CAN YOUR IMAC G5 REALLY BURN A DVD AT 4x ???????????

[maya]

I just found a package of TDK CD-Rs that claim to burn at 16x, and they do. They were found under someone's desk around the house...

They do burn at 16x, interestingly enough, in the PowerBook.

It is hit and miss until you find the right media that works in your computer.

I believe we have entered the "Twilight Zone of DVD burning"

 

[rickvanr]

16x DVD+/-R = ~6 minutes
8x DVD+/-R = ~12 minutes
4x DVD+/-R = ~24 minutes
2x DVD +/-R = ~48 minutes
1x DVD +/-R = ~96 minutes

its more like
1x DVD = 60 mins
2x DVD = 30 mins
4x DVD = 15 mins
8x DVD = 7.5 mins

thats my experience with a tibook with superdrive and an external NEC 8x DVD +/- RW DL

 

[caveman_uk]

The Pioneer DVR-107D (with Pioneer's firmware not Apple's) still only burns at 8x with media it recognises. Indeed most of the firmware updates for this drive are to add new media types to enable 8x burning. So this 'feature' is not unique to Apple supplied drives. The main downside is that Apple doesn't upgrade it's drive firmware very often so new types are rarely added.

 

[maxvamp]

Two words

BAD DRIVE

Yes, any 4x drive will have issues with some 4x media and then down-spin to 2x or 1x, but generally, the name brand media like that mentioned is generally a sure bet. This is especially true with the panasonic (Matushita ) DVD burners.

If you cannot get this drive to perform, go back to Apple. You have a bad drive.

Max.

 

[pakmn]

If I am not mistaken the DVD write speed and time goes as such:

All are with a full 4.4 Gigs of data on a DVD 4.7:

16x DVD+/-R = ~6 minutes
8x DVD+/-R = ~12 minutes
4x DVD+/-R = ~24 minutes
2x DVD +/-R = ~48 minutes
1x DVD +/-R = ~96 minutes

If you have less data it is obvious the time to burn will be less.


By the way you do realize that your PMG5 SP has an 8x and the iMac G5 has a 4x right. From what you have stated it seems that your 12 minute burn will coincide with the 8x as you do have and your brothers iMac G5 comes in at double that speed which coincides with the 4x. So there is nothing wrong with the SuperDrive. Could be the media that is multi speed, since some manufactures label the speed of the DVD that will burn at the most accurate speed rate.

I have the old version of the 1.8 SP PMG5 when the G5 was first introduced, it was the mid-line one (100 bucks and a month later i could have gotten the dual 1.8, damn i hate when that happens). Anyways I know I only have a 4x superdrive on my PMG5 SP 1.8 and it takes me ~13 mins with lead in and out to burn a 4.36 GB dvd with toast. And On the iMac G5 toast shows that its burning at only 2X, or 26 mins, with the SAME no-name media. I've heard around on apple's forum site that verbatim, which is what the apple brand is, is the only brand that works at 4X on the iMac G5. I just wanted to know if anyone has had luck with any thing else thats all.

Normally all of this wouldn't be that big of a deal, but we burn a lot of DVDs, hence the cheap no-name brand, and it is just somewhat annoying, thats all.