8x media "changes" to 1x

[gslusher]

I'm using a 20-inch iMac G4 with OS 10.3.9 & Toast 7.1.2. I have been burning backup disks with Toast on Fujifilm DVD-Rs that were marked as 8x. My drive only goes to 4x, so a full DVD has taken 14 minutes or so to burn. Yesterday, it took 54 minutes to burn a full DVD-R. I put another blank disk in and checked it with Get Info in Toast. It showed as 1x. To see if the drive might have a problem, I opened a spindle of 8x Memorex disks and tried one. As usual, Toast showed "1x, 2x, 4x." I burned a disk and it took <14 minutes.

 

I tried both types of DVD-Rs in a PowerBook G4 using 10.3.9 and Toast 7.1. Both were seen as "1x, 2x" by Toast. (The drive in the PowerBook is only 2x.)

 

I wondered if it might be a problem with Toast 7.1.2, but I've burned several full Fujifilm DVD-Rs since I updated Toast on the iMac and they were burned at 4x.

 

Any suggestion?

[John at Roxio]

Toast doesnt really care about the media. It tells the drive to test it and thats how we get the info on it. If there is an issue with a particular type of media, its between the drive and the media.

[willrob]

I have a similar problem:

Using a Pioneer 111D installed in my Dual G4, I've been using Verbatim media with no problems. These are rated as 16x and are usually considered the bet to use for this writing speed and this drive.

In the past few days an odd problem has arisen. After burning one Verbatim disk at 16 x, the next disc I offer Toast is reported as being only a 4x disc, despite it coming from the same spindle. If I quit toast (7.1.2, by the way) and empty my Kernal cache (discovered by process of elimination), the same disc is then seen as a 16x disc again by Toast, and burns as such.

I since discovered that this is happening with any brand of media, CD as well as DVD. And the same solution works. But obviously something is not kosher. Can this be a sign of a drive starting to fail? Or is the issue with Toast?

[Replay_burner]

I'm using a 20-inch iMac G4 with OS 10.3.9 & Toast 7.1.2. I have been burning backup disks with Toast on Fujifilm DVD-Rs that were marked as 8x. My drive only goes to 4x, so a full DVD has taken 14 minutes or so to burn. Yesterday, it took 54 minutes to burn a full DVD-R. I put another blank disk in and checked it with Get Info in Toast. It showed as 1x. To see if the drive might have a problem, I opened a spindle of 8x Memorex disks and tried one. As usual, Toast showed "1x, 2x, 4x." I burned a disk and it took <14 minutes.

 

I tried both types of DVD-Rs in a PowerBook G4 using 10.3.9 and Toast 7.1. Both were seen as "1x, 2x" by Toast. (The drive in the PowerBook is only 2x.)

 

I wondered if it might be a problem with Toast 7.1.2, but I've burned several full Fujifilm DVD-Rs since I updated Toast on the iMac and they were burned at 4x.

 

Any suggestion?

 

 

OK gang, this problem has been around for over a year, it's a hardware issue, and Apple knows about it. The solution is simple, but not even Apple (via their so-called Genius Bar) seems to know it. You can get Verbatim "Digital Movie" DVD-R's at Best Buy for $17/25 that Toast will burn at 8x. In my opinion $.68 is a great price, considering you're actually getting great quality media.

 

The drive used in the recent iMac's and laptops are very picky about the quality of the media. This is not a conspiracy by Apple to sell blank disks even though Apple branded DVD-R's ($35/25) will burn at 8x. There are solid technical reasons why the good Verbatim disks will work as well as the Apple disks - they're made by the same people, at least the ones sold in the US. See http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm for the details. The bottom line is Mitsubishi makes the best blank DVD's right now. Apple buys their present supply from Mitsubishi and all of the Verbatim disks sold in the US are made by Mitsubishi. The other brands could be made by any of a number of different manufacturers, some great - some lousy.

 

BTW, I've seen this question so often this year in various forums and forms, that I think that this should be in the Toast FAQ.

[John at Roxio]

Toast doesnt really care about the media. It tells the drive to test it and thats how we get the info on it. If there is an issue with a particular type of media, its between the drive and the media.

 

Seriously, Toast doesn't care. All the info we have on a particular disc is what the drive reports.