Plextor 4x DVD+RW drive

[The Edge]

Plextor 4x DVD+RW drive

"While many companies are currently planning to release dual format drives, Plextor has choosen to go with the DVD+ format. Their first drive is writing DVD+R discs at 4x.

The IDE drive will write DVD at 4x, CD-R at 16x, rewrite DVD at 2.4x , CD-RW at 10x and read DVDs at 12x and CDs at 40x. The drive comes with a buffer underrun protection and has a access time of < 120ms for CDs and < 140ms for DVDs. The European package also includes the popular software package Plextools.

Specs :

Writing DVD: 4x, CD: 16x
Rewriting DVD: 2.4x, CD: 10x
Reading DVD: 12x, D: 40x
Buffer Underrun Proof Technology
PoweRec Technology (Plextor Optimised Writing Error Reduction Control)
Access Time <120 ms for CD; 140 ms for DVD
2MB Buffer
E-IDE (ATAPI) interface
Compatible with: Windows 95, Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP, MacOs
MultiRead Compatible
Supports SPDIF (Digital Audio Output)
High Quality Digital Audio Extraction
A black tray, to reduce the jitter and to increase the quality of the burned CD
Two year* full-warranty (parts, labor and replacement) with On-Site Collect & Return** service
Writes CD-ROM Modes 1 and 2, CD-XA Form 1 and 2, CD-DA, CD-I, Video CD & Photo CD.
Reads/Writes DVD-ROM, DVD-video, Multi-Border, Multisession
Write methods (DVD+R/RW) supports Sequential Write, Random Access Write, DAO
Supports DVD+VR format
Creates Audio CD, CD Extra, Enhanced CD, Photo CD, CD-I & Video CD Titles.
Supports Disk-At-Once, Track-At-Once, Multisession, Packet Writing modes.
Wide CD-R and CD-RW media compatibility (74min and Type80 - 79min)
Includes PlexTools"

Source: CDFreaks (www.cdfreaks.com)

Edge

[TCCK]

For those people that thought I was nuts when I said +R was going to win out well now that PLEXTOR has finally revealed it hand +R has just won the battle.

PLEXTOR are the ones that everyone has been trying to reach for thier quality and standards for a few years now.

I had this exact drive in my lab 8 months ago!!!!!!

This is one of the things i could not tell you about.


Sell your -R drives now while they are still worth something!!

And for those that will still mock and flame me > keep your -R drive and stick completely with -R, plus enjoy your Betamax system with its great assortment of video tapes!

When you test equipment you see the leading edge stuff WAY before the general public does and know where things are going.
Just wait a few more weeks and you will get a shocker from SONY!

Oh an dToshiba's next drive will be down to one format. You guess!

[Gil T Pleasure]

Are you implying that Toshiba's gonna go with DVD+RW format? If so, will they abandon the DVD Forum approved formats in favor of DVD+RW's?

[TCCK]

Just watch and see.

I have a Non-disclosure statement and got a slap on the wrist lately.

So just watch!

[Gil T Pleasure]

How long do I have to wait? Man, this suspense is killing me!!!

[gooki]

I'll happily keep all three of my DVD-R drives cause at least all generation ps2's can read my discs.

[klona]

Well, On my side I am working @ CIA, burners section, and i cannot tell you because of National security reasons that the future burner will be Scud driven..

He, it's interresting to learn about the new plextor, but no stupid - vs + here, and mainly with so empty posts

[Xayd]

Well, looking at the + group, it's comprised manufacturers that have the North American retail shelf market pretty sewn up. Seeing as Plextor and Lite On have recently started moving out into more and more retail stores lately, it doesn't surprise me that those two are on the + side, seeing as otherwise they'd be fighting with Phillips/HP/Ricoh/Sony for shelf space, and that just can't be done since those 4 have it all ;).

The fact that Plextor and Lite On are making drives doesn't mean anything in the format debate imo. This reeks of marketing, not a decision on which format is the better of the two ;).

[Gil T Pleasure]

Originally posted by Gil T Pleasure
Are you implying that Toshiba's gonna go with DVD+RW format?

To answer my own question, it appears that Toshiba and Panasonic will be producing DVD+RW drives soon although this does not mean that they have abandoned the DVD Forum entirely.

See:
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/7844

[kxy]

Does this drive support gigaRec, read or write or both?

[alexnoe]

Tcck: would you please come back to earth? :)

The DVD+RW forum has fooled consumers about defect management and MRW for almost 2 years. Yes, it took them almost 2 years to implement a feature that they have used for advertising from the first day.

Now, almost 2 years after the advertising of this feature began, Plextor finally made it and manufacturs the first drive ever that completely implements the '+RW' format... Sell your -R drives now while they are still worth something!!
Huh? How do you know that a readers drive is still worth anything? If a new 4x writer is available at 120 Euro, then an 21 months old Pioneer DVR-A03 2x/1x drive is far beyond that point....

Also, I wonder why people who have a DVD player that rejects DVD+R should sell their dvd- recorders...

And 8x writing to 4x media...well, we'll see about that. I'm sure that people with proper equipment for that will check those discs. Basicly, it's just like 2x writing to 1x discs, which works only as long as there are no idiotic manufacturers like Princo which fake codes to make burners burn the discs too fast...
Does this drive support gigaRec, read or write or both?Writing: no
Reading: probably

@Tcck: This is especially for you: http://www.heise.de/newsticker/data/mw-30.08.03-003/

Last time you posted something like this the best you could state as an advantage of dvd+ over dvd- was the possibility of U160 support...you can dream of dvd- dying, but plextor would certainly not buy dvd+ only drives from NEC, but develop a dual format drive on their own, if they would feel that dvd-r is not needed at all.
If you look at the media compatibility list of the drive, you see that it is very short at the moment, for +/-r as well as for +/- rw. If they felt one format not to be necessary, they could spend their time on making the list of compatible discs of the other formats longer

[David Hwang]

This month, there'll be a new model which supports DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW
in Japan:

http://www.plextor.co.jp/products/px708/px708.html

DVD+R: 8x
DVD+RW: 4x
DVD-R: 4x
DVD-RW: 2x
CD-R: 40x
CD-RW: 24x

[alexnoe]

will be?
The first samples have already been delivered...

[TCCK]

@alexnoe

If I remember correctly you are the same person last year when I was hinting to all the models that are out currently and the move towards +R / +RW standard and you were saying things like:

"No hope in Hell!"

"-R will be the predominant force forever"

"yeah sure they have a working 8X DVD +RW system, right!"

"no one will ever need more that ATA66 support for any DVD Writer"


So forgive me if I just once again say: You do not know what I have in my lab or the stuff I am privy to so you are just proving your ignorance with your statements once again. That is not ment to be a slam but a statement from someone in the know to someone who is not.

Nice article in German, got an English version?

[alexnoe]

Nice article in German, got an English version?Nope, heise is german only.

About ATA66.... unless you have a 20x writer in your labs, UDMA 33 does suffice. Faster writing would require multibeam writing... so if you claim that you have a drive that profits of UDMA 66, or even more, then you must have a multibeam writer drive...and even then, there is not one single (senseful) explanation why DVD- should not work with UDMA 66 or more.
So there are 2 possibilities:
(a) you want to fool us
(b) you indeed have a drive that writes at least 20x, which I'm sure you would not have been allowed to announce...
(c) you have a VIA chipset, which needs UDMA 100 to achieve something like 12x... (SCNR)

"-R will be the predominant force forever"In this moment, 70% of all drive can write DVD-, while 50% can write DVD+.
"yeah sure they have a working 8X DVD +RW system, right!"OK, that one was a point for you then....

Why exactly did Philips and Ricoh, which are of course members of the DVD forum, block the release of the finished dvd-r 8x and dvd-rw 4x specs?

[PC-GUY]

Originally posted by TCCK
@alexnoe

Nice article in German, got an English version?
Babelfish works for me. (http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr)
I have to ask.:confused: I take it thecocacolakid.com is your website?
I allso have to know does anyone buy that pc's at that price?:confused: :confused:

[TCCK]

Originally posted by alexnoe
Nope, heise is german only.

About ATA66.... unless you have a 20x writer in your labs, UDMA 33 does suffice. Faster writing would require multibeam writing... so if you claim that you have a drive that profits of UDMA 66, or even more, then you must have a multibeam writer drive...and even then, there is not one single (senseful) explanation why DVD- should not work with UDMA 66 or more.
So there are 2 possibilities:
((b) you indeed have a drive that writes at least 20x, which I'm sure you would not have been allowed to announce...


To cover my butt legally I did not say it but you are so warm and more like 24X.

Enough said?


@PC-guy

Canadian dollar is worth say 30% less than US dollar so $1000 canadian is $700 US funds. Plus I will admit my webpage is way out of date as I havce been WAY too busy with my normal job to push my side hobby company. I really prefer individual computer pricing and I have customers that still deal with me as far away as New Zealand, Florida, South Africa and Brasil.

[alexnoe]

Enough said?

24x is 33 MB/s, which is still below what UDMA 66 suffices for :)

[TCCK]

trust me UDMA66 is not enough!

currently running on Promise ATA100 controller to get the transfer speeds we need.

lips zipped before I get in trouble again.;)

I promise to say more when I can :D

[alexnoe]

TCCK: If UDMA 66 is not enough, then there are 2 possibilities:

(a) the chipset drivers are heavily b0rked, or the chipset is a piece of crap (like via kt133a)
(b) the firmware of the drive is not optimal and allocates the IDE bus far longer than it should (like some toshiba dvd-roms do)

[TCCK]

wrong multiple streams.

FW is fine.

Chipset is Intel, Serverworks, VIA, you name it. testing in more than one system.


Advanced alpha/beta software from 2 known software companies to deal with multiple stream burning too.