DVDrom - worth upgrading firmware?

[TonyJZX]

Mine doesn't seem to read + dvds.

- dvds are fine.

Anyone recommend a firmware?


Optical Drive Properties
Device Description MATSHITA DVD-ROM SR-8175
Manufacturer Panasonic
Device Type DVD-ROM

Reading Speeds
DVD-ROM 8x
CD-ROM 24x

Device Manufacturer
Company Name M a t s u s h i t a Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Product Information http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/computer
Firmware Download http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/computer

[dr_st]

I have yet to see any firmware for Matshitas...

Anyhow, do you burn DVD+Rs with booktype of DVD-ROM? If you do, it should reduce the chance of compatibility problems.

[tfflivemb2]

Try reading this thread and use the Nero tool that is linked within it to determine which formats your drive can read:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... =read+dvds

[TonyJZX]

Infotool says this drive is not compatible with PLUS discs.

No firmware will fix that.

[dr_st]

Infotool says this drive is not compatible with PLUS discs.

No firmware will fix that.

Well, firmware actually might fix that. That is, if the firmware exists, which I'm at all not sure of. Also, Infotool is not always right. I managed to read a DVD+R on my drive, which Nero says is incompatible. But maybe the aforementioned booktype/bitsetting have had something to do with it too.

[tfflivemb2]

dr_st is correct. Infotool isn't always right, as I just found out. My CD-RW/DVD drive comes up as not being able to read DVD+R disks, but I can assure you that it does. I had tested my DVD drives before, but not my CD-RW/DVD drive.

My plain DVD drives all come up as not being able to read DVD+R disks, and it is correct, because none of mine would play them.

As for firmware upgrades, dr_st is also correct that a firmware upgrade could theoretically do the trick, but I am not aware of any firmware upgrades for these drives. I had tried searching before, because I purchased a spindle of 100 DVD+R disks, and then realized that the DVD drives wouldn't read DVD+R. No worries for me though, because I would use them in the CD-RW/DVD drive anyway.