Does the write speed matter when burning VCD/SVCD?

[timebandit]

Hi


Does the write speed matter when you burn VCD/SVCD movies to cds? I always write at 24x and sometimes the movie is stuttering/chopping, kinda freezing for 1-3 seconds and then plays again and so on...

[macleod]

I've heard yes and no to your question. Personally, I have had problems burning over 8x on my burner. I will get blockiness. The speed I burn at now with nero is 8x and I have had no problems. Other factors sometimes will cause problems (media, you dvd player, etc.). Safest thing to do would be to burn the problem movie at different speeds to see 1) does write speed actually cause the problem, and 2) if it does, lower the burn rate to where it doesnt happen anymore.

[hwoodwar]

I had the same problem you (Timebandit) had, a stuttering, choppy, or skipping effect. When I burned the exact same SVCD at 8x or less the problem went away. I did not change any other settings. Now on all three burning systems I have VCDEasy set to 4x and I keep it on that setting.

[FoxGarrison]

I burn at 4x. I find the higher speeds will dramatically affect the quality of the VCD.

[Beavis]

It does seem to matter, at least for some particular combinations of media and stand-alone players. In my case, I've found that burning CDRW's at faster speeds causes problems.

[mickle]

I always burn at 4x to avoid th problems you mention.

Mike

[JAKE]

before i upgraded my burner from a 6x, that's all the speed that i had......but when i upgraded to a TDK 40/12/48 from an Iomega external USB 1.1 6/4/24 I had no problems at all burning anything (VCD or data).....other than honest < 3 minute burn rates.....after my firmware upgrade from the TDK site, I can burn a full 700 mb rom in 2:50 sec on average......I'm sure those newer burners (56X) are damn near burn full discs at 2 min. flat!!!!

My point here is that, my standalone or my pc all show my VCDs flawlessly! In my opinion, the burn speed does not matter! I would encourge you to either go to the manufacturer of the burner and check for firmware upgrades or just by another burner. They are soooo cheap and the speed is worth it! Also, I will not lie, I bought some super cheap CD-Rs from Best Buy (50 for like $2 w/ rebate) anyway, those 32x's CD-Rs do not have data integrity. I noticed that when I burned them over 16x that after 45 minutes or so into a VCD movie, I experienced the blockiness and such on the TV screen. However playback on the pc was superb. Then physically checking the CD-R's burn face I immediately noticed something disturbing:
Around half-way thru the disc you could actually see where the burn took place and after that, the burned track was invisible to the eye. Which was consistent with the blockiness halfway in the movie when watched in a standalone DVD player.........
My final conclusions were:
1)firmware upgrades on current burner or completely ugrade to a newer model (my preference TDK)
2)The brand of Optical Media does matter! Cheaper is not always better. If you go cheaper you might have to burn slower.

Sorry for the long windedness, but I hope this helps.....

[Craig Tucker]

It depends on your burner and the media you use. I can burn my VCD's at 52 speed with no adverse effects.

[Timoleon]

I always burn at the default that Nero determines when it senses my burner. I find that if I burn at a faster OR slower speed, errors seem to crop up. For instance, JustLink CD-Writer does a much better job burning at 24X then it does at 4X.

I guess you should experiment, and plan on making a few 15 cent coasters, and then all should be well!

[vitualis]

It is a reader problem, not a burning problem per se.

Many DVD players have difficult reading CD-R discs and often a lower burn speed will help with their compatibility. Unless your discs or burner is broken, burn speed will not affect the integrity of the data actually on the disc.

Regards.

[Craig Tucker]

I am not convinced of that. I have some 99 min infinity 32 speed discs, when burnt at 24 speed VCDs will break up and be unwatchable, burnt at 8 speed the same discs play ok. This is on the same DVD player.

[vitualis]

Yes, but get a good quality drive that can read CD media well (e.g., the burning drive) and do a digital extraction and compare bits. It should be identical.

This indicates that the discs themselves are burnt "okay".

However, for more fussy drives, a lower burn speed seems to improve the "compatibility" of the disc.

It does seem to depend on the individual batch of discs and burner as well.

Regards.

[freak_in_cage_10k]

Hi m8,

yeah, the burn speed does affect the way it looks on your DVD/PC. however, it does dramatically depend on your Burner. i have a Plextor 24/10/40A and burn at 24x no problems, but my friend who has a much cheaper burner struggles with anything above 8x. so, just burn at 8x or buy a better burner, u may as well stick with your current burner for now though cos DVD burners are becoming cheaper, but if u have some £ to blow i would recomend the Plextor Plexwriter 48/24/40A as it is quite cheap now and VERY good quality, they throw in a lot of stuff and it comes with a 2 year guarantee! (or you could go for the 40x version which is cheaper)