LET THIS POST DIE; SEE NEW, UPDATED POST NOV 9

[VEFF]

I thought this might help current or future owners of the DRU-500A, which
apparently (as well as the NEC ND-1100) uses a different burning technology in order the support dual (DVD- and DVD+) burning.

With my DRU-500A (firmware 1.0 C; only one available as of this post)
I have successfully used :

MEDIA(rated speed) ACTUAL SPEED RESULT
==== ========== =====
TDK DVD-R (2X?)
2X
Success

DVDPro DVD-R (1X)
1X
Success

Prodisc DVD-R (2X)
2X
Mixed results (one batch all fine; another batch all coasters)

Sony DVD+RW (2.4X)
2.4X or 2.5X?
Success

Princo DVD-R (2X)
2X
Success


So 4 for 5 (or 5 for 6) isn't too bad


Please note:
- TDK, Princo and Sony are based on ONLY 1 burn each

- Veritas RecordNow 4.5 used for testing

DISCLAIMER:
YOUR RESULTS MAY VARY; THESE RESULTS ARE FOR REFERENCE PRUPOSES ONLY.
If you check other forums, you will see that some had success with media XYZ, whereas others had problems with media XYZ.

This can be due to burning software, PC hardware and software environment, burn settings etc. etc. etc.

[dodecahedron]

maybe theWizard will be so kind as to take on the task of compiling a media compatibility list, similar to the CD media compatiblity list he's created...
seems, however, at least now with the "labor pains" of DVD burning, this will be more complicated, due to another factor influencing the results significantly - burning software.

[TheWizard]

I'd be happy to undertake such a task, although the results for DVD writers aren't exactly pouring in yet. Give it a little more time for more people to start buying DVD writers, then when a decent base of results is ready, I'll compile a list. The best time to start posting results would be now!

I wonder how many people will respond to this message with the desire to post such results...hmm...*strokes his goatee*

[cfitz]

I wonder how many people will respond to this message with the desire to post such results...hmm...*strokes his goatee*

I'd be happy to provide results if you provide the drive and media!

cfitz

[dodecahedron]

yeah yeah yeah. me too.
gimme a drive!

[dmbfan36_23]

are we just looking for DVD media here? or CD media in the same drives as well? I got my drive this weekend... tried burning some CDs with mixed results... I'm gonna try some DVDs tonight... For blank media I've got:

3 Fuji DVD+R
3 Verbatim DVD+R
1 Sony DVD+RW
1 Fuji DVD+RW

================
My CD-R results so far...

32x Imation - 2 Failed burns @ 24x; 1 Failed @ 20x
40x Philips - 1 Failed burn @ 24x; 1 Successful @ 20x

All failures happened during the lead-in... got a "Power Calibration Error" in Nero (5.5.9.17)... nothing had actually been burned to the disc yet... Burn simulations went off without a hitch... I've got some Sony 32x CD-R media I'm gonna try out tonight as well....

[VEFF]

are we just looking for DVD media here? or CD media in the same drives as well? I got my drive this weekend... tried burning some CDs with mixed results... I'm gonna try some DVDs tonight... For blank media I've got:

3 Fuji DVD+R
3 Verbatim DVD+R
1 Sony DVD+RW
1 Fuji DVD+RW

================
My CD-R results so far...

32x Imation - 2 Failed burns @ 24x; 1 Failed @ 20x
40x Philips - 1 Failed burn @ 24x; 1 Successful @ 20x

All failures happened during the lead-in... got a "Power Calibration Error" in Nero (5.5.9.17)... nothing had actually been burned to the disc yet... Burn simulations went off without a hitch... I've got some Sony 32x CD-R media I'm gonna try out tonight as well....

I was thinking of DVD-R, since I didn't think it would have trouble with
CD-Rs.
In addition, I personally am not going to use the drive on CD-Rs, since
it will increase the risk of failure/reduce the life of the drive in the long run.
Plus I have three faster CD-RW drives.

Anyway, I am curious how you make out; let us know.

Thanks!

[mike_s104]

Using my Sony DRU-500A, I have only used three types of media...all have worked very well

Maxell DVD-RW version 1.1, 1X

Sony DVD+RW bundled media, 2X

"High Quality" DVD-R, 2X from www.cdrdvdrmedia.com
these are no-name bulk DVD-Rs. I have burnt 6 of them tonight with no coasters and they are readable in my Lite-On DVD and on my Dell Inspiron 8100 laptop. So far I have only burnt data DVDs using Nero 5.5.9.17. I bought these knowing that they may not work but I am glad they do. I payed $41 for a 25 pack.

Is there a app out there to show who makes the DVD±R/W media like there is for CDRs?

Mike

[TheWizard]

I'd be happy to provide results if you provide the drive and media!

cfitz

That's not how it works, I'm afraid.

That is why I said wait a bit until more people have DVD writers, then the results will be a lot more commonplace as they are now with CD writers.

[gianniz]

maxmax 1x dvd-r doesnt work.. it stuffs up around 70-80%..

polaroid 1x dvd-r works 100%
traxdata 1x dvd-r works 100% (best so far)
verbatim dvd+rw 2.4x works fine.

[cfitz]

I'd be happy to provide results if you provide the drive and media!

cfitz

That's not how it works, I'm afraid.

Spoil sport!

That is why I said wait a bit until more people have DVD writers, then the results will be a lot more commonplace as they are now with CD writers.

Yes, the audience is still much smaller and things are changing very quickly in the DVD writing world now, so maintaining a formal list may not be practical.

cfitz

[VEFF]

Using my Sony DRU-500A, I have only used three types of media...all have worked very well

Maxell DVD-RW version 1.1, 1X

Sony DVD+RW bundled media, 2X

"High Quality" DVD-R, 2X from www.cdrdvdrmedia.com
these are no-name bulk DVD-Rs. I have burnt 6 of them tonight with no coasters and they are readable in my Lite-On DVD and on my Dell Inspiron 8100 laptop. So far I have only burnt data DVDs using Nero 5.5.9.17. I bought these knowing that they may not work but I am glad they do. I payed $41 for a 25 pack.

Is there a app out there to show who makes the DVD±R/W media like there is for CDRs?

Mike

Thanks Mike!
Did you burn the 2X no-name DVD-Rs at 2X or 1X?

[VEFF]

Thanks for the replies so far.
Keep 'em coming.
Please specify the actual burn speed if you know it.

Once we have enough results; either TheWizard or I (if he
isn't available) will compile a nice list and create a clean, single post;
that we can edit from time to time as more results come in.

[VEFF]

maxmax 1x dvd-r doesnt work.. it stuffs up around 70-80%..

polaroid 1x dvd-r works 100%
traxdata 1x dvd-r works 100% (best so far)
verbatim dvd+rw 2.4x works fine.

I think the drive may have trouble finalizing certain media,
since even though it says 80% (e.g.) Veritas is actually almost 100% done with the burn at that time I believe.
I sasy this because I have had burns with Veritas/Stomp
that say 85 % then all of a sudden I get "burn completed successfully" a few seconds later.

I had the same problem with the second batch of Prodiscs that failed.
They seemed to burn fine till about 85 - 90 % (if I remember the %age
number correctly).

[dmbfan36_23]

Sony 32x CD-R media.... @ 24x -- Power Calibration Error... again 2 attempts, 2 failures.... WTF is the deal?? Has anyone been able to burn a CD-R @ 24x yet?!

--on a brighter note!--

Verbatim 2.4x DVD+R -- 1 attempt, 1 success!! Used Nero 5.5.9.17... it claims to have burned it at 2.5x... I have 2 more blanks I'll try them tonight.... just burned SHN files off my HD, haven't tried video yet...

[mike_s104]

to VEFF:

I wrote the 2X no-name media at 2X on all of them.

[shah]

With Nero *.17

Bundled Sony DVD+RW
- successful at 2.5x

Imation DVD+R
- successful at 2.5x


I also have Imation DVD+RW that I haven't tested yet. Should work fine.
Tomorrow I hope my meritline dvd-rs will arrive so I can test those too.

Btw I burnt dvd movies on the discs above and worked fine with my RCA5240P player.

So far I'm very happy with my new toy

Shah.

[VEFF]

to VEFF:

I wrote the 2X no-name media at 2X on all of them.

Thanks Mike!

[gianniz]

nah its not if you look underneath the dvd-r it not even half done!!! some about 3/4 but i do know what you mean.. recordnow isn't accurate in telling burn time! but nope maxmax does not work.. wasted 5dvd!

[IndieSnob]

Well, after a long wait, my drive came in today

So far I have only done two burns and these are my results:

Sony DVD+RW Bundled Disc =

Backed up two movies and did a data backup. All 3 times was succesfull in writing and re-writing the disc. The movie worked in all of the following dvd drives also:

Apex AD-1200
Playstation 2
Matshita DVD/CDRW Combo In Toshiba Satelite Laptop
5x Sony DVD-Rom Drive
16x Lite-On DVD-Rom Drive
Panasonic DVD Settop (not sure of model number)

Also bought one Imation DVD-R at CompUSA just to give it a go. Burned a movie succesfully with it and it played in all said dvd players also.

I used the newest version of Nero for all my burning.

[MonteLDS]

Okay on my:

P-IV 1.7ghz, 80 gig Maxtor 5400, 120 gig Western Digital 7200, Sony DRU-500A, 1024 (1 gig) RDRAM 800MHZ. Asus P4T-E, Onboard sound, Altec 10" Speakres, USB Smart Media reader, 2 Firewire Cards, 2 USB cards, Wireless Linksys Card, Sony Clie PEG-T615C, JVC mini DV GR-DVL805U, Olympus C-960 ZOOM 1.3 Megapixel(64MB stick), Sony MZ-N505, Sony Triniton 19", Sony IntelliMouse optical, stander keyboard, Floppy Drive, 64MB GeForce2, Cannon BJC-2100 printer.

I was able to burn Great Quailty no problem
1x

[VEFF]

Okay on my:

P-IV 1.7ghz, 80 gig Maxtor 5400, 120 gig Western Digital 7200, Sony DRU-500A, 1024 (1 gig) RDRAM 800MHZ. Asus P4T-E, Onboard sound, Altec 10" Speakres, USB Smart Media reader, 2 Firewire Cards, 2 USB cards, Wireless Linksys Card, Sony Clie PEG-T615C, JVC mini DV GR-DVL805U, Olympus C-960 ZOOM 1.3 Megapixel(64MB stick), Sony MZ-N505, Sony Triniton 19", Sony IntelliMouse optical, stander keyboard, Floppy Drive, 64MB GeForce2, Cannon BJC-2100 printer.

I was able to burn Great Quailty no problem
1x

Funny signature

Thanks for the info about GQ media.

[shah]

My media update if you guys wanna know:

Meritline DVD+R
- Successful at 2.5x

Meritline DVD-R 2x
- Successful at 2x

Burnt dvd movies using Nero .17, played fine on my RCA5240P.

Shah.

P.S - Just ordered more Meritline DVD-Rs. Even though I'm an Imation's fan but there is no point buying their discs when Meritline's works and cheaper too!

[jman037]

My system :
Pentium 3 1Ghz, 512MB Pc133 sdram
ASUS CUSLC-2 motherboard
Windows XP Professional
Burning app - Nero 5.9.9.1.4

Primary IDE - 80GB Maxtor, 7200rpm - 80GB Maxtor, 5400rpm
Secondary IDE - DRU500A - TDK Velociwriter 24x

Results :

Sony DVD+RW = 6 burns, 100% successful
Memorex DVD-RW = 1 burn, 100% successful
Memorex DVD-R = 7 burns, 0% successful
Memorex DVD+R = 3 burns, 0% successful
TDK DVD+R = 1 burn, 0% successful
Fujitsu CDR = 20 burns, 100% successful

Tomorrow I plan to get some other brands to try. But so far, the drive will ONLY burn CDRs and DVD+RW/-RW.

[VEFF]

My system :
Pentium 3 1Ghz, 512MB Pc133 sdram
ASUS CUSLC-2 motherboard
Windows XP Professional
Burning app - Nero 5.9.9.1.4

Primary IDE - 80GB Maxtor, 7200rpm - 80GB Maxtor, 5400rpm
Secondary IDE - DRU500A - TDK Velociwriter 24x

Results :

Sony DVD+RW = 6 burns, 100% successful
Memorex DVD-RW = 1 burn, 100% successful
Memorex DVD-R = 7 burns, 0% successful
Memorex DVD+R = 3 burns, 0% successful
TDK DVD+R = 1 burn, 0% successful
Fujitsu CDR = 20 burns, 100% successful

Tomorrow I plan to get some other brands to try. But so far, the drive will ONLY burn CDRs and DVD+RW/-RW.

Unfortunately you happened to pick some of the brand/type combinations that do not work.
TDK DVD-R, for example works fine.

The following have been reported to work with the DRU-500A
WARNING: your experience may vary by batch and vendor.Media design/quality can vary by batch, especially if comparing batches manufactured several months apart.
WARNING 2 : These are all based on individual user reports, so be careful!!!!

WORKING:Sony DVD+RW (included with drive)
Sony DVD-RW
Sony DVD-R
Memorex DVD+RW
Accu DVD-R
BEALL DVD-R
Princo DVD-R
Verbatim DVD-R
TDK DVD-R
TDK DVD+RW
TDK DVD-RW
Fuji DVD+RW
Verbatim DVD+R
CompUSA DVD-R
Imation DVD-R
GQ DVD-R
LAC DVD-R
Meritline DVD+RW
Ritek DVD-R
Princo 2X DVD-R
Generic 2X DVD-R (allmediaoutlet)
Meritline 2X DVD-R
High Quality 2X DVD-R (cdrdvdrmedia)
Polaroid 1X DVD-R
Traxdata 1X DVD-R
Verbatim 2.4X DVD+RW
Maxell DVD-RW version 1.1, 1X
Imation DVD+R

MIXED RESULTS:
Prodisc 2X DVD-R - newer batch did NOT work, olrder one did. Be careful!
DVDPro 1X DVD-R - work for some [could depend on batch once again]; others reported problems, although it could be software since the drive is new, and the new Nero and Stomp weren't out at the time.
Optodisc DVD-R - (very) mixed results



Note that the only Memorex type you did not try (DVD+RW) (unfortunately) is on the list above, as working!
Just bad luck...