4163B,A105,A104,A103 + Memorex,DVD-R,16x= only 4X! WHY?

CD, DVD and (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Writers LG burner
#1

Hello i have several computers in my lab at work , all of them have the LG 4163b DVD+/-RW drive in them.

Some machines have the A103 firmware others A104, and some A105.

I Also just bought alot of Memorex Brand 16X DVD-R media, and none of the above machines can burn at any other speed then 4X on this media!!!

I Use Nero ( latest Version 6 ) and it just wont let me burn at anything but 4x on this media.

My old no name brand “Hyundai” media would burn fine at 12x on these drives using same version of nero.

Any ideas how to fix this? ( dont post saying get a new drive, media, nero7 etc… because thats not possible)

Thanks for any usefull help.

#2

Some machines have the A103 firmware others A104, and some A105.

Upgrade all drives to A105.

I Also just bought alot of Memorex Brand 16X DVD-R media, and none of the above machines can burn at any other speed then 4X on this media!!!

Please post the full media code of these discs.

I Use Nero ( latest Version 6 ) and it just wont let me burn at anything but 4x on this media.

Not Nero’s fault. It would be the fault of your drive (most probably correctable by firmware updates).

My old no name brand “Hyundai” media would burn fine at 12x on these drives using same version of nero.

Crap media with fake TY media codes made by InfoSmart in Hong Kong. You’ll be lucky to be able to read the recorded data off these discs, especially if you wrote them at 12x.

Regards,
TerminalVeloCD

#3

I should mention that i tried these when i got home on my LiteOn SOHW-1673S and they read them as 16X disks and burned them fine at 16x.

I also have a LG 4163b at home as well and it only sees these disks as 4x
as i have already mentioned I have tried this on the many A105 drives at work and it only burns at 4x wont let me even select anything else.

As far as i know A105 is the latest firmware? If not please someone point me to the newest official firmware.

Here is the media code of the Memorex 16x Disks
CMC MAG.AM3

Here is a website to the disks ( i suggest people avoid them if they only have one of these drives)
http://www.memorex.com/html/products_detail.php?section=1&SID=6&PID=906&FID=130&opento=100005

My Hyundai ( which i only have a few left ) have the following media code
YUDEN000-T02-00 for the +R’s
I can burn them sucessfully at 12x , and all surface scans come back as 100% and they view fine in 4 different home DVD players and several computer dvd burners/readers/combo drives.

The Hyundai -R’s have a media code of TYG02 and they burn fine at 8x and again like the + all is good with this media.

Now on to the topic at hand, how do i get these Memorex’s to burn at their 16X speed on these LG 4163b drives? because thats all i have at work, and I cant wait for them to burn at slow 4x speeds, that is just crazy rediculous!

#4

The firmware for the LG does not currently include the media code of the Memorex 16x -R discs which is likely CMC MAG. AM3 - so it defaults to AF1 which is the closest match which is only 2x and 4x.

You can use Media Code Speed Edit, which can get here at CDFreaks, to create a faster strategy to burn these discs at 8x, 12x, and 16x.

#5

The drive would use what’s known as a generic write strategy to write discs where the MID not supported by the firmware.

Regards,
TerminalVeloCD

#6

ok so basically im screwed until LG gets off their ass and makes a new firmware?

Will they ever will make another for this drive given its no longer their top of the line model?

Its not like these are very new disks, they have been sold at our suppliers for months now, maybe even half a year or more.

I plan on calling LG on the phone on monday. I doubt though that i will even get to speak to meone who knows anything there.

The people here in this forum tend to be much better informed then they probably are.

Thats why i come here

Appreciate all the help you guys can give.

#7

I noticed Dalen Quaice mentioned the media code speed edit app…

I will wait till my phone conversation with LG on monday untill i decide trying that app on one of the Lab computers at work.

It may at the moment help however im a little worried about damaging the drive using that app.

Dosent that app mess with the drives firmware?

In the rare chance that LG were to release a new firmware, would having changed my firmware with that app, destroy my capability to upgrade to the newer LG firmware?

thanks for the suggestions.

#8

Media Code Speed Edit does mess with firmware but in a rather harmless way. All it does is swop write strategies for one type of disc for use on another. In your case, you want to burn CMC MAG AM3 at 16x but find there is no support for it at 16x. What you can do is to borrow the write strategy for another 16x DVD-R disc and swop that with CMC MAG AM3. Maybe the write strategy for TDK 16 DVD-R for example, TTH02. So all MCSE does in that case is to use the routines it has for other 16x DVD-R discs to burn CMC MAG AM3.

It does not affect your ability to upgrade to the next version of firmware. You can go back and forth with various firmware versions on the 4163B if you like (I have done it), whether modified by MCSE or not.

I do not understand why LG’s 4163B firmware does not include support for CMC MAG AM3 seeing as the latest firmware for the 4165B and 4167B have support for it. This media code is also becoming fairly commonplace right now. On the other hand, this is why I do not buy brands like Memorex which have random media ID codes. I want to know exactly what I am getting and I want to know that I get the same thing each time I buy it, not play a lottery each time I pick up a pack of discs.

#9

Well i could not wait untill monday to phone LG, so i went ahead and tried that app on one of the lab computers at work.

unfortunately borrowing one of the other write stratagies did not work. The disk did end up burning at 16x however upon doing a surface scan, there was a large section in the middle of the disk that was unreadable. Also having brought that same disk home and scanning it on my LiteON dive , the quality scan showed lots of errors.

As you mentioned the firmware for the 4165b and 4167b do have CMC MAG AM3 listed, so is there any way to use that app, to export the CMC MAG AM3 from one of those firmwares, and import it into the 4163b A105 firmware?

Or does that app only alow swapping stratagies which already exist in the firmware being modified?

Thanks for your help.

I still plan on calling LG tomorow to see why it is that they only added that media to the newer drives and not the 4163b drives.

#10

You can only use already available strategies with MCSE.

#11

Thanks for the response.

SO just so i get this straight,

I canNOT, take an already available strategie from one firmware, export it, and then import it into another firmware?

For example Take the CMC MAG.AM3 from the 4167B, and export it or copy it,

and then Paste it, or Import it, into the 4136B A105 firmware.

Thats what i thought, as I wasent able to find a way to do so.

Would be nice if it was possible.

#12

For strat-swaps, you will need to experiment with a few strategies until you get one that works best for you. I recommend starting off with TYG03, MCC 004, and RICOHJPNR03.

Regards,
TerminalVeloCD

#13

No strategy import, export, not from a firmware for the same drive model, also not from a firmware for a different drive model.

#14

Well i phoned LG today and spoke with one of their tech support guys, who emailed me a modified A105 that they have made expecially for Memorex media.

Nice of them to actually send me the modified firmware.

I went ahead and created a Nero Test Disk @ 16X using the nero CD/DVD speed 4.10, and then scanned it once it was done.

The surface scan came back 100%.
So far all looks good.

Now when i get home today i will try this disk using the quality scans with my liteon burner.

Are there any other tests you guys would recommend i perform to verify that these disks are burning correctly?

Comments appreciated.

#15

What they sent you is a firmware modified with MCSE, using CMC MAG.AM3@SONY16D1 :).

#16

LOL!!

SO i guess they like your software enough to use it themselves. :clap:

Congratulations!

Now do you have a EULA specifying that they can or cannot use your software for business purposes… because if you do, and they used it without your consent, then you can sue them, and make some money.( make sure to give me a cut :smiley: )

Also in case you dont trust me, you can do just like i did and phone them, and tell them you have some memorex 16x disks and a LG 4163b drive with A105 firmware, and that they only burn at 4x. And ask if they can send you a new firmware that works. Then they will email you the same one that i sent you.

1-888-542-2623 This is LG Canada, and its toll free, dont know if it will work where you are, Here is the local number 905 568-6800, i dont know if local and toll free numbers link to same place. i phoned the toll free number.

Also i should mention that i asked them if they ever visit cdfreaks forums and they said “no never heard of it”.

#17

Do the firmwares in the 4165 and 67 support -dash media burning at 12x. The LG 4163 does not.

#18

The 4167 neither.

#19

did U solved your problem with the 16x Memorex?
Because I have the same LG 4163B and I upgraded the firmware to A106
but it burns the Memorex DVD-R still at 4x!

what can I DO now? please tell me that I do not have to call LG Canada! :wink: thanks

#20

use dvd identifier and you’ll see the mediacode and manufacturer.
then do not buy that media again!

edit: ala42 is the faster one!
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=174764