Hi everyone at CDR-info.

I'm new to the forums but I have recently been looking and reviewing at the topics of which dvd burner I should buy considering what I will use it for. I bought a new LiteON 812s a few days ago but I only began using it today. I'm in a need for help.

DVD burner: LiteON SOHW-812s
Firmware: USON using omnipatcher (thanks to Codeguys )
Software: Nero 6.3.1.6
Media: SmartBuy 1-4x DVD-R

Problem:
Since I began burning today and not the day I bought it, I updated the firmware before using it with Omnipatcher applying USON firmware (it was stock USOJ). I did a Info check on the dvd-r blanks using NeroInfoTool and it said they were 4x. So I assumed I could burn them at 4x... I was wrong .
I loaded up Nero as usual and started burning. when the burn process began, Nero logs gave me a "Invalid Block Address" but continued to burn at 4x and also the completed percentage bar was stuck at 1% and both buffers appeared to be invalid as well. the media did not burn finish and the dvd-r popped out. I tried a second time with the same product media but this time the "invalid block address" did not appear and the buffers were normal too but the completion bar was still stuck at 1% and the media failed to burn after 6 minutes. I tried another time using the same product media and tried it at 2x and everything was flawless and i assume it will be still flawless using 1x. these were all using smartbuy dvd-rs. and the product spindle package claimed they are certified AAA grade quality DVD-R 1-4x blanks. I have not tried any other media since all the stores are closed.

Any suggestions on how to fix my problem?
Thanks in advance.

Do you have DMA enabled? Also which version of ASPI do you have? Is the Windows IMAPI Burning disabled (WinXP)?

(in reply to doggie)

LiteON drives are known to have problems with DVD-R media, using latest firmware may solve some problems, else i would suggest trying other media...

(in reply to MP3Mogul)

How do I check if DMA and IMAPI Burning are enabled and/or disabled?
Sorry, I'm still kinda new at this stuff.

I have the latest firmware for the drive which is US0N so I guess that's not the problem .
The ASPI version is 4.60 for windows and Nero ASPI version 2.0.1.59.

I hope that helps. The DMA mode for my dvd burner is at UDMA33... which is quite weird.

My setup:
AMD Athlon64 3400+
Shuttle SN85G4V2

(in reply to doggie)

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(in reply to doggie)

The DMA is maxed at UDMA2/33... I guess that sucks. Stupid nVidia.
The Windows IMAPI CD-Burning was on Manual so I changed it to Automatic.
I'm trying to burn another DVD-R with the same media. So far, I'm 3 minutes into the burning and the "Invalid Block Address" has not appeared. BUT the Completion bar in Nero 6.3.1.6 is still at 1% AND the Read Buffer of the LiteON is invalid and shaded out but the Used Read Buffer is at 100%. Just now while I'm typing this at 4 minutes in, I received an error saying that it is an "Illegal Disc" and it failed at 4x burning.

I guess this is only happening to me??
maybe I should exchange it for another one if I can or RMA it.

Any more suggestions?
Thanks for trying to help all.

(in reply to Deleted User)

[Deleted by Admins]

(in reply to doggie)

I disabled the IMAPI but I still get the invalid read buffer on the LiteON drive (using Nero 6.3.1.6) and failed to burn at 4x.

(in reply to Deleted User)

[Deleted by Admins]

(in reply to doggie)

I haven't tried any other brands yet for DVD+/-R blanks.
HP CDR48x media burns normally.

Which brand should I buy for my next batch of DVD-R blanks? Ritek or Princo? I know they are quite cheap, but I have to budget myself.
and.. I also have like... 40+ DVD-R blanks of these SmartBuys...

(in reply to doggie)

NOT Princo. Anything but Princo.

What media code is this SmartBuy media of yours (download KProbe2, pop in a disc, and click on Disc Info)? It may be possible to improve your burn performance by assigning your disc a better write strategy (requires OmniPatcher 1.3.x), like FUJIFILM03, MXL RG02, TYG01, RITEKG06...

(in reply to doggie)

Here are the specs for the SmartBuy discs I bought:

Disc Type: DVD-R
Book Type: DVD-R
Manufacturer: Prodisc Technology Inc.
Media ID: ProdiscS03
Protection System: None
Region: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Capacity: 4.38 GB
Free Size: 4.38 GB
Free Blocks: 2297888
Number of Layers: 1
Linear Density: 0.267 um/bit
Track Density: 0.74 um/track
Maximum Read Speed: 3.2x
Maximum Write Speed: 4.0x
Current Write Speed: 4.0x CLV
Write Speed Performance Descriptor 1: 4.0x CLV
Write Speed Performance Descriptor 2: 2.0x CLV

(in reply to code65536)

Oh.
What is the normal Burst Rate of a LiteON 812?
My LiteON 812 is at 5.58MB/s which looks quite low.

(in reply to doggie)

Hmm. ProdiscS03 *should* burn okay... but before we chase down that path, the proper burst rate should be around 25. Yours is way too low. Check your IDE/DMA/etc.

(in reply to doggie)

Yes something is not ok with your PC

(in reply to code65536)

Hmm... maybe I should just exchange the drive for another.
I think I bent one of the pins at the back port, probably causing this.

My Comp Specs:
AMD Athlon64 3400+
Shuttle SN85G4V2 (nForce3 150)
2x512MB DDR400 Samsung
120GB Seagate 7200.7
LiteON SOHW-812s

The HDD is currently running at ATA100 UDMA5, but the LiteON is running UDMA2 at ATA33 which is really low.
My motherboard drivers are currently up to date... I guess it should be the drive. I'll double check if I can exchange since I only bought this on the 30th of June..

Thanks for everything. I love the support. Keep up the good work. You'll be hearing from me soon.

(in reply to emperor)