kahuna

Thanks for the insights. I just got my first set of BD-R DL, it's amazing how different they look to a DVD-R/CD-R 🙃 I was doing some numbers in regards to BD-R costs, in case there is anyone interested. These are in Canadian Dollars, looking primarily to Amazon.ca: Verbatim BD-R 25GB HardCoat 50 units = $70 = $1.40 per disc = $0.056 per GB Verbatim BD-R 25GB HardCoat 25 units = $40 = $1.60 per disc = $0.064 per GB Verbatim BD-R DL 50GB HardCoat 25 units = $97 = $3.88 per disc = $0.077 per GB Verbatim M-Disc BDXL TL 100GB single unit = $30 = $0.3 per GB Based on these numbers I decided to go with BD-R DL for the moment as they're indeed more expensive (cost per GB) than the single layer ones, but they are more convenient when it comes to physically store them. Also, the cost difference is not that much and I don't really plan to toast too many of them in any case, as my main primary use case for BDs is to store backups. Lastly, I've also purchased a couple of these M-Disc BDXL 100GB to backup some "important" stuff I have. I'm in the middle of rebuilding my home lab, so it will take a while until I actually start burning some BD-Rs 😅

I've ordered some CDs, DVDs, BDs ... I plan to burn a few things and report back 😃 Thanks all!

Thanks, very insightful!

I see. I thought they were the same, but it seems they are not. The "DataLifePlus" ones are only available in "printable" format in Amazon Canada. https://www.amazon.ca/Verbatim-DataLifePlus-Silver-Inkjet-Printable/dp/B0002J5HHA/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1ZY8P1KPDK9HK I guess the Taiyo Yuden are these ones: https://www.amazon.ca/PlexDisc-700MB-Inkjet-Printable-Recordable/dp/B09QHN5WMZ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3NH4Q72SC80DC https://www.amazon.ca/PlexDisc-700MB-Digital-Audio-Recordable/dp/B09X2DKYC6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3NH4Q72SC80DC Not sure what's the difference between these "audio" CDs and the regular ones. Probably, will get them next time. By the way, I just wrote some stuff on the DVD+RW 2.4x and it worked just fine. I was able to access the data that was on that DVD+RW. I also tried to burn a Mac game using this new BD-R unit with the "low quality" Verbatim I have. As expected, it didn't work, I'm afraid my iBook really don't like these "Verba-crap" metalic grey CDs, it doesn't matter with which burner they are recorded. Thanks!

Yup. I saw how ImgBurn wrote the data at 600KB/sec. Took around 20 minutes as expected. In this case, 4x is a supported speed by the BD burner. https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/StaticFiles/Manuals/Business/ORC8325A-a.pdf (page 4)

Hey @ThaCrip thanks for your reply. I think our messages crossed. This Pioneer BD unit is able to burn CDs at 4x 🤩 ImgBurn shows all the speeds available, which match what the drive documentation indicates (4x, 10x, 16x...) Yeah, totally agree on the media. I have just a couple of old Verbatim blank CD-Rs (52x). They're white at the top instead of the metalic grey colour the new ones have (also 52x). I used one of the white ones to burn the ISO of the MacOS 9.2.2 and it was amazing how fast I was able to install the OS. According to ImgBurn these old white Verbatim CD-R are manufactured by MID: 97m17s06f (Moser Baer India), while the new metalic grey ones are produced by MID: 97m26s66f (CMC Magnetics Corp.) Also, the Verbatim CD-Rs that look like a vinyl disc are created by CMC as well. These "vinyl" CDs are the ones that work with my iBook. So, anyone knows where to get quality CDs these days? Where can I find those Mitsubishi CDs?

In the end I've got the Pioneer BDR-212UBK. I'm quite happy with the purchase; well, at least so far. I've burnt a couple of CD-Rs for my iBook G3 'clamshell' at 4x and they work like a charm. One is an ISO file with both PC data and Mac data; the other is a BIN+CUE with a Mac data track and several audio tracks. Looking forward to start messing with BD-R. I think the next step will be to get some BD-R M-DISCs for data I'd like to preserve for years to come. I do not have any blanks 8x DVD+RW. I do have an old DVD+RW "2.4x certified" from Verbatim and another even older TDK DVD-RW "for 2x recorders" 😁 Right now ImgBurn is doin a full erase on the DVD+RW, as I had some data there from 2008! The TDK DVD-RW is brand new, I just removed the plastic wrap... Will report back. Thanks @dbminter and anyone else who's reading this 😉

I don't think so... I see the same thing on the MAXIMUM WRITE SPEED (BD) table: https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Computer/Computer+Drives/BDR-2212 https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Computer/Computer+Drives/BDR-212UBK

Yeah, all around BD-R drives seems to be weird these days. The Pioneer BDR-212UBK is now listed as an "old model", the new one they have is the BDR-2212, but there are no clear specs and it's suspiciously cheaper than the 212UBK. I think it's because it doesn't support the 4K Ultra format playback as you pointed out with the NS40.

Thanks for your reply @dbminter The NS40 is widely available and just at $100 CAD. However, it seems the NS60 is hard to find and it's around $230 CAD on the cheapest place I could find it. The other option I'm seeing is the Pioneer BDR-212UBK. Yeah, I read that you love this one especially According to this: https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/StaticFiles/Manuals/Business/ORC8325A-a.pdf It can pretty much write at any speed. They just released a firmware update, just FYI. BDR-212JBK_UBK_FW102EU.exe updated May 25, 2022 ver. change point 1.02 Improvement of the playback operation with specific media 1.01 Support New BD-R TL media(4x Writing : RiTEK) Improvement of the operational stability when BD-R SL 16x speed recording. Improvement of the operational stability when recording CD, DVD, BD. Price wise, it's $195 CAD in a nice retail package that I don't really care much about. Thinking of pulling the trigger on this one ...

Hello everyone, First post here. Thanks for all the good work you do on ImgBurn. I'm looking for a "jack of all trades" unit if you wish. Basically, a BD drive that can also burn CDs and DVDs for vintage platforms. Currently, I'm using an ASUS CD/DVD drive with ImgBurn, I'm afraid it's not working well. Most of the time the CDs that I burn with it are illegible in my old equipment. To give an example, at the moment I'm burning games for my iBook G3 "clamshell". They come in bin+cue format, they have a data track and several audio tracks. Well, I have always had good results burning as slow as possible. However, the slowest this ASUS drive can burn a CD-R is 16x. So, I think that's part of the problem. The workaround that I've in place is that I'm using the Sony DVD/CD IDE unit that came with my PowerMac G5 and "Toast Titanium 10" for MacOS. I can burn those discs at 8x and I'd say 80-90% of the time they just work on my iBook. But sometimes, I get a coaster or the iBook is not able to read the CD-R. So, I burn it again ... and it works (magically) ... Same CD brand, same batch... The blank CD-Rs of choice are also the issue. I had some "Sony CD-R" laying around, they didn't work at all, not even in the G5. I've got Verbatim 52x, the G5 is happy but the iBook is not. Then, I found some "Verbatim audio" blank CDs (they imitate the looks of a vinyl disc). It seems everyone is happy with those. So, I'm looking for a rewriter unit that is more reliable and also I'm taking the opportunity to be able to burn BD (SL/DL/TL... DVDs ... M-DISC as well, whatever) if I need to. This one WH16NS40 seems that can write CDs at 8x and supports pretty much all formats (is that right?). While the WH16NS60 is kind of the updated version, but I don't see how slow it can write, I believe LG is only listing max speeds on its specs. Has anyone tried to burn anything really slowly with this unit? Thanks in advance for your comments and feedback!