DVD 20x Recorder, All DVD Discs are 16X

[Albert]

Just bought a DVD recorder for a PC which stated in the specs 20x for
DVD +R, and DVD -R. Looking on NewEgg all the blank media is 16x.
Doesn't the media speed have to be greater then what the DVD recorder
is, or will the DVD recorder downgrade?

 

[John Doe]

Just bought a DVD recorder for a PC which stated in the specs 20x
for DVD +R, and DVD -R. Looking on NewEgg all the blank media is
16x. Doesn't the media speed have to be greater then what the DVD
recorder is, or will the DVD recorder downgrade?

I'm no expert in burning CDs/DVDs, but I'm sure the recording
software will let you choose the recording speed up to the maximum
hardware allows. Maybe that information is in the manual? You can
find manuals online for just about any hardware if you don't want to
open the box.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[Frank McCoy]

Just bought a DVD recorder for a PC which stated in the specs 20x for
DVD +R, and DVD -R. Looking on NewEgg all the blank media is 16x.
Doesn't the media speed have to be greater then what the DVD recorder
is, or will the DVD recorder downgrade?

There are different speeds for write versus read.
Generally a DVD or CD player will *read* up to the maximum of the drive.
(That's "up to". Sometimes things go slower.)
The media has little to do with maximum read rate.

On write however, there's:
A. The maximum write-rate of the drive.
B. The maximum write-rate of the media.
C. The maximum reliable transfer-rate of the system.
When writing, the *actual* write-rate is the minimum of all three above.
Also, the software must *recognize* the full write-rate of both drive
and medium in order to do maximum-speed writes. This doesn't always
happen. ;-{

Also, the Write-to-CD rate is different than Rewrite-to-CD rate for
rewritable drives. The latter is usually slower.

All this accounts for the multitude of rates listed on a CD or DVD
writer on the outside of the box.

You can have 56x read, 20x write, 16x rewrite, and other speeds as well.

The 20x write just means it might possibly write up to that speed ... if
the media is also rated that high. With 16x speed media, don't expect
faster. Faster media is (usually) quite higher in price until that
speed becomes standard ... at which point they practically *give away*
any remaining lower-priced media. (I get lots of that stuff in $0
rebates at Office Max; because I'm not that much in a hurry when I write
most CD-ROMs and DVDs.)

 

[Peter]

You can have 56x read, 20x write, 16x rewrite, and other speeds as well.

The 20x write just means it might possibly write up to that speed ... if
the media is also rated that high. With 16x speed media, don't expect
faster. Faster media is (usually) quite higher in price until that
speed becomes standard ... at which point they practically *give away*
any remaining lower-priced media. (I get lots of that stuff in $0
rebates at Office Max; because I'm not that much in a hurry when I write
most CD-ROMs and DVDs.)

As an additional note, I would never, ever try to burn at these higher
speeds anyway. I just don't trust the reliability of the burn at these
speeds. I'm more than happy burning at up to 6x. This takes about 7 to
8 minutes to burn a complete DVD disc so I see no advantage in trying to
save a couple of minutes with the prospect of more coasters as a
consequence.

 

[Ed Medlin]

Just bought a DVD recorder for a PC which stated in the specs 20x for
DVD +R, and DVD -R. Looking on NewEgg all the blank media is 16x.
Doesn't the media speed have to be greater then what the DVD recorder
is, or will the DVD recorder downgrade?

I doubt you would see anywhere near 20x even with 20x media. With a 16x
burner and 16x media, I usually (burning video) see a max of 12-14x burn
speed. For reliability reasons, I usually slow that down to about 10x with
decent media like Verbatim etc. If I use slower media like 8x, my maximum
reliable burn speed would be about 5-7x. With your faster writer, you may be
able to get more reliable burns at faster speeds with good media. I always
use 16x Verbatim because it is available about anywhere and is of fairly
decent quality. I haven't seen any 20x media around yet. They might wait
until 24x writers become mainstream and manufacture 24x instead of just a 4x
increase to 20x. I know when 12x writers came out, they never had 12x media,
they went straight from 8x to 16x IIRC.

 

[Albert]

My confusion is that if I have a 20x DVD Burner, and the media is only
16x rated won't the DVD fail. I don't see any settings to lower the
speed of the DVD Burner?

 

[Frank McCoy]

My confusion is that if I have a 20x DVD Burner, and the media is only
16x rated won't the DVD fail. I don't see any settings to lower the
speed of the DVD Burner?

Nope. The burner will run just *fine* at 16x speed or below.
There's information embedded in the media that lets the burner know both
capacity and rated burn-speed. Not sure where or how; but it's there.
The drive will then burn at the lower speed; either drive or media.
Yes, if your drive is only 8x write, it will write just fine on 18x
media as well. All are both upward and downward compatible.
You can even burn really *old* 1x or 2x media, if you happen across such
stuff. And yes, the burner-drive *will* slow down to that speed.

You can also *select* a lower speed on most burner software to go clear
down to 1x or 2x burn-speed for more reliability.

 

[DaveW]

You need to set the recorder to run at 16X when burning DVD's.

 

[Peter]

My confusion is that if I have a 20x DVD Burner, and the media is only
16x rated won't the DVD fail. I don't see any settings to lower the
speed of the DVD Burner?

That sounds more like a firmware issue. What software are you using to
burn with?

 

[John Doe]

(e-mail address removed)>, (e-mail address removed)
says...

That sounds more like a firmware issue.

Sounds like he's never burned a CD.