BenQ DW1650 doesn't read some DVDs

CD, DVD and (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Writers BenQ / Philips Writer
#1

Hi folks
Care to share your comments about this??

For a while, I’ve been burning data on Imation DVD-R units (the burner is a Samsung SH-W162C). Sometimes, the files are big enough that forced me to use UDF filesystem. Problem is, one time, I bought a turret of Imation DVD+R and started using them. My DVD reader (LiteOn 163D) refused to read every single of them. I changed the book type to DVD-ROM in Nero 7, but no luck. Then, I tested the DVDs in another Samsung DVD Writer and recognized them all (the untouched and the book type-altered) perfectly. Finally, I bought a BenQ DW1650, hoping this drive could solve this situation, but it has been able to read only a few.

Any ideas about that? Burnt Samsung DVDs don’t like BenQ drives? Can the BenQ read DVD+R with book type tweaked to DVD-ROM (instead of ‘Automatic’, the default setting in Nero)? Is the BenQ drive a bit sensitive about the media used? The UDF filesystem should not be a problem, right?

Any help would be appreciated.

#2

Both of my BenQ drives - the 1620 and 1640 - failed to read DVD-RW disks produced by my new Panasonic DMR-ES15 Home DVD Recorder. Since the Lite-On in my eMac would read it, I went ahead and bought a Lite-On 165 for $35 and it reads them just fine.

Sadly, I think it may be that since Lite-On purchased the optical drive business of BenQ, firmware updates are drying up and not keeping pace. So, it may be time to move to different brands. :frowning:

#3

Some drive just have problems reading what has been burned with other makes of drives. My BenQ 1655s which is the same as a 1650 other than lightscribe are probably the best readers I have. :confused:

#4

etercap, welcome to cdfreaks! :slight_smile:

On one of the DVD that your 1650 can read, can you please do a Disc Quality scanning and Transfer rate test, and please post them here. Thanks!

Burnt Samsung DVDs don’t like BenQ drives?
Never heard of that, except like others said, it can happen on some drives if you’re trying to read ReWriteables media (CD-RW, DVD±RW).
Can the BenQ read DVD+R with book type tweaked to DVD-ROM (instead of ‘Automatic’, the default setting in Nero)?
Yes it can!
Is the BenQ drive a bit sensitive about the media used?
I don’t think so. The drive supposed to be able to read ALL kind of media as in the specs. Perhaps errors are very high? Or DMA not set properly, as it can affect reading performance. Try to do quality scan as suggested.

Hmm, the last firmwares BCIB/BCIC were released… 45 days ago.

#5

I guess I’m a bit tweaked that my 1620 and 1640 can’t read some of the disks my Lite-On’s can. It’s a bummer. :frowning:

#6

Hi,

Liteon drives are often the last resort if data shall be recovered from bad discs.

Just for comparision: the last firmware MS0P for Liteon SHM-165P6S is 90 days old :wink:

Michael

#7

Some of the disks that my BenQ’s could not read are simply DVD-RW’s (Fuji, TDK and Verbatim among them) that are produced by the Panasonic DMR-ES15 DVD Recorder. These are not some cheap disks produced by some flakey program on an Uber-Hacked PC, after all.

Hey, look - I totally, totally dig my BenQ drives. I have two of them and recommended them to DOZENS of folks I know. The produce great quality burns and have some of the best features around.

But the bottom line is, they are just not as compatible as a reader as they should be, and for whatever reason, the effort that BenQ has put into their firmware is simply not producing the type of increased compatibility with new media and formats that other, newer drives are able to achieve.

As much as I hate to admit it, the drives seem to be falling behind in one of the key areas that I depend on, and I’m forced to face that reality, no matter how big a fanboy of BenQ I have been.

When you say “Lite-On drives ae ofteh the last resort” - how is that a bad thing? They just seem to get the job done in terms of reading compatibility, and to me that seems a very positive thing. You make it sound like somehow they are down-river junk or something? Because they are more capable of reading various media? That’s kind of backwards logic, don’t you think?

Lastly, the key factor in firmware update seems less about the last release and more about the effort that goes into that release. They could put something out every 10 days, but if the content of those updates is essentially useless, what good do they do?

The bottom line is that Lite-On drives seem to able to read disks that the BenQ’s cannot, and in a world where it is essential to be able to reliably read data from a variety of medias that may differ greatly in quality and come in a mess of different formats, I think that is what matters most.

Clients are not going to be happy if you try to tell them that you can’t meet a deadline because your “trusty little BenQ” isn’t able to read the disks they give you that contains their critical data. All they may care about is that the job gets done with a minimum of hassles and no excuses.

Sometimes things just change, and better stuff comes out, and as much of a pain in the tail as it can be, progress can happen and we have to move on.

#8

Hi,

My definition of “bad” disc is quite simple: not readable by my worst reading drive. It does not matter if the manufacturer of the disc is “fakedisc” or “Taiyo Yuden”. It also does not matter if the drive is some no-name “neverheardof” or a Plextor (or any other good manufacturer) or an expensive standalone recorder.

on an Uber-Hacked PC
I must correct you: “[B]Ãœber[/B]” :bigsmile:

When you say “Lite-On drives are often the last resort” - how is that a bad thing?
Sorry for misunderstanding. That should read: If any thing else fails, then try with a Litey.

They just seem to get the job done in terms of reading compatibility, and to me that seems a very positive thing.
:iagree: Agreed. :iagree:

You make it sound like somehow they are down-river junk or something? Because they are more capable of reading various media?
Sorry again. Seems, I have used the wrong words, I am not a native speaker :o

Lastly, the key factor in firmware update seems less about the last release and more about the effort that goes into that release. They could put something out every 10 days, but if the content of those updates is essentially useless, what good do they do?
The difficulty is, that people can judge several ways about the frequency of firmware releases:

  • new firmware every two weeks:
  • product is buggy!
  • good support!
  • no newer firmware since a longer period of time:
  • product is “mature”
  • bad support
  • support stopped as there is a new poduct on the market

The frequency of publishing newer firmware versions is not an indication for product quality. But it might be an indication for the quality of product support.

Michael

#9

Good points. :slight_smile:

The cool part is that we can keep our Benq’s and since drives are so inexpensive compared to the old days, we can just keep adding on new drives that read all our stuff, which means more toys to play with.

It’s a good world, eh?

#10

Hi,

That’s why I bought that Philips recently :slight_smile: My wife starts thinking I am crazy :bigsmile:

and since drives are so inexpensive compared to the old days, we can just keep adding on new drives that read all our stuff, which means more toys to play with.
Yeah! :iagree: But I don’t like the way some manufacturers force people to buy newer drives by just not releasing newer firmwares supporting recent media. I blame LG and Samsung for that. Fortunately, there is Solidburn with my Benq and Philips and a similar feature with my Litey.

It’s a good world, eh?
I am not sure about that. :confused:

Michael

#11

Ok - it’s a BETTER world because Optical Disks are so cheap… :slight_smile:

#12

I have two benQs and I love them both(1640 & 1650). the only problem I have here is, there are certains CD-R s which my drives don’t recognize at all! (treats them as a blank disc). these are sample collections sold by a certain company in my country, I think they are pressed CDs but I’m not sure. every other optical drive can read them but my BenQ can’t even see them. could it be some kind of lock?

#13

Hi,

in order to find out if these discs are pressed or CD-R, put them into a drive (should be a CD or DVD burner) and run Nero CD/DVD Speed. There is a “Disc Info” tab that should provide you with the necessary information.

These discs are either bad so your Benq drives can’t read them, or some piece of software is interfering on the system the Benq is installed, or the discs are copy protected and you are just lucky that your other drives can read them.

Michael

#14

i recently burned some movies onto tdk dvd-rs from my DW benq 1650 using clone dvd, but now the drive isn’t reading them. it gives me a message saying that either the drive is clean or i need to check to see that i have the right firmware. what is the difference between BCDC, BCFC, BCHC, and BCIC firmware; i currently have BCFC and tried to redownload the firmware, but the site said i already had the most current version. i cleaned my drive, but it wasn’t dirty and still doesn’t read. what could be the problem with my drive?

#15

your TDK is the problem not the drive