I have 2 Panasonic dvd recorders, the DMR-E55 and the DMR-E60. The E55 guide says it can use 4x disks, but there's no mention in the E60 guide. Thing is, I've always bought TDK DVD-R 2x disks, but now I can't seem to find them anywhere -- presumably because the trend is towards faster speeds. Is it still possible to find 2x anywhere, and if so, is it worth tracking them down? Knowing nothing about DVD tech, I'm basing my preference for slower speeds on the VHS paradigm. Remember how 2 hours was better than 4 hours which was better than 6 hours? Is it similar with DVD speeds, or is the difference between 4x and 2x quality less dramatic? Thank you.
You are in the wrong post. How ever, it doesn't matter which DVD you use, it has to be -R though. The machine will only record at 1x speed. You have to remember that this recorders record in realy time. I have used DVD's 4x and 2x all work fine. Use TDK, Ritek or Verbatim. They work better and last longer.
I was expecting my thread to be moved from Newbies to media, not to recorders. My question is about disk speeds ... my inability to find TDK 2x disks ... why are they differentiated? Is it a matter of quality? Obviously 15 seconds more or less burning time isn't enough reason to offer different speeds. What's it about then? I can find tons of material differentiating DVD+, DVD-, DVD-RW, DVD Rom and DVD Ram, I haven't tracked down anything about this speed differentiation that makes sense to me, so I can't figure out if there's some reason why I can't seem to find TDK 2x disks anywhere these days. Thank you for your response, Juca. Except that now I'm more confused. Are you saying it doesn't matter whether I use 2x, 4x, 8x or any other x because they're all going to record in 1x anyway? No, that can't be what you're saying.
A disc that is marked 8x can be written at 1x, 2x, 2.4x, 4x, 6x or 8x ... A disc that is marked 4x can be written at 1x, 2x, 2.4x or 4x (and sometimes even 6x and 8x, depending on the manufacturer) I think that in some cases the discs that are marked 4x may just be the same discs as the ones marked 8x by the same manufacturer ... Go figure ... I've run RiData branded 4x discs through DVD Identifier that said the disc supported burning at 1x, 2x, 4x, 6-8x ... With a set top recorder, unless you're dubbing from your hard drive, you're only recording at 1x ... Those TDK 2x discs that you had grown fond of are probably marked 4x now ... My advice is that you get a good disc, Ritek, TDK, Verbatim , Maxell, ProDisc ... find the best price on one of these and disregard the recording speed ... If you're recording at a sane speed (4x or less) it doesn't matter what the disc is marked ... Also, keep in mind that the faster you record, the more compatibility problems you'll encounter ... _X_X_X_X_X_[small] . . . Of all the things in my life I've lost . . . . . I miss my mind the most . . .[/small]
Thanks for the information, Catfreak! I'll get the 4x then. Which is just as well, since they're less expensive than the 2x ones I was buying.
