Posted by Bob on 11/29/05 13:35

On Tue, 29 Nov 2005 01:59:40 GMT, Phil Wheeler <w6tuh-ng7@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>> The advantage to the NEC is that it has the largest user base.

>Is this the "misery loves company" selection approach? :)

No, it's the "20,000 CDFreaks can't be wrong" approach. :-)

NEC has a new burner on the market for about the same retail price of
$40 - the 3550. I have it on good authority that Riplock is not
implemented in that new unit so you won't need hack F/W if all want to
do is defeat Riplock.

With Riplock gone the process of importing from DVD discs is
measurably faster - from 15 minutes at 4x (Riplock MAX) to 5 minutes
16x (F/W 1.W5) MAX.

Just be sure to use only Taiyo Yuden (TY) DVD +R discs in the NEC
3540/3550 burners. There is no longer any excuse for not using the
best discs since the price wars have begun at selected vendors,
rima.com, supermediastore.com and even Best Buy with FujiFilm rebrands
- MIJ (Made in Japan) *only*. Burn 8x at 8x. TY doesn't offer a 16x +R
but if they did burn it at 12x. For DVD +RW use Verbatim 4x from Sam's
Club, 30 for $30.42. Burn at 4x.

All the other manufacturers of DVD discs have succumbed to market
pressures and are offering either outright crap or exhibit variable
results. For the longest while, CDFreaks endorsed Verbatim Mitsubishi
(MCC) discs as a second to TY discs. But lately people, including
myself, are reporting bad results - nasty looking dye splotches show
up on some of the discs after being burned. Out of 70 burns I have has
about 10 coasters which is unacceptable when I have had 0 coasters out
of 100 TY discs.

According to CDFreaks all the other MIDs (Manufacturer's ID) are crap
to one extent or the other. Some report success with selected burners
and others report failure with their burner. We ended up with 100
coasters using a Sony/LiteOn burner and MemorWrecks discs which I am
now in the process of replacing. Never again - Once bitten, twice shy.

If you like to waste your time hunting for the magic combination of
burner and disc, go ahead. For me it's the NEC 3540 with TY DVD +R
discs - or I won't burn DVDs.








--

"One must realize that the world is a network of real and virtual
combat zones where the stakes are high, struggle is the primary
mode of being and only total victory is acceptable.
-- Sun Tzu, "The Art Of War"

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