Finally we got our PX-716A with TLA#202 and firmware 1.02, minos will post shortly some first tests

(in reply to Cal 01)

I only hope Plextor got things RIGHT with this drive!

(in reply to emperor)

Hello All--

Can I use this drive on a P4 1.4 ghz with 128 mb of RAM
ME OS? If not can someone recommend a better alternative. It is for a gift, so I need to be able to buy at a B&M ie BestBuy etc.

Thanks for the help.

(in reply to Cal 02)

quote:

ORIGINAL: emperor

Finally we got our PX-716A with TLA#202 and firmware 1.02, minos will post shortly some first tests

I'm sure that many are waiting anxiously - I sure am!

(I bought the PX-716A at Best Buy today.)
Need to know whether to crack-it-open or wrap it up as a Christmas gift!

(in reply to emperor)

quote:

Can I use this drive on a P4 1.4 ghz with 128 mb of RAM
ME OS?

According to the outside of the PX-716A box,
Minimum system requirements
Pentium 4, 1.4 GHz or equivalent
256 MB RAM
OS: WIndows 98SE/Me/2000/XP

The included Roxio Easy Media Creator 7 will only work with Win 2000/XP.

(in reply to Gov)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gov

Hello All--

Can I use this drive on a P4 1.4 ghz with 128 mb of RAM
ME OS? If not can someone recommend a better alternative. It is for a gift, so I need to be able to buy at a B&M ie BestBuy etc.

Thanks for the help.

The drive will work with ME, but not the software that comes with it. See here: Roxio

(in reply to Gov)

Thanks MC & Cal for the help.

I have found the Pioneer A08XLB on BestBuy.com. Any ideas ont his one--looks like the min sys req's are OK, but I do not know about the included software compatability.

BTW--what do I do if the software is not compatible?? Do the software manufacturers offer downloadable versions with compatability?

Thanks again.

(in reply to Cal 02)

I can't wait to read the review!!!

jwmghf

(in reply to Gov)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gov

Thanks MC & Cal for the help.

I have found the Pioneer A08XLB on BestBuy.com. Any ideas ont his one--looks like the min sys req's are OK, but I do not know about the included software compatability.

BTW--what do I do if the software is not compatible?? Do the software manufacturers offer downloadable versions with compatability?

Thanks again.

It looks like you'll have the same software compatibility problem with this drive as well! See>Pioneer

(in reply to Gov)

Have a look at the burn you CAN get with the PX-716A TLA#0202

- if you use a 8X certified media (MID code "RICOHJPN-R02")
- and burn it a the reasonable speed of 6X ...

The last 3 graphs are taken from
- the new so called "TA test" of Plextools Pro (a unique test that can only be run on the PX-716A, so no endless discussions about the reliability of the so many tests and readers of PI/PIF/PO and so on ...)
- in the TA test there are always 3 graphs related to 3 different parts of the burned DVD called by Plextor respectively:
1- Inner Disk Zone
2- Middle Disk Zone
3- Outer Disk Zone
Each test runs about 10 seconds only ... (compare with a CD Speed disc quality check done at 4X ...)

(in reply to Cal 02)

Here is also ...

1°) a "CD Speed disc quality test" of the same burn as above made on a BenQ 1620 writer used as reader

2°) and a photo of the DVD+R 8X certified media [ID : RICOHJPNR02] that YSS has used to make this beautifull burn at a speed of 6X (his best burn of all ! !)
Notice that this burn was done using the japanese "BUFFALO" version of the PX-716A with TLA#0202

There are plenty more tests (remember: "Buffalo" version of PX-716A) on the samouraï's homepages
- made with a lot of 4X, 8X and even 16X certified medias and at different writen speeds with the same media ...
- and comparisons with "Autostrategy" ON /OFF on the same media

(in reply to franz99)

The burn at 6X looks quite nice, but i don't imagine you would expect this from a 16X burner...

(in reply to franz99)

Shouldn't the Plextor 16x drive be able to burn that disc at 16x?! Or is it the Verbatim media DVD +R 8x that will burn with the Plextor 16x drive at 16x?

(in reply to emperor)

I am very intersted in the new TA (time analyser) test of Plextools which works only with the Plextor PX-716A burner because this TA test gives you in a very short time an indication on how close a burned DVD is to the specifications to the DVD book type (especially the jitter)

I am not at all interested for the moment in writing DVD at high speed and but it try to find out if the new 16X certified dyes in conjunction with the new drives are still making a good burn at -let's say- a 4X writing speed or if the pits in the dye get "overburned" in size and depth at the same time. A drive reading a DVD is able to correct a certain amount of PI errors and a PIF error in a video only shows a few wrong pixels on the screen, but if the beta rate is not in conformity with the specifications of the DVD book and gets worse while the burned DVD is aging, what happens at the end ? I realize that such a question is not very interesting for marketing because we will have the real answer maybe only several years after they cashed our money ...

When new firmwares are released every body talks about "write strategies" that allow faster burning. I try to find out if these new firmwares still keep the capability of burning the 4X certified dyes as well as before ... and does not burn oversized pits.
Recently the marketing manager of TDK said that it took 2 years of work for their scientits to produced a new "unique cyanine dye" that can be burned with reliability at both low and high speed.
If you have some "true" information on compared ageing of low and fast certified dyes I am very, very interested ...

Anyway keep on doing your great job here at the CDRinfo's forums while I keep running after the best "jitter" and "beta rate" possible at the lowest speed possible !

(in reply to emperor)

we will try from our side to investigate the new tests and see if are useful or not...

(in reply to franz99)

How are the PX-716A tests going?

Any idea yet when the review will be posted?

(in reply to emperor)