I have a SATA OptiArc AD-7191s with the latest firmware and ImgBurn 2.4.2.0. The burning speed of DVDs is 2.9x.
I had encountered the same problem prior to my latest format but I had solved the problem by updating the firmware.
As for the media I am using I have burned several of them at normal (16x) speed before I formatted.
Here's my log:
I 23:04:13 ImgBurn Version 2.4.2.0 started!
I 23:04:13 Microsoft Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600 : Service Pack 3)
I 23:04:13 Total Physical Memory: 3.406.884 KB - Available: 2.710.112 KB
I 23:04:13 Initialising SPTI...
I 23:04:13 Searching for SCSI / ATAPI devices...
I 23:04:13 Found 1 DVD