Nan-ya White Top DVDR - Can`t get them to burn at 2x Speed.

[creamygoodness]

Hi All,

This is my first post in this forum, I`ve taken loads of advice from you all here before, but I bought some blank DVD-Rs this afternoon, and I`ve got a small problem so I thought I`d ask your advice.

They`re Nan-ya 1-2x Speed Discs, which from what I have read get an excellent review, and seeing as here I can only get these or Ritek G03 discs, I thought I`d give these a go for that extra bit of speed.

My problem is that I`ve tried testing this by doing a burn using both Nero and Instant CD/DVD, and they can both only register the discs to write at only 1x speed and not 2x. I`ve seen this with my friends writer, he can burn 2x speed on Ritek G03 discs with his Sony 500 where as I can only burn at 1x on my Pioneer DVR-105 writer. I have also tried Datawrite 4x speed discs and they work a treat and burn at full whack, but cannot find any stores that have them. I have kept myself up to date and have the latest 1.30 firmware installed on the writer, and I believe I`m doing everything correct. My questions are ...

(1) What am I doing wrong, if anything??
and
(2) Is there any way to force the Pioneer 105 to burn at 2x speed, if there are any programs worth downloading to help, please let me know.

Thanks in Advance.

[garryheather]

Nan-Ya DVD media seems to be the new kid on the block - I posted here a while ago to see if anyone had experience of them, and didn't get a reply.

Since they are so new, you might find their ID is not listed in the writer's firmware "database" and it therefore adopts the best write strategy for "unknown" media that it can - which is usually a slow burn with a long write strategy.

If they have hijacked the DVD equivalent of an ATIP from another manufacturer or been "rebranded" in some way, the manufacturer won't be Nan-Ya, although I believe they do make their own media.

Getting your media certified by the likes of Pioneer is a slow and no doubt costly process, so don't expect blistering performance quite just yet when it comes to burning them at speed.

There are firmwares out there that will allow your writer to record on any media at full whack, but be prepared for the quality of the burn to be dubious and / or cause problems when you next have need to flash the firmware (eg to revert to a previous version).

[creamygoodness]

Thanks for your advice Garry, I've since been using these discs and have not had any problems burning all of them at 1x speed. No coasters whatsoever. As for the Media ID code, I`ve just put one of them through Nero CD Speed and found them to be a genuine own make. The Code displayed is NANYA P1861 and says it`ll burn at only 1x (on this recorder), it`s a real shame. I understand what you mean about the code being accepted by Pioneer. I`ll also take your advice and stay away from the cracked firmwares as well. To be honest, I looked for that sort of thing before I posted but couldn`t find any, but if you encounter problems with your drive afterwards, I don`t feel it`s worth the risk.

Cheers, and lets hope 4x speed media comes cheap and readily available soon!

[txpharoah]

Firmware flash doesn't help if the disc refuses to balance at 2x They didn't lie to you in most cases, the discs just won't burn faster than intended. Only a few brands can be overburned, and yes, quality is subpar at best on playback. If it plays!

Just be glad you have good 1x discs. I suggest the Princo 2x from allmediaoutlet.com for cheap 2x, but quality can be bad in the 3.9-4.7 gig area. Apple is best, just buy them for $3 each or so, and 2x perfect quality, never a coaster. Outpost.com has the Apples.

[RoopeT]

From http://www.digitalpromo.co.uk

This disc is stated to be 2x speed capable by the manufacturer.

We tried this disc on our Pioneer drives and were only able to obtain 1x speed writing only...other drives we did not test may be capable of writing to this media at 2x speed.

We are selling this disc as a 1x speed DVD-R disc.

[creamygoodness]

Thanks for all the tips Guys.

I thought I would buy a couple of pricey 2x speed, but an excellent brand name, Verbatim from Staples on the way home, and these burn perfectly on my 105 at 2x speed. I`ll just have to hope that the new firmware update includes some more of the cheaper media. I`ll have a look at the sites provided. Cheers.

[garryheather]

txpharoah - if you look around, there are hacked firmwares out there for Pioneer drives that report back all media as being 2x or above - allowing you to write at that speed.

They do not, of course, allow you to write RELIABLY at higher speeds.

That's the difference ! Whether or not it's worth the risk of a coaster just to save you the time it takes you to make and enjoy a coffee is another matter. Me, I don't waste my time looking at the PC counting the seconds, I set it off and do something else. 1x is no shakes to me, personally. I'd rather it take a while and work any day.

[txpharoah]

Yeah, those hacked version are not worth the time or destruction they can do to the drive. Many have had RW and CD abilities removed on the 2x4all upgrades. My 103 is like that now. The 2x burns still are not great. The discs are 1x for a reason: bad 2x balance.