Can someone recommend a blu-ray drive that is known to work with M-Discs & BDXL discs and with ImgBurn?

[Outlier]

I'm about to buy a new computer (Dell XPS 8930).  There's an option to pay $50 extra for an internal blu-ray burner but it's not clear whether it supports M-Disc and BDXL disks (their support reps seemed unsure).  Rather than go through trial and error, can someone recommend a SLIM internal blu-ray burner that is known to work with M-Disc and BDXL and works with ImgBurn?  I say "slim" because the drive bay's height is less than 0.5 inches so it won't fit the older standard size height (ie/ it won't fit my Asus BW-16D1HT because the height of that is 1.61 inches).  Anyone?

[dbminter]

I would recommend NO slim drives at all.  Slim drives are junk.  Just had a recent poster who had an issue with a slim drive in a Dell failing to Verify that a full height drive in a different Dell did Verify.

 

 

I would suggest buying a full height Pioneer BD209M, putting it in an enclosure, and using it as an external burner.

 

 

I absolutely hated the fact Dell removed full height drive bays from the XPS line.  Absolute deal killer for me.  Not only can't you put in a good drive, but you really can't use the drive included with the system!    I would have moved on from my XPS 8700 if it weren't for that fact.  Now, I'm going to keep my Dell until I absolutely have to move on to a new Dell and just place one of my internal full height drives in an enclosure.

 

 

If you really want a slim drive, though, I honestly can't recommend one.  Slim drives have been nothing but problems as far as I've seen from posters on this board.  So, I can't help you there, sorry.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

They'll all work with ImgBurn, but I couldn't personally recommend any slim line drives either

 

After a quick Google, there don't seem to be many options for an internal slim line drive supporting BDXL and M-Disc. It'll probably have to be an LG of some description.

[dbminter]

And LG's aren't really an option for BD-R/RE DL media.  The one I have doesn't and others have reported issues, too, with burning ISO's in ImgBurn on LG BD burners.  On the fly writing, though, does seem to work.  Go figure.  So, since there seems to be an issue with LG's on DL BD media, I can't see it being problem free with XL media, too.  Another reason I pushed the Pioneer 209.  It supports BDXL, though I've never actually burned one on it so I can't say how well it does it.  And it supports M-Disc, which I have burned before in it fine.  And it writes BD-RE DL fine.  Never tried BD-R DL but someone else I was helping with a similar problem with the LG had no problems with BD-R DL when swapping the LG out for the Pioneer.

[Outlier]

I would recommend NO slim drives at all.  Slim drives are junk.  Just had a recent poster who had an issue with a slim drive in a Dell failing to Verify that a full height drive in a different Dell did Verify..

Was that poster's Dell drive capable of M-Disc and BDXL?  I'm still wondering if they even exist. 

 

Do you think those successes/failures can be a hit or miss?  I just had my regular size Asus BW-16D1HT successfully burn my Verbatim M-Disc BDXL blu-ray discs but upon verification, there was an uncorrectable error.  These disks are about $20 each so I'd like to know a recommendation for a burner that someone knows works for sure so I don't waste any more money on coasters.  If I have to switch to an external one, then any recommendation for one that reliably does M-disc and BDXL?

[dbminter]

The other Dell poster's slim and full height drives were DVD burners.  So, they weren't M-Disc capable.

 

 

My results are generally not hit or miss.  I thoroughly run tests before saying X.    However, you can get random failures that just happen.  Usually, though, these failures are the fault of a random disc that just happened to be bad.  For instance, the other day, I had a rare failure on a Verbatim BD-R SL.  They rarely fail, like 1 in a thousand failures.  The cause was there was a crack in disc that apparently came out of the factory that way.  Again, one of those one in a thousand failures.  The way I test, I perform a test with 3 media in a row before declaring a problem.  However, with your XL discs costing $20 a pop, my method is not cheap.  But, I generally can't say a problem is repeatable and therefore there without running the 3 media test.  Last night, had a failed DVD+R DL in my LG BD burner.  Before declaring there was a problem, I tried burning it again and it succeeded on that 2nd try.  Now, if I get 2 more failures pretty soon after each other, I'll declare the LG needs replacing.  (LONG story as to why I still use an LG drive even though I don't recommend them.)

 

 

Unfortunately, that ASUS drive you mention is junk.  I had two of them, just in case the first one I got was a fluke and was bad.  It did the same thing on both models, one of which went back to Amazon.com.  I'd have sent the other one back but I had already sent in the UPC code from the box for a rebate, so I couldn't.  I just threw the drive away.  That model doesn't seem to write rewritable discs correctly.  I first gave it a Ritek 8x DVD+RW.  It wrote to it but completely destroyed the disc, even though it was new.  It couldn't be reformatted for salvaging because the disc was not even recognized in any drive as a disc to format.  Then I gave it a Memorex Ritek BD-RE SL formatted as a giant floppy.  It wrote files to it, but, once again, it rendered the disc unreadable afterwards and could not be salvaged.  Then I gave it a Verbatim Mitsubishi BD-RE DL and wrote an ISO to it that spanned the 2 layers.  Same story!  Wrote to the disc but rendered it destroyed.    Since it did these same tests with the same results on 2 different copies of that ASUS drive, the problem is with the drive.  It's borked.  Firmware updates may fix this, but I don't think there are any firmware updates to it currently available. 

 

 

So, I cannot recommend the BW-16D1HT.  Though I've never burned a BDXL disc before, your results with the drive seem to bear out my testing experiences with the drive.  Which is a shame.  I had such high hopes for ASUS as my new go to drive after the ASUS USB drive I had, the previous model to the current borky one, passed every single media test I threw at it, save for 2 which hardly any drives other than LG and LiteOn supported.  I had thought ASUS might be my new go to model for internal full height BD.  But, that goes to Pioneer BD209M now.

 

 

Now, I think Pioneer makes an external BD burner that supports XL and M-Disc, but it is a slot model drive.  And I don't think the firmware has been updated in 3 years on it.  So, I'd just recommend, if you're going to go external, sticking with my first suggestion of a Pioneer BD209M and putting it in an external enclosure.

[Outlier]

That was the first failure for me on that Asus drive I mentioned (I burned plenty of data DVD and data blu-rays on it before).  But this was the first M-Disc and BDXL blu-ray that I tried burning on it.  And it was all data (no videos).  I never did any firmware updates on it because I couldn't find a download link for one on the Asus website.

 

Anyway, I couldn't find the Pioneer BD209M you mentioned.  Do you recommend Pioneer in general, or just that particular model?  Because I do see an external Pioneer BDR-XD05B on Amazon that does M-Disc and BDXL and it has 4 star reviews.  But it looks slim which you said to stay away from.  Should I give it a try? 

 

By the way, if there doesn't seem to be any slim internal blu-ray drive that does M-disc and BDXL out there, what are the chances that Dell's XPS 8930 has one?  If they do, it must be the only one out there.  Do you think they came up with the first one?  Or do you think their sales reps are just mistaken and their blu-ray drives really don't have M-disc and BDXL capability?

[dbminter]

Of course, not all slim drives are junk.  And, IMO Pioneer is the best BD option out there for full height drives.  I admit, I've wanted to try a different slim Pioneer, but I won't try it until my ASUS USB plays out.  The down side to that Pioneer USB I want to try is there doesn't appear to be a tray.  It appears to be a slot drive.  So, you may have to manually reinsert discs for Verifies after burns if automatic Verifies are performed.  I don't know if slot drives can automatically "reload" media or not.  I am kind of anxious to see if that Pioneer USB drive is any good.

 

 

The Pioneer BD209M has many names.  Sometimes it just goes by 209, sometimes 2209, sometimes 209M, sometimes BD209M.  Here's the link I ordered from:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GD792US/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Notice it goes by yet another alternate name? 

 

 

Pioneer is pretty much all I recommend.  The only reason I have an ASUS is because I like to have an external model on hand to test with, in case my internal drives goes wonky for whatever reason.  The only reason I have an LG is a long story, as I said, but the thumbnail version is Pioneer borked the 1.34 firmware for their drives so they don't properly write to Ritek 8x DVD+RW anymore.  And the Pioneer doesn't read or write Ritek 6x DVD-RW.  The LG will properly read and write to those media.  The ASUS will write to 8x DVD+RW but not to 6x Ritek DVD-RW.  And Ritek was the only remaining manufacturer of 8x DVD+RW.  Now, you can't find any anywhere on the Internet.  I have about 75 I found from one last seller on Amazon.com, so I bought them all up.  And 6x DVD-RW was discontinued years ago, with Ritek being the last remaining seller.

 

 

Since the XPS 8390 comes with a default DVD writer, there's no telling what they might swap in in its place for a BD writer.  IF I had to hazard a guess, I'd say Dell would use this LG model:

 

http://www.lg.com/us/burners-drives/lg-BU20N-internal-blu-ray-dvd-drive

 

 

It's a slim, internal BD writer that supports BDXL and M-Disc.  So, you'd most likely end up with an LG slim drive.  Being BOTH a slim drive and an LG aren't good selling points for me.  And I think it's the ONLY such model you will find that fits your criteria.

 

 

If I were going to get a BD burner for the latest Dell models, I'd get a Pioneer 209 and put it in an external closure, like I recommended before.  Other than that, I'd be willing to try that Pioneer slim model USB I mentioned and give it a test.  I could always return it if I wasn't satisfied.

 

 

That USB Pioneer you mentioned is a top loader.  Top loaders are probably even worse choices for external models.  Though I've never used one such BD drive, top loading Playstations were always the models that had the most disc problems, IMO.  I wouldn't try one, but maybe Pioneer makes a better type?  Who knows?

 

 

This is the USB one I'd try:

 

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Computer/Computer+Drives/BDR-XU03

 

Mostly because it has a stand that will put the drive vertically, and that's what I needed from the ASUS USB I got.  It was vertically mounted.

 

 

This is the model that, apparently, replaced Pioneer's BDR-XD05B, as that model is no longer listed on their web site:

 

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Computer/Computer+Drives/BDR-XS06

 

 

Pioneer also makes a newer model that replaces the 209:

 

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Computer/Computer+Drives/BDR-211UBK

 

 

But, it doesn't support M-Disc, it seems.  I would toy with trying it to see if they fixed the borked firmware, but the extra cost is mostly because it's a newer model and supports Ultra HD Blu-Ray, which I don't need.  It does support the BDXL you're looking for.  I'd still recommend the 209 because I've been using it for like 5 years and have had 5 of them.  Two of them have lasted for 2 years or more.  My first one still works, except for the eject button issue which I had with 2 of them.  I only just recently had to replace my 209 that I mostly used as a reader, after 2 years.  Also, LG drives are pretty bad readers, but I did have one case where the Pioneer wouldn't read a disc that the LG would.  Go figure.

[Outlier]

The last 3 USB drives you mention don't have the words M-Disc on the specs so I'm assuming they're not capable of M-Disc?

 

Since I'm getting a brand new computer, it'd be nice to have an internal blu-ray drive already included.  I'd be interested in that LG BU20N you mentioned but it seems hard to find and it costs $419.34 on Amazon brand new.  It only costs an extra $50 for the blu-ray drive on Dell's site.  The problem is, I'm not sure if it's the same drive or if it's different, will it be M-Disc or BDXL compatible?  The chat reps tell me different things, some say yes and some say no.  They don't know the name of the brand.  What I'll probably end up doing is buying it with their blu-ray drive included and see if it works.  If not, then I'll considering the other external options.

 

I'm not familiar with enclosures.  If I put that Pioneer BD209M inside an enclosure, will the enclosure accept the drive with SATA ports and then connect to the computer with a USB cable?  Can you give me an example of an enclosure that would do this?  It's also not clear whether that BD209M does M-Discs.  Does it?

[dbminter]

Yeah, I kind of had a bit of a brain and forgot you were looking for M-Disc.  Since I don't particularly care for M-Disc, it wasn't my concern when discussing what USB Pioneer I'd try.

 

 

Hm, you're right.  The 209 never had an M-Disc label on it but it did support M-Disc.  However, M-Disc support is no longer listed on the product's web page on Pioneer's web site IF it ever did list it.  So, maybe Pioneer removed that function because people weren't using it?    However, this link to the same model comes with a free M-Disc:

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0Y6-000U-00055

 

As you can see from Newegg's page, there is no M-Disc label on that drive either, yet it seems to support M-Disc.

 

 

I really couldn't tell you.  The 209 drive DID support it.  I've burned about 5 of them before with it.  However, in the past, past models I got came with a free M-Disc and the last one I got did NOT.  So, does that mean the drive no longer supports M-Disc?  I couldn't say.  You'd have to try it out for yourself.

 

 

As for enclosures, this is what I use:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRUN0HQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

It has a combination cable where the power and SATA connections are bundled together so there aren't 2 separate cables.  The enclosure then connects to the PC by USB 3.0 because USB 2.0 can't support the throughput necessary for Blu-Ray.

 

 

Now, there is something you should know about external drives, including enclosures.  You may encounter what is called a semaphore timeout error when trying to write to it.  This is an error caused by the internal SATA to USB bridge and a conflict on your motherboard's controller.  The only fixes, generally, are to replace your external drive/enclosure or your mobo.  Replacing your external drive/enclosure is, of course, cheaper and easier than replacing a mobo.  And, if you're going to replace your mobo, it's generally cheaper and easier to replace your entire PC.  And there's no guarantee the next enclosure/drive/mobo won't have the same problem.  The only way to know for sure is to try one out.  However, on my Dell XPS 8700 PC, there is no semaphore time out error with that enclosure I linked.

[Outlier]

Thanks a lot for the info.  It's been very helpful.  If I have a choice of buying an external drive and one actually says M-Disc on it and another one does not, I'd guess common sense would dictate that I get the one that says M-Disc on it.  You've convinced me on getting a Pioneer.  There's one that says M-Disc and BDXL: https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-External-Writer-BDR-XD05B-Black/dp/B00OD39P6A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1517449399&sr=8-2&keywords=Pioneer+BDR-XD05B  but as you mentioned it's a top loader.  Do you know of an external Pioneer that says M-Disc and BDXL and opens with a tray? 

[dbminter]

I don't think any external Pioneer opens with a tray.  So, no.  LG does make external, full height tray USB BD burners that support BDXL and M-Disc, I believe.

 

 

The one drive you linked, I don't see it says M-Disc on it.  Nothing in the description says that.  I didn't check Pioneer's web site to see if to does support M-Disc.  Just going by that Amazon.com page.

[Outlier]

I received my Dell XPS 8930 and the Blu-ray drive that came with it was an LG BU40N.  I tried burning a data BDXL M-Disc for backing up photos and videos.  The ImgBurn burn process said it completely successfully but when doing the verification there was an error.  This is what it said:

 

I/O Error!

 

Device: [0:4:0] HL-DT-ST BD-RE BU40N A102 (H:) (RAID)

 

ScsiStatus: 0X02
Interpretation: Check Condition

 

CDB: 28 00 00 E5 99 60 00 00 01 00
Interpretation: Read (10) - Sector: 15047008

 

Sense Area: 70 00 03 00 00 00 00 0A 00 00 00 00 11 05 00 00 00 00
SK Interpretation: Medium Error
ASC/ASCQ Interpretation: L-EC Uncorrectable Error

I can see in the log file that this occurred with a specific video file with the extension .mov.  This is the only file I see in the log with the error.  Does that mean the rest of the files verified successfully if I only see 1 file in the log?  Or does the verification process automatically stop after it receives its first error? 

 

Is it the drive or the actual Blu-ray disk that is causing this error?  The Blu-ray disk I'm using is Verbatim BDXL M-Disc. 

 

If anyone thinks it's the drive, I will have to buy an external one.  Here is a list of compatible M-disc drives:  http://www.mdisc.com/m-ready/  I don't see my LG drive on that list (although that list doesn't seem to be the most up-to-date).  But I do see some of the Pioneer drives that were mentioned earlier in this thread like the XD05 and XU03.  The XS05 is also on that list but I see an updated XS06 which is not listed (again, it might be because the list is not up-to-date).  I'm thinking I should be safe and just get either the XD05 or XU03 (since they're on that list).  Any input would be greatly appreciated...

[LIGHTNING UK!]

It doesn't automatically stop verifying, you're prompted as to what you want do - retry, abort, continue. So it all depends on how you answered the question. If you post the full log, we'll be able to tell you.

 

It's impossible to say what's at fault. All we know is it's some combination of the 2. If the drive constantly fails to burn the discs and they're fine on another drive, it's the drive. If the discs fail to burn on all drives, it's the discs. If it's all hit and miss, it's anyone's guess as to what's wrong!

[Outlier]

When the error occurred I first pressed Retry a few times.  The error repeated.  After that I don't remember which button I pressed but it could have been both but I don't remember which order. Here is what the log said:

 

 

I 21:43:08 Write Speed Successfully Set! - Effective: 17,984 KB/s (4x)
I 21:44:07 Filling Buffer... (80 MiB)
I 21:44:09 Writing LeadIn...
I 21:44:20 Writing Session 1 of 1... (1 Track, LBA: 0 - 44417631)
I 21:44:20 Writing Track 1 of 1... (MODE1/2048, LBA: 0 - 44417631)
I 23:22:31 Synchronising Cache...
I 23:22:35 Closing Track...
I 23:22:36 Finalising Disc...
I 23:23:32 Exporting Graph Data...
I 23:23:33 Graph Data File: C:\Users\Myself\AppData\Roaming\ImgBurn\Graph Data Files\HL-DT-ST_BD-RE_BU40N_A102_MONDAY-FEBRUARY-19-2018_9-43_PM_VERBAT-IMk-000_MAX.ibg
I 23:23:33 Export Successfully Completed!
I 23:23:33 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 01:40:27
I 23:23:33 Average Write Rate: 15,079 KiB/s (3.4x) - Maximum Write Rate: 17,859 KiB/s (4.1x)
I 23:23:33 Cycling Tray before Verify...
W 23:39:32 Waiting for device to become ready...
I 23:39:45 Device Ready!
I 23:39:51 Operation Started!
I 23:39:51 Source Device: [0:4:0] HL-DT-ST BD-RE BU40N A102 (H:) (RAID)
I 23:39:51 Source Media Type: BD-R (Disc ID: VERBAT-IMk-000)
I 23:39:51 Source Media Supported Read Speeds: 2x, 3x, 4x, 6x
I 23:39:51 Source Media Supported Write Speeds: 2x, 4x
I 23:39:51 Source Media Sectors: 44,417,632
I 23:39:51 Source Media Size: 90,967,310,336 bytes
I 23:39:51 Image File: -==/\/[bUILD IMAGE]\/\==-
I 23:39:51 Image File Sectors: 44,417,632 (MODE1/2048)
I 23:39:51 Image File Size: 90,967,310,336 bytes
I 23:39:51 Image File Volume Identifier: Pictures-Backup
I 23:39:51 Image File Volume Set Identifier: 4C53AD5102A597CF
I 23:39:51 Image File Application Identifier: ImgBurn v2.5.8.0
I 23:39:51 Image File Implementation Identifier: ImgBurn
I 23:39:52 Image File File System(s): UDF (2.60)
I 23:39:52 Read Speed (Data/Audio): MAX / MAX
I 23:39:53 Read Speed - Effective: 2x - 6x, 6x - 2x
I 23:39:53 Verifying Session 1 of 1... (1 Track, LBA: 0 - 44417631)
I 23:39:53 Verifying Track 1 of 1... (MODE1/2048, LBA: 0 - 44417631)
W 00:10:36 Failed to Read Sectors 15045120 - 15045151 - Reason: L-EC Uncorrectable Error
W 00:10:48 Failed to Read Sectors 15045728 - 15045759 - Reason: L-EC Uncorrectable Error
W 00:11:00 Failed to Read Sectors 15047008 - 15047039 - Reason: L-EC Uncorrectable Error
W 00:11:06 Failed to Read Sector 15047008 - Reason: L-EC Uncorrectable Error
W 00:11:06 Sector 15047008 maps to File: \2013\videoclip.mov
W 00:22:22 Retrying (1)...
W 00:22:26 Retry Failed - Reason: L-EC Uncorrectable Error
W 00:22:37 Failed to Read Sector 15047008 - Reason: L-EC Uncorrectable Error
W 00:22:37 Sector 15047008 maps to File: \2013\videoclip.mov
W 00:22:43 Failed to Read Sector 15047009 - Reason: L-EC Uncorrectable Error
W 00:22:43 Sector 15047009 maps to File: \2013\videoclip.mov
W 00:23:27 Failed to Read Sector 15047010 - Reason: L-EC Uncorrectable Error
W 00:23:27 Sector 15047010 maps to File: \2013\videoclip.mov
E 00:23:30 Failed to Read Sector 15047010 - Reason: L-EC Uncorrectable Error
E 00:23:30 Sector 15047010 maps to File: \2013\videoclip.mov
E 00:23:30 Failed to Verify Sectors!
I 00:23:31 Exporting Graph Data...
I 00:23:31 Graph Data File: C:\Users\Myself\AppData\Roaming\ImgBurn\Graph Data Files\HL-DT-ST_BD-RE_BU40N_A102_MONDAY-FEBRUARY-19-2018_9-43_PM_VERBAT-IMk-000_MAX.ibg
I 00:23:31 Export Successfully Completed!
E 00:23:31 Operation Failed! - Duration: 00:43:38
I 00:23:31 Average Verify Rate: 11,499 KiB/s (2.6x) - Maximum Verify Rate: 25,442 KiB/s (5.8x)
I 00:28:22 Close Request Acknowledged
I 00:28:22 Closing Down...
I 00:28:22 Shutting down SPTI...
I 00:28:22 ImgBurn closed!

 

I see "Close Request Acknowledged" so it looks like I may have aborted the verification early.  If that is the case, is there any way I can re-verify the disc and the files?  I've since closed the ImgBurn program and I don't remember saving the project. 

[LIGHTNING UK!]

As you burnt from files rather than an ISO, you can't verify the actual file content, but you can verify the raw sectors to check if they are readable (we know that at least 1 shouldn't be).

 

Just go into Verify mode, uncheck the option to verify against an image file and press start

[Outlier]

I just want to report that I was able to successfully burn a BDXL M-disc blu-ray disc using my new external blu-ray drive, the Pioneer BDR-XS06.  The burn operation completed successfully and the verification completed successfully.  The problem .mov file played fine in the Pioneer and when I put the blu-ray disc back into my internal LG BU40N, that same file played fine.  So it seems the correct choice of blu-ray drive to burn the disc made the difference (and of course, the right choice of program too ImgBurn).  I've got decades of photos and videos that I wanted to archive and now hopefully the discs will last a long time (supposedly 1000 years with the M-discs).  So the trial and error costed me 2 discs, but expensive discs ($20 x 2 = $40).  Hopefully this thread will help someone else out in the future...

[dbminter]

It was probably the LG's fault.  For burning multiple layer BD media, well, it just doesn't work.  9 times out of 10, they burn them wrong.  Even the on the fly "fix" that someone reported and I tested seemed to work at first but eventually revealed its true colors in that it doesn't properly burn to BD-RE DL media.  My Pioneers have always burned them correctly.

 

 

It also seems that Pioneer is one of the few companies that makes a decent quality slim drive, too?

 

 

Say, maybe you can answer a question I have about slot drives like your BDR-XS06.  Do you have ImgBurn's options set to automatically eject and reload media before an automatic Verify after burn?  If you do, does a slot drive eject and reload the disc?  I've always wondered if a drive that isn't a tray loader can do that.  Thanks!

[Outlier]

I believe I do have ImgBurn set to automatically eject and reload media after an automatic verify after burn but I'm not 100% sure.  Where would those settings be located?  In my case, when the verification started, it ejected the disc and there was a pop-up message saying that the disc needed to be manually reloaded and the message also said that this is normal if using a drive from some laptops (I'm assuming those are slim drives too).  So yeah, after the burn process was over the disk was ejected and I had to manually reload the disc when the verification started.  I didn't mind because I was checking frequently.  But I guess this could be an issue if you're burning something overnight. 

 

I got the BDR-XS06 from Amazon.  There are a few 3rd party sellers but I specifically got mine from Amazon and the one I got appeared to already have the latest firmware (version 1.10) so I didn't have to install anything.  My record with it is just 1 out of 1 so far.  Maybe I was just lucky and there are more errors to come.  I'll post if anything else comes up...

[dbminter]

Under Settings, check the Device tab and there under Options, there are a few Eject Tray After options.  Verify would be checked if that is set.

 

 

Since the setting says Tray specifically in its name, it makes sense it wouldn't apply to slot drives.

 

 

That's good to know.  News I wasn't aware of before.  Thanks!

[Outlier]

I don't know what the settings were when I was burning the disc but when I checked just now, under the "Eject Tray After" options, none of the boxes were checked. But I'm 100% sure the disc was ejected from the internal slim LG and the external slim Pioneer after the burning was done and before verification (and I didn't alter any of those settings ever).  The first time it happened it surprised me because I didn't know that would happen so it ended up staying ejected and waiting for me for a long time.  The second time, I was waiting for it and reloaded the disc as soon as it happened. 

[dbminter]

There's an easy way to check and it won't take much time if you have easy access to a CD-RW, DVD+-RW, or a BD-RE S/D/TL.  Just create a really small image file, say a few hundred MB, enough to fit on a CD-RW.  Then, burn that image to a rewritable disc in the Pioneer slim and see if the drive ejects the disc after burn and if ImgBurn waits for you to reload the disc.  If your image is really small, it should only take a few minutes to do all of this.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

The option you're looking for is 'cycle tray before verify' and it's on the Write tab in the settings.

[dbminter]

Why are there two different options?  One for Cycle Tray Before Verify and one for Eject Tray After Write?  Does that 2nd option only apply if you have the Cycle Tray Before Option unchecked?  Meaning the tray will be ejected after a Write and all writes, even if there is no Verify?

[LIGHTNING UK!]

They’re different things.

 

One says cycle and the other says eject.

 

Cycling means it ejects and then loads.

 

Eject means it ejects.

 

The eject options apply after the entire operation has completed.

Writer + verify operation is just classed as a write operation, not a verify operation.

 

The cycling of the tray between write and verify actually forms part of the verification process... it checks the drive can reinitialise the disc.

 

The eject after options are there for lazy users to save them ejecting the disc manually.