Toshiba SD-M1712 dvd drive, DVD +R/RW reading, yes or no ?

[Szilard]

can the toshiba sdm 1712 dvd drive read the DVD+R(W) ?

thx

Szilard

[vbl117]

SD-M1612 could , so i think SD-M1712 can ( i think owners will confirm that ) . The Toshiba SD-M1612 was the first DVD ROM drive to read all writable/rewritable DVD formats ( DVD-R/RW , DVD+R/+RW , and DVD RAM ) ......

[Han]

SD-M1612 could , so i think SD-M1712 can ( i think owners will confirm that ) . The Toshiba SD-M1612 was the first DVD ROM drive to read all writable/rewritable DVD formats ( DVD-R/RW , DVD+R/+RW , and DVD RAM ) ......

That's not entirely true. Not all 1612 revisions are capable of reading DVD+R(W).

SD-M1712 is DVD Multi compatible, thus it reads any DVD format.

[vbl117]

SD-M1612 could , so i think SD-M1712 can ( i think owners will confirm that ) . The Toshiba SD-M1612 was the first DVD ROM drive to read all writable/rewritable DVD formats ( DVD-R/RW , DVD+R/+RW , and DVD RAM ) ......

That's not entirely true. Not all 1612 revisions are capable of reading DVD+R(W).

SD-M1712 is DVD Multi compatible, thus it reads any DVD format.

Strange . It seemed to me that SD-M1612 was reading DVD+R/+RW since beginning ( DVD+R/+RW compatibility was claimed by Toshiba and tests showed the same ) . Can you be more accurate when speaking about "revision" . Because i don't know Toshiba drives as well as you and i thought SD-M1612 was a model . Do you mean there is something like SD-M1612A , SD-M1612B , SD-M1612C etc... ? On website they do not speak about revisions ( but they don't even mention DVD+R/+RW at this time ) .

Thanks for input .

[Han]

Toshiba usually does some minor hardware and software modifications of the same model thru the production period. These modifications are "silent" and new firmwares are not posted on any Toshiba official site, except for some writers.

In the case of SD-M1612 support for DVD+R(W) reading is firmware related. There were many reports that drives with the first original 1004 firmware are not capable of reading "+" discs (I have such myself). Fortunately the firmware page keeps track of virtually all firmwares (which are actually extracted from the drive's flash chip), so you can make your A or B revision SD-M1612 capable of reading DVD+R(W) with 1806 firmware. (I'm not sure about revision C drive, for which only 1002 firmware is known and available.) Drives are labeled as A, B, C... revisions by The Firmware Page, not by Toshiba.

[vbl117]

Thanks Han

[tlotz]

SD-M1612 could , so i think SD-M1712 can ( i think owners will confirm that ) . The Toshiba SD-M1612 was the first DVD ROM drive to read all writable/rewritable DVD formats ( DVD-R/RW , DVD+R/+RW , and DVD RAM ) ......

That's not entirely true. Not all 1612 revisions are capable of reading DVD+R(W).

SD-M1712 is DVD Multi compatible, thus it reads any DVD format.

What information source is telling you that the SD-M1712 is DVD Multi compatible? The specs are at the URL:

http://sdd.toshiba.com/cda/main.aspx?Pa ... 9c00001113

Read the top line:

DVD: DVD-ROM (DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD-10, DVD-18), DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM

No DVD-Multi, DVD+R or DVD+RW. That to means that the drive could read DVD+R or DVD+RW discs, but the drive's performance with any DVD+ media is not guaranteed because the drive does not officially support the DVD+R or DVD+RW formats. I have already read a review on the 1712 that shows trouble reading a DVD+R disc--in this review, the drive got a read failure after reading 4 GB from the DVD+R disc. I know Toshiba could/should fix problems like this in firmware, but, since the drive doesn't officially support reading of any DVD+ media, it seems clear that the Toshiba 1712 drive is not for anyone wanting a DVD-ROM that can read DVD+R and DVD+RW discs *reliably*. One other thing: Toshiba is a supporter of the DVD- formats, like Pioneer and Apple are. It seems that Toshiba is less inclined to support reading of the DVD+ formats, since the company doesn't support DVD+ and instead supports DVD-.

[Han]

Our local importer of Toshiba drives told me from the paper sheet that this drive s DVD Multi compatible.

I've read some reviews, including the one that showed the drive has problems reading DVD+R at the end. CDR-Info's review confirmed the issue, although this time Toshiba was able to read the entire disc.

I have to say Toshibas are quite sensitive to errors and badly written media. That doesn't mean they are incapable of reading such discs, but they tend to adjust the reading speed according to surface and data integrity.

If you're looking for a fast DVD±RW reader, go for Lite-On or Pioneer. Btw, Lite-On (Sony DDU1611) had also problems at reading DVD+R in Digit Life's roundup of DVD-ROM drives.

[hijacker]

Toshiba SD-M1712 CAN read -R(RW) AND +R(RW) with firmware 1004.

Toshiba SD-M1612 CAN read -R(RW) AND +R(RW) with 18XX series firmware. With 1004 it can only read -R(RW).

Don't trust Toshiba about this...

[Han]

And with patched Jxxx firmware, Toshiba is now among the fastest DVD readers!