help with LG GSA 4040B and rewritable DVD media

[tkzaplac]

I've been having a large amount of grief trying to burn DVDs to rewritable media ever since I upgraded to the latest firmware for the LG GSA 4040B (with the 4x burning fix). The media in use is the Memorex DVD-RW 1x. The sofware in use has been DVD-Decryptor, Nero, and Alcohol 120%.

I've failed burning with 4 different disks, and I had one successful burn with the same type of rewritable media before upgrading, so this leads me to believe that it is not the media.

The failures were of slightly different types, though. Two discs had "illegal block size" while writing and the burn would fail basically while writing the lead-in, less than 2 minutes into the burn. The disc would have to be erased. I then figured I'd try a full erase on one of the discs, and the full erase failed 1/2 way through, and now that disc isn't even recognized when I put it in the drive.

On all subsequent burns (using two other DVD-RW media), the burns will succeed, but the readability of the discs would be extremely poor. On one disc, there were errors when trying the read the last two VOB files, even when being read from the burner. On another disc, I could read it fine on the computer, but my DVD player for the TV will not play it (and it did play the one that I burned before the firmware upgrade).

First of all, has anyone else had such problems? Secondly, if you have had such problems, was there any combination of DVD rewritable media and burning software that you have had the best success with? Any insight to the problems I've been having would be greatly appreciated.

TIA
TZ

[Colindale]

Find a brand of media that works for you, and stick with it!.

Programming Firmware to work with every brand of media is a NIGHTMARE!.

TDK DVD+rw works for me. also Princo 4x DVD-R.

[balabas]

I've had a bad luck with all Memorex media. With my Panasonic LF-D311 DVD-RAM they simply didn't work(DVD-R,DVD-RAM). And now with my GSA-4040BB i have five Memorex DVD-RAM disks which is not formatable, and i threw away last Memorex DVD-R. TDK - any format works very well. Also Maxell worked fine. And I burned ~30 89c disks from Meritline ( http://store.yahoo.com/meritline/comdealfordv.html ) with no problem. Stay with better names.

[pharlap]

Go to lite on website and download there free utility smartburn and test your dvd's out if it says there ok yucouls have a problem with Asapi causing problems on your computer

[Kingnog]

Memorex RW Disks = DO NOT BUY

[petit]

I have just bought a LG4040B, OEM (no manual, no drivers).
Everything seems fine, but the unit was not able neither to read nor to write into old CD-RW.
Does somebody know why?

I had also a problem with the NEro speed test, giving some errors with both CD and DVD.

Thanks

[Dubber]

AVOID Memorex DVD-RW disks!!!!!!!!!!

They just don't work, period. First-hand experience, later confirmed by many sources, I was able to return my disks where I bought them.

I got Verbatim DVD+RW 2.4x disks instead and very happy with speed and reliability.