Hi guys, nic forum you've got here Already found answers for two of my main issues just by browsing around here, so I guess I'll bother you instead of PX support with my question

I've bought a PX-716A (using FW 1.06) two weeks ago and is connected as secondary master drive (where it has replaced the PX2410TA). The PX-116, about year and a half old (but in great shape), is secondary slave.

For burning, I use DVD+R media: Mitsubishi 8X (Verbatim), Optodisc 4X (Emtec) TDK 8X (TDK), Taiyo Yuden 4X (Verbatim), DVD+RW Optodisc 4X (Emtec), DVD-RW Optodisc 2X (Emtec). High quality and fast media have bad availability around here, I had to order the TY Verbatim from abroad.

I usually write DVDs at 4X speed as I don't have much experience with DVD burning yet.

The burned media, when tested for PI/PO errors, give excellent results (<10), even with overspeed (4X TDK @ 8X, 8X MCC @ 12X) and the PX-716 itself reads them at maximum speed, as any other DVD media actually.

The PX-116 however, has problems reading DVD+R burned with this drive. When tested with Plextools Read Transfer Rate Test, they are either read at minimum speed (1.8X-2X), or the drive attempts to read them at full speed but ends up with a read error quite soon (always at different place with the same disc), like it would lose the track. When actually using the drive to copy files from the burned DVD, it's always read at the lowest speed.

The DVD+RW and -RW is read at speed 4X-8X, as well as DVD+R media burned on other DVD drives (even the same brand, e.g. Optodisc written on a Lite-On). These 'alien' DVDs are however read at full speed when copying files to the HDD (assuming by the noise created by the drive).

So far, I've tried my DVDs on three drives - Lite-on and LG DVDRW drives and a Orava video DVD player. All of these have no problem whatsover reading the discs and the RW drives read them at full speed.

So it seems that my PX-116 is the only one which has problem with DVD+R burned on my PX-716 and vice versa.

So, if I may say so, WTF? Any idea what's going on?

I'll be rebuilding my PC into a black PC case which means getting a black DVD-ROM drive as well. That's one of the reasons I'm considering to get a PX-130 drive (black bezel), I'm a Plextor freak anyway... Do you think the new drive would enhance reading of my burned DVDs?

Anyways, another question...

I've been testing my disks with the TA test, and for Mitsubishi discs I get very good or excellent quality, with most other discs the qualilty is good. What I find weird, written Taiyo Yuden discs (I only got them yesterday) are judged as not good or bad, which is quite suprising. How important is the TA test anyway? BTW when I look at the TA graph, there's little peak shift (although the drive assumes it's crap) - little difference from other media, and the gaps are very deep as well. Any suggenstions?

Thanx in advance and sorry for the long text

Since the Plextor DVD-ROM drives 116Ax and 130A are rebadged units from other manufacturers (the 116Ax came in three different hardware revisions from A1 to A3), you could as well get yourself a different brand with a black bezel (like the actual Asus drive).

I too own a PX-116A1 on reserve and I wasn't that happy with it either (from the point of DVD reading) and now I use a LiteOn SOHD-167T DVD-ROM drive with speedhacked firmware that reads anything I throw at it at decent speed.

In an older topic somewhere around here, I've noticed someone mentioned the www.cdr.cz review of the PX-130. I've read that review and after disasembling the drive, they claim that it is an original Plextor, unlike the PX-116 which is OEM Pioneer. It also has excellent results by reading damaged CD media (unlike any other Plextor drive actually).

Can someone confirm for sure? BTW is the PX-130's LED on when there's media inserted? I love that feature.

Blah! Screw me. It took me 50 DVDs to realize what is the problem. I'm using bit setting for DVD+R (even data DVD, which is not a good idea I guess), that's why the damn 116 has problems reading it... Well, it's time for replacement.

Anyone know whether the PX-130 is able to read DVD+R at the same speed as DVD-ROM?

bitsetting shouldn't decrease compatibility but rather increase it. check Plextools>Drive Information for the read speeds on various media types.

re: your question about TA test, they've been deemed a bit arbitrary and most prefer to ignore them and go with the PI/PO tests instead.

Thanx for the info.

As for the bit setting, I've just made sure that was the problem. PX-116 has 4-10X DVD+/-R reading capability and 6.6-16X for DVD-ROM. As the drive recognizes the media as DVD-ROM, it attempts to use it at maximum speed and fails to follow the track. I've just made sure by burning a Yuden DVD+R without bit setting, it reads on PX-116 with no problem.

I can't find the reading specifications for PX-130 on its datasheet on the PX web site. I'll be bothering the PX support I guess.