8x+RW / 8x-RW ???

[ViRaL1]

Does anyone know anything about Mad Dog Multimedia's 6-in-1 8x drive? According to their site as well as CompUSA and MicroCenter. It not only writes at 8x but also REwrites at 8x. I wonder if this is true or just marketing hype. As far as I know there's no 8x RW media available to test this. But since I don't have anyplace closeby to see it in the box, I was hoping someone might have seen it and could confirm that it actually says that it rewrites at 8x.

From Mad Dog's site http://www.mdmm.com/products/optical/dominator6in1dual.asp

'Features
8X DVD±R Writer
Simplify! Convert your old VCR tapes to a manageable number of DVD discs that will last for generations.

32X CD-R Writer
Burn! Back-up your hard drive. Record CDs, compile different type tracks such as MP3s, WAVs, WMAs or create your family picture albums.

8X DVD±RW Rewriter
Twice as fast as our competitors 4X rewriters! Flexibility! Tired of those old DVD titles? Rewrite to the same ±RW media.'

Not a bad deal for around $150 if it's true.

[ViRaL1]

Update : TigerDirect has the drive for $90 after $30MIR,
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=709379&sku=M199-1002

although their specs show it as 4x +RW/-RW. Double checking Mad Dog's site though, they only show one basic 8x DVD drive in either internal or external. A close up of the box for the external (kind of blurry) seems to say 8x Rewriting.

http://www.mdmm.com/images/productbox-Dominator7in1Dual.jpg

This is really getting tempting.

[-jsl-]

No drive is capable of burning DVD±RWs faster than 4x yet including this Mad Dog drive which probably is a rebadged Toshiba SD-R5272.

[lgmayka]

MadDog's site says that the drive can also read (and write?) DVD-RAM. Note the specific access time and data transfer rate for DVD-RAM.

[ViRaL1]

This is starting to look even better at $60 after $40MIR, but I still don't know much about it. Not that I'd know any better, but what makes you think it's a Toshiba, and that model specifically?

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0169433

[indolikaa]

I am looking at the DVD Forum's website. The last authorized 'Book' for DVD re-recordable discs is version 2.0 for DVD-RW (4X).

I see no reference to any 8X DVD-RW standard listed...

[ViRaL1]

This is an honest question and not meant to sound sarcastic. Was the 'Book' for 8x +R/-R burning official when the 1st 8x drives came out? I know that 8x media wasn't available. I admit, I'm skeptical of the 8x RW claims myself, but since no one has come forward saying they own / use one of these drives, I'm still giving in to my curiosity.

[-jsl-]

ViRaL1: The reason I think it's a rebadged Toshiba is because Mad Dog's 4x model was a rebadged Toshiba and the 8x drive have the same specs as the SD-R5272 besides the DVD-RAM read speed and the DVD±RW write speed (which I'm sure are not correct): Same CD-R/RW write speed, same MTBF, same seek times, exakt same physical size, both read DVD-RAM etc.

[indolikaa]

This is an honest question and not meant to sound sarcastic. Was the 'Book' for 8x +R/-R burning official when the 1st 8x drives came out? I know that 8x media wasn't available. I admit, I'm skeptical of the 8x RW claims myself, but since no one has come forward saying they own / use one of these drives, I'm still giving in to my curiosity.

That IS a good question.

I think there were some drives released based on the tentative Book strategy for 8X +R before the +RW Alliance actually certified it. Seems to me that the write strategy was such that it wasn't considered a major revision; if people are burning 8X on 4X discs that would seem to make sense at face value.

Interesting question...