Pain_Man

This doesn't bode well for replacing the BenQ with the NEC 3550A. And I'd been hearing good things about it. I'd happily buy another Plextor 716A if the first one hadn't crapped out after only 15 months. My Memorex True-8 (rebadged Pioneer 107) was still going strong when I replaced it with the Pioneer 110D. Only draw back was the 8x limit for 5s and no DL capability at all. Within its limits, it's a great drive. I'm definitely keeping it, in case I ever need a drive in a pinch.

DVDInfoPro and DVD Identifier both say BCDB. I'm wondering how I update this? Looking on the website, there's no specific listing for the 1655, just the 1620. The girl on the TS line directed me to the 1620's media list. Not helpful as it was clearly out of date for the 1655. I looked around quite a bit for a FW update but couldn't find one. If someone's got a newer one than BCDB, I'd love to know where you got or to get it from you. (Perhaps there's a third party website where they're posted?) BTW, whatever happened to Tarrful?

thanks, amigo. I knew the "color" thing was crap. I've done TS myself so I know the smell of shite myself. I have both 6x & 8x Verbatim DLs (even the - R DLs I have burn @8x in the Pioneer). I just checked both in the BenQ. Even the 8x still shows a max--the only--speed as 2.4x. Hopefully, the next FW update will allow me to burn DLs at least at 6x. The Pioneer plays very nicely with the Verbatims, so its not like I'm stuck with only 2.4x speed for them. Interesting that you should say that about the Plex 716A. It was the one I've replaced. It died last month (suddenly decided it only wanted to be a ROM instead of a burner ). The Pioneer 110D actually burns the DLs slightly faster than the 716A--if not as smoothly looking at the graphs. I only wish I'd known about the 111D before I bought the 110D. That's what I get for shopping at BestBuy. I got screwed on the price by about $20US and I didn't get the newest version. But I don't really now how I could have told. The box labels the 110D as a "R100." Only when I checked it with DVDInfoPro, VSO Inspector, et al, did I find out that I had 110D. In a like way I discovered that my old Memorex True-8 was actually a rebadged Pioneer 107. This is the third Pioneer I've had (the VAIO came with a 106) and they've all been solid. The other thing is the Qsuite software. Am I losing any capabilities because it won't work? The girl "womanning" the TS line didn't know. I would hope not. I would hope the media speeds would be determined by FW and not an application (a la AUTOSTRATEGY with Plextor). Christ, I wish the Plextor 760 had just burned DLs without a problem! Then I'd be a happy camper. Instead of a dissatisfied one. I've got a few days, the weekend, to decide whether to send back this BenQ for another brand. But what brand? Just skip the bells and whistles and go with the NEC 3550A? Maybe. Basically, I wish the 716A was still working. Then I'd have it and the Pioneer 110D and be burning away happily.

You beg the wrong person. Who do you think is the real power behind minty's plot? Do you really think he could conquer Earth without my starfleet? Without my legions armed with the latest BFGs? He'll merely be the ornament of power. The true ruler will be....ME!!!!! (!) God Emperor of the Known Universe! (Well, as soon as Minter outlives his usefulness, that is. All the necessary, ah, adjustments will be blamed on him and he'll be banished to work as a cashier at Wal-Mart. The people will be pleased. And I will rule in name and in fact!!!!!

I rec'd the BenQ DW 1655 yesterday (paid for two day, got overnight, not surprisingly since the company's less than 400 miles from here). Down to brass tacks: There are two issues. It will burn Verbatim + R DLs at only 2.4x. Should be 8x. (To dlbchk IB, I popped a blank in and opened Nero to see if perhaps it was something with IB, nope, 2.4x is all it'll give me). I called their tech support line and got somebody who was not technically proficient. She asked me to look at the burning surface of a (Verbatim) +R DL. "Is it bluish-purplish?" Of course it is. "According to our techs," she tells me, "these disk don't work very well with BenQ drives. Use [DLs] with silver or gold backs." Is there even such an animal? I checked the back of the Ritek DLs I have and the color's virutally indistinguishable from the Verbatim's color. Have I managed to get another malfunctioning burner? I've swapped out four burners in two weeks, two of them bad. This is getting irritating. I considered whether there might be a problem with the Controller, but I don't think so. The Pioneer 110D is running just fine--burning DLs at 8x--and it's on the same channel. And the Memorex True-8 (Pioneer 107) ran just fine as Master drive on this channel and on the exact same cable (80-wire, 40pin). Does the QSuite need to be working in order to burn DLs at top speed? Second issue The "Qsuite" software won't launch. It appeared to install normally (nothing in the Event Viewer, but that doesn't mean much, does it?). When I click the shortcut--or the exe directly--I get a warning window, the usual "use this at your own risk" crap. When I click okay, that window goes away, but the software will not launch. I don't know if the problem with Qsuite sftw is affecting the drive's performance or not. _____________________________________________________ Anyone else have problems with DLs burning at only 2.4x? Anyone else unable to launch the Qsuite software? All help appreciated! Otherwise I guess I'll be send my third burner back in ten days!

Thanks. I read the afterdawn article. Strikes me as awfully weird. Not the article, but the concept. Why create an....ah...deliberate pain in the ass and then make it removeable by simply flashing the next firmware update? Am I the only that finds that a little redundant and lot a waste of time?

Yeah, we had the Credit Card Lecture last night. I'm 35 years old and she can still make me feel like I'm five and explaning how the living room lamp got to be into a million pieces. Unfortunately, I can no longer blame my little brother. But she wouldn't really bitch about this. Be less money, actually than the Plextor. She'd like that.

Even in a strictly monogamous relationship, you're right. You can still catch something permanent, eh, crule? ANOTHER KID!!!!! The Universal Male Response to the Statement: "Honey, I'm pregnant." #39;( "What? How'd that happen?"

Amen. The rewards are more satisfying. makes it even better. Casinos are not warm, fuzzy places. OK, they're warm. But not fuzzy.

That's high praise, considering and the price point seems to be good. I'll definitely consider it if my next Plex doesn't work out. The Plextor 716 was the best drive I ever had ('cept for it crapping out, but hey, shit happens). Fast and the graphs looked great. But if the 760's just incompatible with my system (which seems highly unlikely given how well the 716 interacted) then the HD 3550A and the BenQ DW1655 are definitely on the list. Now that I think about it, maybe I should have returned the 760 for a refund! For what I paid for it, I could buy both the BenQ DW1655 ] and the firewire external HD 3550A!!! Damn. Should have done my research. That way I could have hooked up the external 3550A to the laptop. Guess I can always call them tomorrow and see if its shipped... ...or is having three burner's self-indulgent?

Member number 2906. Can't I be grandfathered in? To say, 106 or something? This makes me look like a wet-behind the ears...newbie

Hah! You laugh now. But when our crack assault team eggs your house tonite --who'll be laughing then!!!!

I just looked up your smiley page. Thanks, crule. There's a veritable treasure trove!

Depends on the cigar! Take a fine Fuente or a Cuban Cohiba, ahhh, fragrance of the gods . But that's pure Caribbean sunshine. With machine rolled, paper-wrappered gar-bahge like Philly blunts or Black and Tan, then yah, its like burning cat. :&

Minty, for the benefit of myself and others who do not have your encyclopedic knowledge of this subject... What's "RipLock"?

They were Johnny-on-the-spot. Just hope my supposition's correct and this drive here is just a bad one. If not, like I said, there's always the NEC HD 3550A. Maybe even the firewire external version. It's only $63 on Meritline. If it comes to going to a new brand I'll be sure to seek advice herein.

DB, Think about that congresswoman who took a swing at security at the Capitol (if I'm not mistaken)! Unfortunately, our security/intelligence (or lack thereof) has made us look like a bunch of fools, especially with that idiot Bush running things! I'll be glad when 2008 comes around and we can vote another "idiot" into Office! By the way, I remember reading the article about the prank...quite sad. "Idiot Bush"? Pardon me, but how many terrorist attacks have there been since the one planned during the administration of the former Perjurer-in-Chief? How many? Let's hear it...let's hear it... ZERO. (!) That "idiot's" the reason we're fighting terrorist 7,000 miles from here instead of in our own cities. That "idiot's" the reason the Reagan Economy's back on track. That "idiot's" the reason the Treasury's had the biggest surge in cap gains receipts since Reagan. That "idiot's" the reason that 75% of the Al-Qaeda leadership is dead or imprisoned. That "idiot's" the reason that for every GI killed in a cowardly, road-side ambush 10, 20, 100 terrorists are killed by our guys. (Islamofacists don't fight like men, can you imagine having less intestinal fortitude than a Waffen-SS trooper? That's an Islamofacist.) I've talked to the guys who've served over there. We're kicked so much terrorist ass its not even funny--all this despite the Herculean effort of the Left-Liberal media to cover up the real facts. The so-called "main-stream" press is nothing more than the propaganda arm of the DNC. Unlike under that "idiot's" criminal predecessor, we are feared again. Argument won. Case closed. I don't know you so I don't pretend to understand you or your motives. Thus my rant isn't directed at you, but your words. It's not personal. I'm just sick to death of baseless criticism of a president who's doing an excellent job. I've been paying attention to politics since the '80 election (since I was 9). And I've never seen a more concerted, organized, continuous attack on a president or any political figure. The attacks on Reagan seem amateurish by comparison. Clinton committed some of the grossest crimes (and I'm not talking cigars here) ever perpetrated by a President and he gets a pass from the Left-Liberal media. With this president the media actually manufactured lies (and still is!) to try and defeat his re-election bid. Given all this, it's no wonder we conservatives are angry and frustrated as lie after lie after lie is peddled--with sickening pseudo-sincerity--about this man and his administration. Thank God there are now two medias in this country. The Left-Liberal and the one that tells the truth.

THAT day, they could have strapped machetes to their legs and no one at Logan Intl would have noticed.

Uh, you're kidding, right?

Being a resident of Nevada, sadly, this is not true. You can ask my brother-in-law whose currently sitting in County. By it, I meant that things that would illegal just about anywhere else, like whoring and gambling, are okay since the whole place was founded by mobsters. Yeah, I know what you meant . But there is an interesting wrinkle in the prostitution law. Prostitution's legality is up to the county in any county with a population less than 400,000 people. Nevada has only 8. Guess which county is the only county with more than 400,000 people? Clark--home of Las Vegas. Seem's whorin's fine, long as you've take an hour's drive away from the Strip. Here's a laugher: prostitution is completely untaxed by the state. Every legislative session (they're every two years here), the Bordello Association offers to pay taxes to the state. Every year the legislature turns them down with well-practiced indignation. Uncle Sam, though, has no compunction about taxing money from that source. But the state that gambling built? Won't touch this.

No I hadn't looked. Failure after 11%, that's not good. Lemme see, when did you do that test...3 months ago. If had been six months or more I might have asked, perhaps they've improved. Also, I've never seen a IBG graph like that. The DLs I've burned (all +R DLs) look sort of like suspension bridges. The Pioneer 110D doesn't produce as smooth a graph as the Plextor but nothing like that mess. And it llooks like verify failed. Yeah, that does give me pause. Guess they'll be going back. Thanks for the link and the head's up (strike that, reverse it). I'm still having trouble getting test data out of DVDInfoPro. Using a screenshot of test done by Grain, I can't get the settings to match his.

A police officer extorted money from you? Why I'm just shocked, pony, just shocked! Seriously, I'd have taken the deal too. I've had cops confiscate other, ah, things than money. With the prospect of my old man bailing me out of jail, I was happy to give up. In fact, I'd probably have paid to stay in jail rather than have faced my Dad back in high school. Reckless driving not exactly healthy for the insurance rates. I read somewhere that it tends to raise your rates higher than a DUI.

Amazon had a 3pk of Memorex +R DLs on sale for 7.99. They turned out to be rebranded Riteks, Ritek D01, and all three of them burned with no problems and the results have been fine. Of course, one must be careful with Memorex as they've deteriorated steadily in the quality of their optical media. The days when we considered them--rightly--as among the best blank audio cassette makers are long, long gone. It's no longer, "Is it live or is it Memorex," it's more like "Is it CMC or is it Prodisc"? It's funny to think I used to pay $3+ each (in the mid and late 80s, so its probably more like $5+ in today's money) for 90 min audio tapes and blank CDRs go for pennies. I have a 5 pack of Memorex re-branded RICOHJPN +RWs that I've been using pretty regularly for nearly two years. The first one just died. Generally RICOHJPN is considered pretty good stuff especially with their RWs. I just bought a 25 pk spindle of Ritek/Ridata 6x -RWs that are performing quite nicely. But seriously, and I don't think anyone's going to contradict me here: for +/- R & CDRs stick with Taiyo Yuden they are considered the best--I have burned at least 200 with only a few coasters all of which were due to "operator error" ; and I have over 400 blank Taiyos in various formats and speeds (in America supermediastore.com and meritline.com both have excellent prices and service in my experience; in the UK or the Continent, someone else'll have to help you there, not my side of the Pond) For +R DLs Verbatim seems to be the only brand that has a consensus as to their quality.

Hey Pain_Man ! Reading through your posts I thought I better say to not bother with the Verb DVD-R DL's !! Not suitable for burning Dual Layer images for playback on your standalones - if its not too late cancel the order or send em back unopened ! They're that bad? What about using 'em for data (specifically music files)?

Cigarette smoke. The chemical camoflauge of choice. There are few stenches so bad a cigarette can't cover it up. Oh yeah, the cheap cigars I used to smoke worked even better. (Neighbors must've hated me; Philly blunts smell like burning shoe heel.)