TDK 8X drive

Discussion in 'DVD / Blu-ray drives' started by ls3mach, Dec 31, 2003.

  1. ls3mach

    ls3mach Member

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    What does everyone think about the new TDK 8X Indi. Does anyone have one. I just bought one today. I was using some TDK 4X and they burned in just under 9 minutes. It was taking 15 on my Lite-on 4X. I guess the media is really capable of more than 4X so it just burned faster.

    I also have some questions. When I put a proprietory DVD into the drive it restarts my computer. Just here the monitor click then it reboots. I think it might be because I have the drive set to cable select instead of primary or slave. It could also be the upgraded firmware. What do you guys think.

    Finally I read that it was the same as the Plextor which is supposedly the best on the market. Is this true on both accounts.

    Lonzo
     
  2. nakanenui

    nakanenui Member

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    I also need to hear peoples' response on this drive. I am thinking of ordering it from staples because it appears to be 140 after rebates and coupons. I hear that this is just a 4x drive with updated firmware. I need to feel that this is a great deal. If you have this drive and think that it is a good deal, I need to use this to back up my dvd collection as well as my ps2 collection. Will this drive serve my purposes? Thank you.
     
  3. rtguest

    rtguest Member

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    I just purchased a TDK IndiDVD 840G 8x Multiformat Burner. I am not happy! I have been working all weekend on software compatibility issues. I finally got a disk to burn using DVD+R on DVD X Copy, but my computer freezes everytime I put a DVD-R Disk in it. I have updated the firmware. I am new at this so take my comments lightly, but I have not been successful. Programs I have had issues with: DVD X Copy, Easy CD/DVD Creator 6 Basic, and Nero 6.
    My system is as follows:
    AMD 2600+
    120 Gig HD
    512mb 2100 DDR Ram
    128mb Radeon 9000 series Graphics Card
    TDK IndiDVD840G 8x Multiformat Burner
    Toshiba DVD-Rom

    Good luck, hopefully someone will add to this thread with more information.
     
  4. sly_61019

    sly_61019 Senior member

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    rtguest, you don't have all those burning programs installed in your computer at once do you?
     
  5. Cman

    Cman Member

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    Got the drive shortly after Thanksgiving. Once I flashed the firmware with the file from the TDK support page, the drive itself works fine although I can't say the same for the media or my DVD players..

    I would advise not using the maximum speed option on most burning programs but instead set the nomimal speed of the media as the top speed. In this case, DVD-R would be 2x, DVD+R would be 4x. I would also strap the drive as a slave to another DVD-ROM drive should you have one installed. Definetly do the firmware upgrade ASAP. You'll have alot fewer problems from your drive.
     
  6. DrisDro

    DrisDro Member

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    i have that drive and seems to work fine for me, although its been burning my music cd's like garbage lately, i'll just have to burn at a slower speed, but i've made serveral dvd's with it and backed up lots of dvd's with the drive
     
  7. rtguest

    rtguest Member

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    I found out that my problem was not software compatibility. It was the brand of blank media I was using. I was trying to burn on Sony DVD-R, these are not supported by TDK. I have been using Maxel DVD+R and they work fine. The approved list of media that I received from TDK Support is below.


    Recommended Media Supported by TDK:

    DVD+R: TDK, Mitsubishi Chemical, Ricoh, Taiyo Yuden, Sony, Maxell, Verbatim

    DVD+RW: TDK, Mitsubishi Chemical, Ricoh, TDK, Phillips, Verbatim

    DVD-R: TDK, Mitsubishi Chemical, Ritek, TDK, Maxell, Pioneer, Apple, Verbatim

    DVD-RW: TDK, Mitsubishi Chemical, Pioneer, TDK, Verbatim


    Not currently Compatible (my list):

    Sony DVD-R
    *Tia mentioned that many customers have had problems with Memorex brand.


     
  8. Cman

    Cman Member

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    believe it or not, The Drive works pretty good with CompUSA DVD-R's too.. I was shocked actually since I got a 25pk just to try it out. Good quality but on dark scenes, you can just make out some noise if you're looking for it...
     
  9. samson_tx

    samson_tx Member

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    I've just bought a TDK 8x Indi external burner, and tried to hook it up on my Dell laptop Inspiron 5100 using the 2.0 USB connection. However, when I plug the USB cable into my laptop, it crashed with a "blue screen of death". I've try calling Dell technical support and they couldn't figure out the problem. My next step is calling TDK tech support. If anyone can save me the hassle of waiting on the phone for TDK tech support, I would very much appreciated. My Dell laptop specs are:

    Inspiron 5100
    Pentium 4 2.66 GHz
    256 RAM
    30 GB hardrive
    32 MB Radeon 7500 video card
    MS Windows XP Home Edition

    Hopefully someone here can help me out.
    Thanks
     
  10. rtguest

    rtguest Member

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    I wouldn't use the phone either. When I was trying to figure out a problem with mine; I found that if I went to TDK's website, they offered an instant messaging service. The service is free and easy. It's not a email, so there is no waiting. They simply have someone available to you to help you with any problems you may have. Here is the direct url: http://www.tdk.com/support/index.html

    Good luck!
     
  11. jrouss

    jrouss Member

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    I too was not impressed with this drive. I had two from Staples both which ripped very slow compared to a less expensive drive I have. I have an IOmagic (Optorite) drive that I can rip a movie at 3500-4000 kbs a second. Both of the TDK 840G drive I had only managed 2400-2600 kbs a second. That translates to 15-20 min longer to rip a disk.
     

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