4x drops down to 2.8x during burning

[Mitchua]

Hi, I just bought a LG 4081B 8x+/4x- burner which I'm using in Linux. I
finally got some DVD-R media that will burn at 4x (according to
dvd+rw-mediainfo) but whenever I start it burning using k3b/growisofs, it
doesn't seem able to sustain 4x and it always drops down to about 2.8x and
stays there. All the data is written on the disk correctly but why am I
not getting the 4x speed? Is my bus not fast enough to support these
speeds or something?

Thanks for your help,
Mitchua

 

[John]

Hi, I just bought a LG 4081B 8x+/4x- burner which I'm using in Linux. I
finally got some DVD-R media that will burn at 4x (according to
dvd+rw-mediainfo) but whenever I start it burning using k3b/growisofs, it
doesn't seem able to sustain 4x and it always drops down to about 2.8x and
stays there. All the data is written on the disk correctly but why am I
not getting the 4x speed? Is my bus not fast enough to support these
speeds or something?

Thanks for your help,
Mitchua

Could be anything but thats why I like to buy really popular burners
because you get lots of firmware updates and support/feedback from
people.

The first thing I would do is find so LG forum if they have one. OR
some place where LG users congregate like some burning oriented
website. Also check the makers website for possible info on problems.

Second - the obvious thing is 4x is getting to be the more commonplace
but the really standard stuff now sold at all Compusas and Office
Maxes etc is still generally 2x or even 1x which can burn at 2x. So
some 4x media may still be kind of iffy. Second the media has to match
the drive. When 4x becomes really really cheap and common , its
getting there - then almost all drives will support most or all brands
but your drive may have problems with a particular brand.

A little while ago it was really iffy and you have to really match up
the brands/makers of media with the brands of DVD burners.

The only thing you can do about that is switch to another brand thats
why its good to get feedback from users OR hopefully get a firmware
update that fixes it - IF thats the problem.

NECs, Liteons & plextors have numerous firmware updates to match
different media coming on the mkt and theres lots of user feedback.

See if NERO Speed works on your drive. It can do a test on CD burners
on the CPU utlization and speed etc.

 

[S.Heenan]

Hi, I just bought a LG 4081B 8x+/4x- burner which I'm using in Linux.
I finally got some DVD-R media that will burn at 4x (according to
dvd+rw-mediainfo) but whenever I start it burning using
k3b/growisofs, it doesn't seem able to sustain 4x and it always drops
down to about 2.8x and stays there. All the data is written on the
disk correctly but why am I not getting the 4x speed? Is my bus not
fast enough to support these speeds or something?

In 90% of cases, media is suspect. Try using TDK, Memorex, or Fuji 4-8x
DVD-R media. Purchase just a few to see if they burn well.

 

[Padre]

Hi, I just bought a LG 4081B 8x+/4x- burner which I'm using in Linux. I
finally got some DVD-R media that will burn at 4x (according to
dvd+rw-mediainfo) but whenever I start it burning using k3b/growisofs, it
doesn't seem able to sustain 4x and it always drops down to about 2.8x and
stays there. All the data is written on the disk correctly but why am I
not getting the 4x speed? Is my bus not fast enough to support these
speeds or something?

Thanks for your help,
Mitchua

I've seen the same thing happen on one of my slower PCs when another app is
running, using CPU time. It's the 'burn proof'protection that makes sure you
don't burn a coaster or blow the whole recording. If something interferes
with the transfer rate (busy app, slow bus, etc.), the burner will ratchet
down to a slower burn speed automatically. If you can kill whatever it is
that's causing the problem, you can return to 4x or 8x burning speeds.

 

[~A_Sammy]

It's probably buffer under run software clocking you down so you don't burn
a coaster. Try copying your source to your hard drive and burning from
there.
Could be the media, too.

 

[Biz]

Hi, I just bought a LG 4081B 8x+/4x- burner which I'm using in Linux. I
finally got some DVD-R media that will burn at 4x (according to
dvd+rw-mediainfo)

Is it actually 4X media or just media that someone claims will burn at 4X?


but whenever I start it burning using k3b/growisofs, it

doesn't seem able to sustain 4x and it always drops down to about 2.8x and
stays there. All the data is written on the disk correctly but why am I
not getting the 4x speed? Is my bus not fast enough to support these
speeds or something?

WIthout listing your setup noone could venture a guess if your pc is not
up to the task.

 

[Russell]

Hi Mitchua,

I'm no Linux expert, but the OS could have something to do with the reduced
burning speed. There is also a firmware version 1.01 on the LG site that
claims to improve burning speeds on some media. If your drive's firmware is
a lower number, you could try flashing it, but the flash program is for use
in windows only. You can find it at http://us.lgservice.com/index_b2c.jsp,
then choose the CD-RW software support area (for some reason LG has lumped
the DVD burner firmware here as well.)

Good luck,
Russell
http://tastycomputers.com

 

[Mitchua]

Could be anything but thats why I like to buy really popular burners
because you get lots of firmware updates and support/feedback from
people.

The first thing I would do is find so LG forum if they have one. OR
some place where LG users congregate like some burning oriented
website. Also check the makers website for possible info on problems.

Second - the obvious thing is 4x is getting to be the more commonplace
but the really standard stuff now sold at all Compusas and Office
Maxes etc is still generally 2x or even 1x which can burn at 2x. So
some 4x media may still be kind of iffy. Second the media has to match
the drive. When 4x becomes really really cheap and common , its
getting there - then almost all drives will support most or all brands
but your drive may have problems with a particular brand.

A little while ago it was really iffy and you have to really match up
the brands/makers of media with the brands of DVD burners.

The only thing you can do about that is switch to another brand thats
why its good to get feedback from users OR hopefully get a firmware
update that fixes it - IF thats the problem.

NECs, Liteons & plextors have numerous firmware updates to match
different media coming on the mkt and theres lots of user feedback.

See if NERO Speed works on your drive. It can do a test on CD burners
on the CPU utlization and speed etc.

Yah, Linux has a program (dvd+rw-mediainfo) that checks the media for
compatibility, etc. It reports that it's stable for 4x on my system.

I'll see what NERO says. Good idea.

--Mitchua

 

[Mitchua]

In 90% of cases, media is suspect. Try using TDK, Memorex, or Fuji 4-8x
DVD-R media. Purchase just a few to see if they burn well.

I've already tried some media that would only go at 2x. This Ritek stuff I
have now seems to be rated at 4x according to my system and dvdrhelp.com

Thanks.

--Mitchua

 

[Mitchua]

I've seen the same thing happen on one of my slower PCs when another app
is running, using CPU time. It's the 'burn proof'protection that makes
sure you don't burn a coaster or blow the whole recording. If something
interferes with the transfer rate (busy app, slow bus, etc.), the burner
will ratchet down to a slower burn speed automatically. If you can kill
whatever it is that's causing the problem, you can return to 4x or 8x
burning speeds.

Maybe I should kill all the graphical user interfaces and try just running
the burning program from the shell. Thanks for the suggestion.

--Mitchua

 

[Mitchua]

It's probably buffer under run software clocking you down so you don't
burn
a coaster. Try copying your source to your hard drive and burning from
there.
Could be the media, too.

I figured something like that might be going on since I am burning from the
HD. Boy these things are finicky

-mitchua

 

[Mitchua]

Is it actually 4X media or just media that someone claims will burn at 4X?

It is 4x according to all the utilities I've tested. It's Ritek media so
there's no label. However, I checked out the hash on dvdrhelp.com and
seemed to check out.

but whenever I start it burning using k3b/growisofs, it

WIthout listing your setup noone could venture a guess if your pc is not
up to the task.

Sorry about that. I have Athlon XP 1800+, 512MB DDR, A7V266-E, 120GB
Seagate 7200rpm 8mb HD,

 

[Mitchua]

Hi Mitchua,

I'm no Linux expert, but the OS could have something to do with the
reduced
burning speed. There is also a firmware version 1.01 on the LG site that
claims to improve burning speeds on some media. If your drive's firmware
is a lower number, you could try flashing it, but the flash program is for
use
in windows only. You can find it at
http://us.lgservice.com/index_b2c.jsp, then choose the CD-RW software
support area (for some reason LG has lumped the DVD burner firmware here
as well.)

Good luck,
Russell
http://tastycomputers.com

I'll test it in Windows too just to see.

Thanks for the link. I was looking all over trying to find the DVD
firmware. Why the heck isn't it in the DVD section?! My firmware is
v100 so I'll try flashing it. I keep Window$ around for just these
emergencies

--Mitchua

 

[Mitchua]

Hi, I just bought a LG 4081B 8x+/4x- burner which I'm using in Linux. I
finally got some DVD-R media that will burn at 4x (according to
dvd+rw-mediainfo) but whenever I start it burning using k3b/growisofs, it
doesn't seem able to sustain 4x and it always drops down to about 2.8x and
stays there. All the data is written on the disk correctly but why am I
not getting the 4x speed? Is my bus not fast enough to support these
speeds or something?

Thanks for your help,
Mitchua

FYI, here's what I get when I run a speed test on a blank Ritek 4x DVD-R.

INQUIRY: [HL-DT-ST][DVDRAM GSA-4081B][A101]
GET [CURRENT] CONFIGURATION:
Mounted Media: 11h, DVD-R Sequential
Media ID: RITEKG04
Current Write Speed: 4.0x1385=5540KB/s
Write Speed #0: 4.0x1385=5540KB/s
Write Speed #1: 2.0x1385=2770KB/s
GET [CURRENT] PERFORMANCE:
Write Performance: 4.0x1385=5540KB/s@[0 -> 2298495]
Speed Descriptor#0: 02/2298495 [email protected]=4584KB/s [email protected]=5540KB/s
Speed Descriptor#1: 02/2298495 [email protected]=4584KB/s [email protected]=2770KB/s
READ DVD STRUCTURE[#0h]:
Media Book Type: 25h, DVD-R book [revision 5]
Legacy lead-out at: 2298496*2KB=4707319808
READ DISC INFORMATION:
Disc status: blank
Number of Sessions: 1
State of Last Session: empty
Number of Tracks: 1
READ TRACK INFORMATION[#1]:
Track State: invisible incremental
Track Start Address: 0*2KB
Next Writable Address: 0*2KB
Free Blocks: 2297888*2KB
Track Size: 2297888*2KB

 

[Mitchua]

Probably transfer rate (is the source drive and DVD
drive on seperate cables?), or that 4x media isn't
actually 4x.

I'm burning off the hard drive but I was using a Promise IDE. I just
changed it to Secondary IDE Master. Do you think that will make a
difference?

Thanks for your help,
Mitchua

 

[Toshi1873]

Hi, I just bought a LG 4081B 8x+/4x- burner which I'm using in Linux. I
finally got some DVD-R media that will burn at 4x (according to
dvd+rw-mediainfo) but whenever I start it burning using k3b/growisofs, it
doesn't seem able to sustain 4x and it always drops down to about 2.8x and
stays there. All the data is written on the disk correctly but why am I
not getting the 4x speed? Is my bus not fast enough to support these
speeds or something?

Probably transfer rate (is the source drive and DVD
drive on seperate cables?), or that 4x media isn't
actually 4x.

 

[Mitchua]

That should be plenty fast. Just make sure the DVD drive
and 120GB drive are on seperate IDE cables. (Not always
necessary, but an easy first step.) You mentioned using
a Promise IDE in another post, but it wasn't clear if
you meant both drives were on the same cable or if you
had other devices in the system.

Checking the firmware as suggested by others is a good
2nd step.

1st setup was like this:
Primary IDE: HD
Secondary IDE: CDRW, DVDROM
Promise IDE 1: DVD burner

Since I had to change everything to flash the firmware, I changed the setup
to something more resonable:
Primary IDE: HD
Secondary IDE: DVD burner
Promise IDE 1: CDRW, DVDROM

I'll see whether I get better preformance with this setup and the newest
firmware.

Thanks for your help,
Mitchua

 

[Toshi1873]

Sorry about that. I have Athlon XP 1800+, 512MB DDR, A7V266-E, 120GB
Seagate 7200rpm 8mb HD,

That should be plenty fast. Just make sure the DVD drive
and 120GB drive are on seperate IDE cables. (Not always
necessary, but an easy first step.) You mentioned using
a Promise IDE in another post, but it wasn't clear if
you meant both drives were on the same cable or if you
had other devices in the system.

Checking the firmware as suggested by others is a good
2nd step.

 

[ProfGene]

The are many factors that determine burning speeds. The hard drive speed
and having Raid are very important and you must have as much ram as possible
and no background programs running during burning. But at least with the
new burning programs it keeps on burning. With the older programs you would
have underun the buffers and ruined the disk.

 

[Mitchua]

Heck, I'd just be glad I got something working properly in Linux, being
that I'm not super-fluent in *nix OS.

Anyway, check by chance - man hdparm - and see if the bus you're using for
burning is set to maximum throughput, UDMA2 or SCSIUW or whatever your bus
drive is on. Also, if you've got the room, be sure to place the drive on
it's own IDE cable apart from other devices such as CD drives, DVD
readers, HDDs. Unless both items are the same speed you may end up running
both at the lowest transfer rate, so even at 52x, a CD-ROM in PIO mode may
default the entire bus to PIO and I'd imagine you'll want full DMA to get
your 4x out of the burner...

Good luck!
Jon

Thanks Jon. I'm about the same when it comes to *nix a lot of the time.
I'm running Gentoo just to add some more difficulty I can't even get
my damn printer working! :-D

Anyhow, I moved the DVD burner from the Promise IDE 1 to Secondary IDE1 by
itself. Since then, I've been able to get close to 4x speeds which is
weird because my 24X burner is now on that same Promise IDE and it burns at
24X no problem. Oh well. I guess my mobo has some issues. I'm also using
the old type of ribbon cables but that doesn't matter for optical drives,
right?

Thanks again.

--Mitchua