8x lowest speed on Samsung SH-S182D?

Computer Hardware
#1

Guys,

I have two computers. One has a Pioneer DVR-109 and I’ve been able to burn DVDs and CDs both at 4x speeds. I prefer to burn at slower rates to assure less burn errors and compatibility with more CD players (especially older ones).

My Pioneer allows me to burn at 4x, but my new computer came with a Samsug SH-182D drive (recognized as TSSt Corp within Windows XP). That one, coupled with Nero, allows only 8x as the lowest speed.

When there is no CD media installed, it allows for 4x. The moment I put in a blank CD-R, it limits burning speed to 8x.

What can be solutions to this? By the way, I’ve already upgraded the Samsung’s firmware from SB-5 to SB-6 (the latest).

Is it a driver issue (the stock windows xp one does not work well), or something else?

#2

There is no solution to this as that is the slowest speed the firmware knows how to burn onto that disc.

Also, burning as slow as possible for less errors is 90% false. All disc and drive mixtures have a sweet spot that takes time to find (and different batches of the same drive version have different sweet spots as do different firmwares), when you find this sweet spot you get great burns at resonable speeds, e.g. my BenQ DW1655 with MCC004 16x discs burns the best at 12x even though I can choose 16, 12 and 8x writing. In your case it might well be that the slowest speed is the sweet spot but sometimes burning to slowly can over expose the disc to the laser and cause worse burns.

#3

Hi,

lowest CD writing speed for Samsung SH-S18x series is indeed 8x. There is nothing wrong at all with your setup.
Some drives are even faster there: Benq DW-165x and its clones allow not less than 12x, also does the Liteon SOHR-5239V CD writer.

Michael

#4

The info is useless when no media is inserted. :slight_smile:

#5

thanks for the info guys. I’ll have to make do with that drive, then. Here’s to hoping that my 8x-burned DVD backups play well on my DVD players :wink:

#6

It’ll go as slow as it needs to. I have some 4X Ritek -RW that do indeed burn at 4X.

#7

8X & 12X are the more reliable speed to burn with as far as my experience shows.