony discs when I first got my burner but after making several copies of home movies and general data backup my stash is running low. My writer is Lite-On LDW-851S, external, with 4x max write speed though I've used many discs rated up to 8x. My burning software is Nero. Someone gave me a few Maxell that were actually Ritek (they gave bad results) rated 8x but I could only burn at 4x even though I prefer the usual 2x I get with my trusty, old, TY and Sony discs.
What I'm asking about is the burn speed I'm seeing on store shelves these days. Are these 16x discs going to work in my old burner? Probably. Am I going to be able to choose 2x for my write speed? This is what I don't know. Are there any Lite-On LDW external owners that can shed some light? Are the 16x rated Sony discs still able to burn at 2x? Thanks for any info.

[redwudz]

You already answered some of your questions. You will mostly see 8x or faster DVD media these days. Whether your drive works with them, and defaults to the lower speeds your drive requires depends on the media. You will find it harder to locate the slower media in the future.

Unfortunately, the best solution is to get a newer drive. They are typically less than $50US lately. If that's not an option, you may be able to upgrade the firmware of your burner. But then you will have to find a media that works for you and your drive at those speeds.

Take a look to the left under 'DVD Writers' and you might see some recommendations for media for your present burner. I think it won't be long before you need to upgrade to a newer burner, though, if you want to use more of the newer discs.

[Madseason]

You already answered some of your questions. You will mostly see 8x or faster DVD media these days. Whether your drive works with them, and defaults to the lower speeds your drive requires depends on the media. You will find it harder to locate the slower media in the future.

I was worried when I first tried 8x media but this writer has taken everything I've thrown at it. Even though the speed of media is rising I'll still prefer 2x for burns. Just me...heck, I still burn CDs at 8x max.

Unfortunately, the best solution is to get a newer drive. They are typically less than $50US lately. If that's not an option, you may be able to upgrade the firmware of your burner. But then you will have to find a media that works for you and your drive at those speeds.

You're right on that. I wasn't planning on getting a new drive since this one has been such a workhorse and is still going strong but progress leaves me no choice, it seems. Firmware upgrade isn't an option as this is external USB 2.0 drive.

Take a look to the left under 'DVD Writers' and you might see some recommendations for media for your present burner. I think it won't be long before you need to upgrade to a newer burner, though, if you want to use more of the newer discs.

I took your advice and did just that before replying. It appears that some have had trouble with 16x media but most are upset because they can't write fast enough, DMA problems, etc. I just want to make sure I can still write at 2x. Thanks for the reply, though, and I'll scour this site for ideas on getting a new writer.
good day!

[Gen-An]

There is no need to write at such slow speeds as 2x or even 4x anymore. Get a good burner and some high quality media and you can comfortably burn the discs at their rated speeds with no loss in quality.