What's FW? It's the forum the "naughty" boys went to after AT said no more coupon codes here, unless intentionally published for everyone. Try a few words that might be synonymous with obese billfold.
My biggest quibbles about this drive are the price (okay, it is a Plextor. Plextors are not perfect and are not forever. My 16X10X32 TDK VeloCD, Japanese-made Plextor, lost it's mind and became unusable until I re-flashed it's firmware. This hot-deal DVD writer was made in China.) And, it lacks HD-Burn capability.
I spent some time finding a few stories last night. (Please Google things out yourself. Neo Seeker has a good list of reviews.)
1) It is a Plextor according to two sources.
2) Plextor uses a Sanyo burner chipset like the one OptoRite uses. Same? Don't know.
3) A Sanyo 8X DVD burner was able to HD-Burn after updating its' firmware using an OptoRite file. The original Sanyo firmware burned HD-Burn CDs that were not readable, even by the burner that made them. ( one point for OptoRite, two points off for Sanyo. Serious point loss for HD-Burn.)
HD-Burn is a unique Sanyo technology, like Burn-Proof, that Sanyo-based DVD burners can use to burn high density (about 2x normal capacity) CDs which can be read by compatible DVD drives.
So?!!?? I like the deal but I do not like the immaturity of the technology. I think this is like a VIA chipset situation where people who buy new chipsets are almost immediately obsoleted by a much improved rev A of the same technology. (KT133/133A, KT266/266A, ... every series.) Or, for other old fogies, like the VHS vs Beta VCR technology shakeout 20 years ago.
8X single-sided DVD writers are supposed to be a plateau. Further speed increases are NOT expected soon because 8X is so close to the mechanical limitations of the technology. Spinning DVD blanks much faster supposedly risks "blowing up" defective media which could damage drives and injure people. (Multiple burning heads could also speed things up, but track burning accuracy would be critical. Head "B" would have to start burning exactly where head "A" stopped burning. No overlap, no shift side to side, no gap between burns. I am not saying that it cannot be done. I think it would be difficult.)
HD-Burn is not an advertised (or discovered during testing) feature of TDK and Plextor DVD writers. HD-Burn CDs are only compatible with some DVD drives, mostly new Sanyo based drives. But 8X technology is so "immature" that a "better" drive (more compatible with more media, more players, more ... ) at a better price may be coming soon.
I want it but I do not want it badly enough.:frown: I want a final edition that has all the available features, that works all the time and which is cheaper.