How does a old 4x cdr media can be running at 24x

[weaponmaster]

I was testing samsung sw-248f yesterday with old sealed my smart & friendly 4x cdr media. First, the lite-on smart burn told me the disc is made by CMC, then my Nero Express were burning the disc at 24x. How could this happen?

I am sure those cdr media are 4x. I got them when i was in college with my roommate in 1999 and he had a 4x smart & friendly cdr.

[cfitz]

It is simply that the media is high enough quality to support burning at faster speeds. The burner checks the media either directly or through its firmware database to find the maximum speed at which it can be burned, essentially ignoring the rated speed. Sometimes the drive will burn faster than the rated speed, sometimes it will actually burn slower.

The rated speed is a number at which the manufacturer asserts the disc will burn reliably. It isn't a concrete, inviolable limit.

cfitz

[Action Jackson]

I've had some old Maxell [Ritek] 4x media burn 24x no problems.

I also have some HP [TY] 16x media burn at 40x no problems.

Like cfitz said, good media can burn faster. I'm still waiting for CMC to make more of that 52x stuff I got with my LiteON burner.