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Super-Fast Dual-Layer DVD Writing

Posted by timothy on from the plain-white-wrapper dept.

An anonymous reader writes "If you've been putting off buying a dual layer DVD burner because they're so slow, check this out. The latest NEC drive burns dual-layer disks at 4x, writing over 8gb in 25 minutes. It also burns-single layer disks at 16x on both formats."

44 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. Super FASTER Dual-Layer DVD Writing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Toshiba just introduced the SD-R5372 with 5x dual layer writing.

    What I want to know is when more of these drives will start coming out with Serial ATA interfaces. Yes, they don't need the speed, but it would be nice to buy new drives in the format they're migrating to for other reasons.

    1. Re:Super FASTER Dual-Layer DVD Writing by pHatidic · · Score: 3, Funny

      Clearly you didn't see September 20th cover of Time Magazine.

    2. Re:Super FASTER Dual-Layer DVD Writing by mtnharo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Nope that's the real URL. Looks like Toshiba's web developer decided the best way to access everything on their web database using encoded parameters. Ugly, but an interesting tactic to force people to enter through the main portal of the site.

    3. Re:Super FASTER Dual-Layer DVD Writing by Dark+Lord+Seth · · Score: 2, Informative

      The speeds aren't the greatest advantages of SATA so far. What's best is the nicely thing cables. I'd like to see SATA connections on optical drives solely because it would be easier then to wire things up inside. Even rounded IDE cables are clumsy because they are still very thick and hard to bend.

      --
      Hate me!
    4. Re:Super FASTER Dual-Layer DVD Writing by perlchild · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Just like with external SCSI, I wonder how much the external drive pricing is due to manufacturers fearing it encourages people to buy less, since you can have a device only on the computer you need it at a time?

    5. Re:Super FASTER Dual-Layer DVD Writing by jnana · · Score: 5, Informative

      Better still in firefox: highlight the link, then right-click and select "view selection source". It will just show the source for what you've highlighted, so you don't have to search through a massive document.

    6. Re:Super FASTER Dual-Layer DVD Writing by Phexro · · Score: 2, Informative

      The Plextor PX-712SA is a SATA DVD burner.

      Doesn't mention DL burning, but there's at least one company offering them. $40 more than the ATA drive, though.

    7. Re:Super FASTER Dual-Layer DVD Writing by dioxide · · Score: 2, Informative
      So shouldn't we be able to buy Optical drives and HDD for use in *external* boxes at a reasonable price? At present, external drives always cost ~100% more than an internal version... which is a shame as an external HDD would be nice for backups but given that I'd need something bigger in approx. 12 to 18 months, I prefer not to pay an arm and a leg!


      It is FAR cheaper to make your own external than to buy one premade by WD or Maxtor, etc. Check newegg, you can buy a OEM hard drive, and a usb2 or firewire external chassis for about the same price as a retail drive at CompUSA or BestBuy.

      As a side note, I very much do not trust the shitty drives that come inside premade externals. I've had far better luck buying oem 7200rpm drives with 8mb cache and dropping it inside a chassis. Our shop has seen a good two times more premades die than built, however I cannot say its because theyre shittier, or because the people that build their own take better care of their equipment.
  2. It's the media, not the drive. by explorer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    No, the drives have been cheap for awhile. It's the expensive media that makes it pointless right now. Last I checked, Ritek DVD+R dual-layer blanks were going for $9.50/each. Thanks but no thanks.

    1. Re:It's the media, not the drive. by AsnFkr · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Word on the street is after the holidays the prices of media will become reasonable. God I hope so. Cheap media is all I want for xmas.

      --


      adventure-today.com
    2. Re:It's the media, not the drive. by xtink · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I agree I have a big problem pay more for a 10 pacl of media then i paid for the drive

      --
      I've never noticed it before but my thinking cap does sort of resemble a hockey helmet
    3. Re:It's the media, not the drive. by ZorinLynx · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't really mind the taxes so much, because it legitimizes piracy in my eyes.

      Afterall, I'm giving the MPAA money whenever I buy a blank.. So I should get something in return, right?

      Netflix + DVD Decryptor here I come!

      Unfortunately the people who NEVER pirate movies end up getting screwed with no recourse other than to start pirating...

      Doesn't the MPAA realize this? }:)

      -Z

    4. Re:It's the media, not the drive. by devilspgd · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Not just in your eyes, in law. If you are paying to copy movies, then you are allowed to copy movies. This is just simple logic.

      I'm curious if they'll try it though, the Canadian recording industry is trying to get the levy removed so that they can go after people copying CDs in Canada. The supreme court told them they wanted the levy, they got their levy, and now they're stuck with their levy and as a result we can legally download music.

      --
      Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day, but teach a man to phish...
  3. When will the format wars end? by chrispyman · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Do the "do every format" DVD writers like this just mean that there will be no single DVD format, or will one format eventually win out? Then again, with DVD writers becoming almost, if not as cheap as CD burners, is there really any point in waiting to get a DVD burner?

    1. Re:When will the format wars end? by bigbadunix · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Nah, there's no point in waiting any more.

      As far as standards and compatibility is concerned, who knows??? I know that my powerbook only accepts DVD-R media, my Pioneer standalone player in my home theatre rack plays both + and -.

      So, regardless of the standards, I can use my sub-100 dvd[+-]R burner in my pc to do what works for me, regardless of what "standards" are going to be victorious.

      Dual layer media is too expensive at this time to consider it for everyday use, imo.

      So, there, I answered pretty much none of your questions :)

      --

      The older I get, the less I like everyone else.
    2. Re:When will the format wars end? by 3seas · · Score: 2, Funny

      yeah right, like there is a single HD format....

  4. All very nice but... by MartinG · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I wonder when the dual layer media is going to reach a sensible price.

    With the recent constant reductions in price the writers will be cheaper than the discs before long.

    --
    -- MartinG To mail me: echo kewyjlcxyzvjfxbqwh | tr bcefhjklqvwxyz .@adgimnoprstu
    1. Re:All very nice but... by CrackedButter · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Printers go down in price but the ink doesn't, who is to say that this trend is emerging in this market as well.

      --
      Jonathanjk.com
  5. Pioneer DVR-108 does the same by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The pioneer DVR-108 has a 4x DL and a 16x for both single layer formats. I bought one for $10 less than the 107 which doesn't do DL.

    1. Re:Pioneer DVR-108 does the same by boldi · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yeah, and my dvr-108 is already installed in my computer for weeks. so what is the news about 4x DL writing?

  6. I've got one by Buelldozer · · Score: 5, Informative

    This drive rocks! It's quiet, fast, and I've flashed the firmware to make it both region free AND faster than factory.

    Newegg for $77, what could be better?

    1. Re:I've got one by sqrt(2) · · Score: 3, Informative

      Anyone else interested in making your drive region free should go here

      --
      If you build it, nerds will come. Soylentnews.org
  7. Quality of write? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Has anyone done any tests on the quality of the drive's writes? I have a Lite-On 8x DVD+/-R drive that everyone raves about, combined with 8x Taiyo Yuden media. I burn them at 4x, and I *still* have to let Nero verify the write every time, with 1 out of 8 or so being bad burns. I'm more concerned about my burned DVDs being readable in a few years than I am about speed. Maybe I just got a bad drive?

    1. Re:Quality of write? by markus_baertschi · · Score: 5, Informative

      The extensive DVD-writer & media tests in CT I've been reading show that almost all DVD-writers have quality problems when writing faster than 2x. Media quality is a big problem and you have to find which media your writer happens to like.

      I think this is an even greater problem then the DVD+/- controversy. Most writers write both these days, you know hat you get before you buy. But many media/writer combinations have quality problems and here you don't know if you'll get a usable result in advance.

      Markus

    2. Re:Quality of write? by darth_silliarse · · Score: 3, Informative

      Using tools such as DVD Decrypter which can verify the disc after burning will help there, I've been using it with much success for the past 9 months...

      --
      I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born - Ronald Reagan
    3. Re:Quality of write? by Alorelith · · Score: 2, Informative

      LiteOn DVD burners have a major problem with DVD-R media, in my experience. I have to verify EVERYTHING I burn with my remaining DVD-R media. All the +R stuff I get works the first time, and it's not even TY, just RICOHJPN (which is admittedly not too bad). So either you are using -R media, your drive is bad, or your media is iffy (hard to believe for TY).

    4. Re:Quality of write? by The+Vulture · · Score: 2, Informative

      You may have fake Taiyo Yuden media.

      Apparently there are lots of fake Taiyo Yuden discs circulating. They have the same media code (TYG02) as the real discs, but the discs are of inferior quality, and definitely not made by TY.

      The same thing happened back when 2x drives were popular, there were some companies (mainly Princo) who used TDK's media code, so that they could trick the burners into burning the discs at 2x. The only problem is that most of these discs were awful even at 1x, and you'd wind up with coasters.

      I recently ordered some inkjet-printable 8x Taiyo Yuden discs from rima.com, and my new Pioneer DVR-A08XL burns them at 12x (no hacks involved, Pioneer set them to burn at 12x in the default media table - I guess Pioneer feels that the media is that good, and TY paid their money). I ran them through Nero CD/DVD Speed and got a perfect speed line.

      Also, it could be your drive, you didn't mention whether or not your TYs are +R or -R, but I've heard it said by quite a few people that the LiteOn drives tend to prefer +R media.

      -- Joe

  8. You are in violation of the DMCA!!! by leereyno · · Score: 3, Funny

    Report to the nearest disintegration facility for processing in accordance with WTO resolution 57 subsection C.

    --
    Muslim community leaders warn of backlash from tomorrow morning's terrorist attack.
  9. Sony to announce experimental 8 layer 200 GB ... by pentium69 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Here is an extract from this story http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/10540/

    Whilst we wait for dual layer media to tumble in price, we can satisfy our craving by contemplating this news release from PC World. According to this article, Sony has cast caution to the wind and developed an 8 layer 200 gigabyte Blu-ray disc. Although they have not decided whether to commercialize such a product, they are saying a 4 layer 100 gigabyte version is expected to hit the consumer market within the next 2 years.

    Do you think movies will be distributed on this media? DVDShrink compression ratio will be like 1% !!!

    --
    Mystika
  10. One RAM dump by aLe-ph-1(sh) · · Score: 2, Funny

    on a maxed 1st generation G5, right?

    --
    sig!wind down the juuice, let the tubes roar with the glow of alternative powers, not they that be." me, today...
  11. Re:I remember when CDRs were $10 each.. by Lord+Kano · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Back when I had a 1x writer. It was a deal and a half back then. Give the market some time, they'll come down to $1 a disc eventually..

    I got my first CD Burner in 1997. I paid $299 for an external SCSI from JVC when internals were going for the same price. The discs were outrageously expensive. I would need to do a good 15-20 minutes of prep work before I burned a disc just to make sure I wouldn't have a buffer underrun. They were WAY too expensive to waste.

    LK

    --
    "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
  12. Old news by __aailob1448 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've had my 3500A for about a month now. It offers a great performance/value ratio in theory. In practice, Dual Layer media is prohibitively expensive, as are high speed Single layer DVD+-R so I'm still burning single layer at 4X...

    It's nice to know that My Nec is able to do much better though.

  13. Prices for blank dual layers by StateOfTheUnion · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I heard a rumor that part of the reason blank Dual Layer DVD's are so expensive (besides the fact that the technology is new and that margins are probably high at the top of the performance curve) is that production yields of dual layer blank platters are currently very low . . . Has anyone heard anything similar? Or was this a groundless rumor?

    1. Re:Prices for blank dual layers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative
      Well according to this article: http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/129

      According to Philips the production of the media should not be much more complicated than the production of current dual layer DVD-ROM discs. Mrs. Harpe of Philips Consumer Electronics says: "It's too early to be specific about prices. However, we can say that the production process of dual layer DVD+R is similar to DVD9 production.


      So sounds groundless to me.
  14. Technology wanted: FMD-ROM 140GB by Wills · · Score: 4, Funny
    I am still waiting very patiently for the 140GB FMD-ROM (Fluorescent Multilayer Disk Read-Only Memory), "slated to be ready before the end of the year" (2000) , manufactured by that truly stellar company Constellation 3D Inc. with laboratories in Israel and Russia.

    As it happens, the most cost-effective high-capacity storage technology remains the hard-drive based on magnetic media.

    --
    Scroogle
  15. Great but what about BD-DVD??? by NXprime · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Great but what about Blu-Ray RECORDABLE discs?

    Can anyone tell me of a press release stating that Sony or one of it's partners plans on selling discs you can burn any data too? Or is Blu-Ray a read-only solution? I have not seen any edvidence that Sony plans to put BD-DVD burning tech for the PS3 or any other future product of thiers.

    I only ask this because I got this dumb for brains friend who's 'waiting' for 30GB rewritable discs to come on in the next 2 years. Trying to explain to him that this $79 NEC is 'da bomb' is pointless. :)

    1. Re:Great but what about BD-DVD??? by LocalH · · Score: 2, Informative
      Sony already has Blu-Ray writers. Unfortunately, I only know of one current application for them, and that is in the realm of professional video production. Sony's line of XDCAM equipment uses a form of Blu-Ray technology. To quote:
      • The new XDCAM disks include 23.3 GB of storage capacity as well as random access file selection. The disk itself is housed in a rugged plastic case that increases durability far beyond the normal DVD. Worthy of note is the differentiation between the blue-violet lasers used in the XDCAM and the Blu-ray laser technology found in consumer DVD products. XDCAM is one of the first commerical Blu-ray technology products to be announced. The XDCAM format makes use of a phase-change recording material to increase read/write speeds and also allows access by two simultaneous pickups.
      --
      FC Closer
  16. Write both layers at once? by Thai-Pan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I can't help but wonder if it's possible to write to both layers at once.

  17. When will read/write optical media be enough? by kbahey · · Score: 4, Insightful

    One of the big problems now are the high cost of decent tape backup systems. The drives are expensive, and the media is expensive, but it is about the only choice out there.

    Backup needs to be as large as, or close to, the size of disks. Backup media have to be cheap enough so multiple copies of the data can be made, and some of it stored offsite.

    With disks growing far more than any other media, tape is barely catching up, and optical media (Rewritable CDs, and rewritable DVDs) is way behind.

    What we need is to have a reasonably prices read/write medium as large as existing disks, so one can keep a daily backup (5 work days or 7 week days), and an offsite monthly backup.

    So, we need a standard format Rewritable DVD media that is 40 or 80 GB, and the technology to grow quickly to keep up with 120 and 250 GB disks.

    (Before you say USB 2.0 external hard drives, these are good and all, but you need many of those to have a daily backup and some of them offsite too).

    --
    2bits.com, Inc: Drupal, WordPress, and LAMP performance tuning.
  18. Hey Look!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    only $372 for a 30 pack of dvd-r dual layer disks. http://www.meritline.com/dl-dvd-r-dual-double-laye r-verbatim.html what a bargain.

  19. Re:Anyone use this in a G5? by hoytt · · Score: 5, Informative

    Toast 6.07 (a free update from Toast 6) added support for DVD-DL. Too bad I got a LG drive in my G5 and not a Pioneer 108.

  20. Great Product by Arjuna01 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I bought this DVD writer for my Dad for his birthday for $85.00 shipped from Newegg.com. Writes highly reliably at DVD-R 8X (Taiyo Yuden media). I bought mine a week later in a different color also from Newegg.com for $81.00 shipped. Newegg.com has great deals on OEM versions of this drive, and they ship Federal Express Saver which is cheap and fast. I highyl recommend this drive along with Taiyo Yuden media from rima.com. I have not seen 16X DVD-R media yet, nor have I found anyplace that sells dual-layer media for under like $14.00/disc. I'll not be doing dual-layer writes until the price comes to about $1.00/disc. We'll see it probably soon though.

    --
    "Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps." ~ Emo Phillips
  21. ND-2510A by atomic-penguin · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If the ND-3500 is anything like the 2510A, I highly recommend NEC dvd burners. I bought the 2510A about a month ago, and have used it quite a bit to burn Data-CDs and homemade DVD-Video. Haven't tried out the dual-layer capabilities, because I am unable to find dual-layer media off the shelf. It burns fast, reliably, and they are reasonably priced.

    --
    /^([Ss]ame [Bb]at (time, |channel.)){2}$/
  22. Give me cheap media over speed by __aamkky7574 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The problem with dual-layer burners at the moment isn't really the speed but the price of the blank media. I got an NEC 2510a for the ridiculously cheap price of 80, which burns dual-layer at 2.4x - more than acceptable in my book. However, while I can get good-quality single layer blanks for around 60c each, dual-layer blanks are around 6. So I'll be holding off on those for a while, I think....

    P.