Hi all,

I'm new in this forum, but I have been some days reading the posts in the BTC forum.

I'm considering buying a BTC1004 (98 €), but I've read horrible things about it (media incompability... problems, more problems...) and some people are happy with the drive.

I'm going to buy it and have a try.
If I have problems I buy a sony or a pioneer driver and problem solved

I have some questions about the drive:

a) Most problems were with DVD-R media, were not?
If DVD+R is compatible with home DVD players and PC DVD readers, I could stick to DVD+R media...
but I have read that DVD-R format is more compatible.

b) Depending on the firmware the drive has, what firmware version should I install?
v 47?

c) I don't know what is "bitsettings". Anyone can explain me it?
It seems something to "tune" (¡?) writing and to improve media support.
Buff, I need information.

d) Do you think the writer is worth buying?

Well, thank you in advance for the help.

i think its the best drive you can get for under 100€ ! i bought it a week ago for 99€ and must say its a really good drive! the only problems i've got till now were related to PRINCO DVD Discs... so if you buy verbatim, tdk,... discs you should have no problems and make only the best experience with that drive!

The main problem is that an expensive drive that supports cheap media is globally cheaper in the long-run than vice-versa (BTC's case).

But... of course... as Marco rightly emphasizes, it'll also depend on how reliable you want the recorded data to be in a year or two. So expensive media should be the choice in this case, therefore the BTC drive would make the better selection.

No, you should not buy this drive. Save yourself the troubles - like I wish I had- and get a LiteOn, NEC or Pioneer. Sorry BTC but I'm fed up with this drive.

The truth is the drive is extremely picky with the media availiable.
After two months of usage i can tell you that i use only TAIYO YUDEN -R media (2X MID:TAIYOYUDEN or 4X MID:TYG01),all others had oneway or the other failed me.So, if you have access to such media in areasonable price you can go for this drive and will do your job,otherwise skip it.You can find usefull infos about MID codes and media brands in this site:
http://www.instantinfo.de/index.php
Cheers
Nikos

Yes, buy this drive. Its a great price and it works very well. I have been using mine for over a month now and i have had no problems burning dvd+r,dvd+rw,cd-r,cd-rw using aopen, verbatim, ridata and ricoh media. It is also very fast at burning cd's and is the quitest dvd/cd drive i have heard.

I have seen lots of complaints about 'cheap' media compatibility but over here media like verbatim, fuji and dysan are the cheap media. We don't get the 'real' cheap stuff here so i wouldn't know what kind of savings are made over the verbatim etc.

Thanks for your advices, m8s

BTW markallison, where are you from?

I'm going to shop DVDs this evening and I don't know if I will find Verbatim or Ricoh.

Perhaps El Corte Inglés, a Spanish famous company known by their very expensive prices, sells good DVD.
In other big stores as Mediamarkt, Alcampo and so, they are only selling cheap or unknown media to me.

When I return home, I will watch availability of good media in small traditional PC stores.

As I say, at the moment I have been unable to see any shop selling good media in my zone...

Kbronct

I am in South Africa. I am paying about 2.5 euro for dvd+r and 3.1 fr dvd+rw. The cheapest 'no name' very suspect dvd+r's are about 2 euro so you see there is no point for us over here to buy the crap media.

BTW i am sticking with +r/rw at the moment and it works fine in my sony dvp7700 player which is about 5 years old. It is supposed to be capable of playing -r but not -rw so i am happy with using +.

Hi markallison,
can you plz tell us what brand of +R media you can get there in these prices ,so that i can make a comparison with prices in GREECE where i live?
BTW greetings in South Africa (i've got an uncle living in Cape town )
Cheers
Nikos

Hi, let's compare prices...

Yesterday I went to "Corte Ingles", a known spanish expensive shop, and I show the only sold 4 brands.

Sony: 3.8 €
TDK: 3.7 $
Inves (Corte Ingles brand)
and other unknown brand (perhaps Best Buy)

In Hipercor had

DVD+RW or -RW (both) brand Memorex and Imation for 3.6 €.

My brother-in-law gave me as a present a pack of 5 imation DVD+R 4x. It cost less than 12 €.
I think it's a good price if Imation is fine in a BTC 1004 drive.

I'm unable to find Verbatim, even princo (I know it's bad, but I don't even find it).

LOL. I have taken a look at Pcbox (a spanish franchise) and they sell Verbatim at 2.71 €.

PC-box prices:

DVD+R 4,7 GB MEMOREX 4X 3,06 €
DVD+R 4.7 GB CAJA JEWEL 2,31 €
DVD+R 4.7 GB VERBATIM 4X 2,71 €
DVD+RW 4.7 GB VERBATIM 3,71 €
PACK 5 DVD+RW 4,7 GB BENQ 4X 19,84
PACK 5 DVD-R 4,7 GB BENQ 4X 12,86
PACK 5 DVD-RW XEO SLIM 14,81
TAMBOR 10 DVD-R 4,7 GB BEST BUY 20,59

heh... I buy 10 pc. spindles of 4X Princo DVD-R's in Madrid for 18€ (VAT/IVA included). Funny though, I'm always lucky with them.... they're the "good" batch

i am paying the following in South Africa

PACK 5 DVD+R 4.7 GB VERBATIM 4X 12 €
PACK 5 DVD+RW 4.7 GB VERBATIM 18 €

Other makes at similar prices are fuji, dysan, and aopen.

Here in Athens,Greece
TDK -R 4X(MID TYGO1) 2,7 EURO
TDK +R 4X(MID RICOHJPNR01) 2,7 EURO
SENTINEL +R(MID RICOHJPNR01) 1,7 EURO
,but with a little search you can find nonames with same MID codes for cheaper prices e.g -R 2X MID TAIYOYUDEN for 1,2 euro
or -R 4X MID TYGO1 for 1,6 EURO.

I see good prices on Greece

I would like to know prices in central europe countries (as Germany, France , Holland or even UK) as they are supposed to be "more advanced countries" (in technologia terms )

I'll use this post to protest an illegal VAT imposed by a "non profit association".
This association (SGAE) is supposed to defend artists, players, composers...

Now, SGAE has managed to impose an illegal canon to every DVD or CD media sold in Spain.
They claim that those media can be used to burn Audio-CD or DVD-Audio and therefore they ask for money for each DVD (.60 €) and CD (.17 €). It doesn't matter if you use CD or DVD to burn free software, your own photographs or even that pretty fifth floor neighbor naked photographs ()

SGAE denuncied DVD and CD distributors and they agreed a canon (minor that SGAE wanted)

Users have denuncied this illegal tax (as only states can impose taxes) but this situation has been defended by judges.