I have a LiteOn HD-A760GX DVR with Hard Disk and DVD burner.


The DVD burner will only burn DVD-R and DVD+R at 4X speed even when using 16X discs.


I've tried several different brands of discs, all max out at 4X speed in this unit even though the discs are marked 16X.


This means if I want to save a 2hr. program from Hard Disk to DVD it takes 30 minutes to burn the DVD.


Are all of the Hard Disk + DVD burners out there only as fast as 4X speed?


Why are they using such slow drives when PC DVD burners are running at 16X and 18X for DVD-R and DVD+R?


Thanks for your input.

I don't own one, but just because the media is rated at a higher speed does not mean the drive can go that fast.  What does it say in the manual?  I suspect 4x may be the max for single layer media

You may want to firmware update the device.  Here is a link to the LITE-ON site for the latest.  It might improve the product overall.

(in reply to new_to_dvd)

I did the update of the firmware. The response of the unit to remote commands is faster,
but copying to and from dvd-r or dvd+r remains at 4X speed.
 
There is no value given in the manual or literature for dubbing/reading speed.  Only a list of approved dvd-r and dvd+r for 8X and 16X.

Very recently PC World added dubbing speed values to it's review of the HD-A760GX and 4 other Hard Disk Drive DVD Burner Set Top units. The LiteON was listed as 4X, the Panasonic was 8X and the Pioneer, Philips, and Toshiba were all 16X. They did not review the Sony nor the JVC, probably because of their high prices.

I contacted LiteOn. They tell me that the drive is a 16X, but does not really work at 16X. They claim it will work at 8X if I use 8X dvd-r or dvd+r. But they say that if I use 16X discs it will default to 4X. I can not even find 8X dvd-r or dvd+r anymore. My store shelves only have the 16X discs. Also it only reads my discs at 4X when copying from dvd-r or dvd+r back to the Hard Disk Drive.

Has anyone ever heard of a drive rejecting a disc certified for a faster speed and defaulting to a minimal value for both read and write?

(in reply to SithTracy)

quote:

Has anyone ever heard of a drive rejecting a disc certified for a faster speed and defaulting to a minimal value for both read and write?

Yes, and it is usually addressed by new firmwares.  As an FYI, I was at my local Sam's Club and they still had some 100 pack spindles of Verbatim DVD+R's rated at 8x.  You can also check this on-line shop:  Rima.com...

Don't spend too much though, you may quickly discover that LITE-ON support is full of s...omething.

(in reply to new_to_dvd)

Thank you for the info.

I guess I'll try some 8X discs, just to be thorough, but I'll be amazed if that's it, because I haven't found anyone so far that can actually get any burn or read faster than 4X.

(in reply to SithTracy)

Okay, I bought 8X dvd+r's and gave them a try.

They still burn and read at 4X speed.

I am convinced that the firmware is telling this drive to run no faster than 4X speed.

(in reply to new_to_dvd)

What brand DVD+R's?  ... But I am with you... LITE-ON is full of **it.

(in reply to new_to_dvd)

I have enough now to open my own retail store. :-)

I have Fuji, Maxell, Memorex, Verbatim, Sony, Staples generic, and TDK.

Now the hard part will be finding television shows worth spending the time at 4X speed to dub them to dvd-r, dvd+r, dvd+r/dl, dvd-r/dl, dvd+rw, and dvd-rw. :-)

If I had my way, all blank disc manufacturers would have to display the ATIP for the blanks on the package label so that we could actually know what we're buying. :-(

My 8X are the Sony's.  I cannot give you the ATIP yet because I have no dvd burner in this machine. :-(

Overall I like the 760GX.  I am just frustrated with the slow burns.  I hope they'll update the firmware soon to fix that.

(in reply to SithTracy)

I think I read somewhere the LITE-ON was getting out of the consumer home/set-top media business... Might want to google that little piece of info.  Don't want you to wait too long if you know what I mean.

(in reply to new_to_dvd)

Yes, thanks, I know exactly what you mean. :-)

What I read was they were no longer going to produce the set top dvr's for their own label, instead they were going to just oem the units for rebranding by other manufacturers.

I was told by someone reliable that the guts of Sony PC DVD burners is LiteOn, so this would not be a new business model for them.  It is just that with the PC type units they still sell under their own label.

They mishandled the set top recorders.  The average consumer is not as tech savvy or as patient of bugs as someone who builds or modifies their own pc.  After their bumpy road start with the set top units, a lot of people probably got burned and scared off future purchases.

None of these companies seem to learn from watching competitors sink themselves.  Remember SyQuest?  They all seem to think that if they rush something to market, without making it reliable, people will just buy it anyway and not complain when it does not work.  They think everyone is a zombie marching right into the store with their wallets open. :-)

Everyone should call, write, email, or fax these companies a one sentence message...
I AM NOT A ZOMBIE !!!

Of course if the customer support managers are Zombies, this will not work. :-)

(in reply to SithTracy)