Sony DRU-800A problems

[andrewslavin]

i bought it and the maxium speed i can get is 2.4x. it says its max speed is 16x for a dvd-r. I use the nero software that comes with it and it is very slow at burning. The disks i use are 8x but that doesnt matter. What can i do to get this to burn at its top speed?

[waheed]

I used to have a Sony DRU-500A 4X burner and all Riteks 4X disks burned at 2X max. I tried other DVD-R's, mainly TDK and Maxell which burned successfully at 4X, but I could never get to burn Riteks beyond 2X. Sony are very picky about media.

Try:

1. Different media

2. Upgrading your firmware

[andrewslavin]

How can i upgrade my fireware?

[waheed]

See:

http://sony.storagesupport.com/dvdrw/firmware.htm

[edDV]

I have the DRU-710A (made by Lite-On) and it has worked great with everything exept some DVD-RW.

The DRU-500 series (made by Sony) had many issues. I have no direct experiece with the DRU-800 but you might consider an exchange for a 710A.

[waheed]

I have no direct experiece with the DRU-800 but you might consider and an exchange for a 710A.

The DRU-800A is a newer drive, so exchanging for a DRU-710A would be downgrading.

It would be best to exhaust all options before considering a different drive. Like I said, try different media and upgrading your firmware.

[code65536]

The DRU-800A is definitely a much better drive than the DRU-710A. The latest KY03 firmware has a pretty extensive media support list (more so than the BYX4 firmware for the 710A). If this so-called 8x media of yours only shows up as 2.4x on KY03, then it's most likely some junk media that wouldn't have a prayer of burning at 8x no matter what.

You can always use CD-DVD Speed or DVD Identifier to see what the exact media code of your media is...

[edDV]

The DRU-800A is definitely a much better drive than the DRU-710A. The latest KY03 firmware has a pretty extensive media support list (more so than the BYX4 firmware for the 710A). If this so-called 8x media of yours only shows up as 2.4x on KY03, then it's most likely some junk media that wouldn't have a prayer of burning at 8x no matter what.

You can always use CD-DVD Speed or DVD Identifier to see what the exact media code of your media is...

Does anyone know if the DRU-800A is also made by Lite-On? I'd be suspicious of another one made by Sony. I plan to buy a couple more in the next month or two. The only difference I see in the specs vs. the 710A is the addition of -RDL.

[code65536]

Yes, it's LiteOn.
http://codeguys.rpc1.org/dvdrw_overview.html

The difference in specs vs. the 710A is -R DL, 16x -R, and an improved version of the MediaTek chipset. vs. the 720A, it's just -R DL.

I have both a 710A and a 800A, and the 800A is definitely better. The word on the street is also that the 800A/1693S is better than the 710A/1653S.

[edDV]

Yes, it's LiteOn.
http://codeguys.rpc1.org/dvdrw_overview.html

The difference in specs vs. the 710A is -R DL, 16x -R, and an improved version of the MediaTek chipset. vs. the 720A, it's just -R DL.

I have both a 710A and a 800A, and the 800A is definitely better. The word on the street is also that the 800A/1693S is better than the 710A/1653S.

Thanks, just what I needed to know. I'm sold on LiteOn.

[TooLFooL]

i have a dru-530a that burned 4x at time of purchase. first firmware upgrade resulted in 'reported' burn speed of 8x, but still took just as long to actually burn, but at least it worked. next firmware upgrade actually did burn (a few discs) at 8x. next upgrade, ALL 8x burns will fail, 4x burns work MOST of the time, and 1x or 2x burns wont even try, just spit the disc out. (and yes, ive tried multiple media types) WTF?!

[edDV]

i have a dru-530a that burned 4x at time of purchase. first firmware upgrade resulted in 'reported' burn speed of 8x, but still took just as long to actually burn, but at least it worked. next firmware upgrade actually did burn (a few discs) at 8x. next upgrade, ALL 8x burns will fail, 4x burns work MOST of the time, and 1x or 2x burns wont even try, just spit the disc out. (and yes, ive tried multiple media types) WTF?!

You only have to look at the tales of horror here and in other forums
https://www.videohelp.com/dvdwriters.php?DVDnameid=170&Search=Search&list=2#comments