Posted by Colin Wilson on 10/23/06 00:47

> One thing I am not sure of is how do I go about finding out what write speed
> my dvd player has ?

If you use Nero, it has a "Nero info tool" that can give you some info -
alternatively, if you right click on "My Computer" and go to
"properties" you will get a window with lots of tabs - click on the
"hardware" tab, then the "device manager" button.

Click the "+" sign next to the CD/DVD drive and see if it gives you a
manufacturer name / model number.

> when you look at buying a dvd-rw disc I get a little confused when it either
> says max write speed X2 or X4 what does this mean ?

Buy from somewhere like http://www.svp.co.uk - you'll probably have
difficulty finding anything less than 8x speed these days.

The speed rating refers to how quickly the drive can "burn" data to the
disc - the laser in the CD/DVD drive is used to create "pits" in a dye
layer, which can be read at a later date. The types of dye used have
evolved over the last few years, and most are very reliable now.

If you're still looking at 2x discs, i'd be a little concerned over the
longevity of the discs, as the dye can deteriorate over time.

Just because a disc may be rated at 8x it doesn't mean your drive will
necessarily write to it at that speed even if its capable of doing so.
The firmware (like the BIOS in your PC) will typically have a catalogue
of known dye types, and will vary its writing strategy to suit the type
of media you put in - updating your firmware** may enable it to write
faster (or in some cases slower*) depending on tests carried out by the
manufacturer.

The stated speeds are a bit of a misnomer anyway, as the "relative"
speed usually varies with the distance from the centre of the disc - the
outer parts of a disc are travelling faster than the bit nearer the
centre, so data can be written to the outer part more quickly.

I can't remember what the transfer rate is for a 1x DVD, but I think it
was equivalent to an 8x CD drive - which was about 120k/sec for a 1x or
960k/sec for 8x - so a 4x DVD will write at around 3840k/sec

* I have a Dell machine, and reflashed the firmware to a model that gets
updates released more regularly - it used to burn one type of media I
had at 8x but dropped it to 4x following a firmware update, but it does
seem to speed up while burning - some drives can monitor the data as its
being written to ensure its not making a duff disc, and will vary their
"strategy" according to the type of media

** putting the wrong firmware onto your drive will DESTROY IT - be very,
VERY sure you have the right files for your drive if you plan on
updating it.

[Back to original message]