Burning errors and Firmware Updates

From time to time we will get requests from customers like "these DVDs don't work" or "this must be a faulty batch of blank DVDs". It is in fact very rare for a blank DVD to be faulty these days. However what is quite common is that the firmware embedded into a DVD writer or recorder needs to be updated. This article describes the reasons for this.

What is Firmware? In simple terms, the combination of hardware and software is Firmware. Hardware devices such as DVD Writers contains chips that have software loaded onto them. It functions as an operating system on the hardware controlling all the basic operations.

Each brand of DVD disc is manufactured with a dye that is different. These dyes are called names like Ritek G05, AZO, TTH02, CMC.

The DVD writer for every different disc types has to adjust its laser and if the blank DVD cannot be ‘read’ the writer will fail with a error which often wrongly gives the impression that the DVD writer is faulty.

The same can occur when using different media speeds, this is especially true if moving from 8X to 16X blank DVDs for the first time.

Updating Firmware
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Most DVD writers can have the firmware updated by downloading an update from the manufacturers website.

Each update will include instructions on how to perform the update, this sholuld normally only take a few minutes.

Below are some comom manufacturers download pages:

Traxdata DVD Writers
http://www.traxdata.com/download_centre_en.html

Mitsumi DVD Writers
http://www.mitsumi.com/enduser/1_drivers.html

Sony DVD Writers
http://sony.storagesupport.com/dvdrw/downloads.htm

HP Downloads
http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/support.html

Apple Downloads
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/

Plextor DVD writers
http://www.plextor.com/english/support/support_downloads.html#firm

Toshiba DVD writers
http://www.storage.toshiba.eu/index.php?id=8&pid=137

Great site to use for a check on the list of drivers and the installed firmware
http://www.cdspeed2000.com

The Firmware Page
http://www.firmware.fr.st/

ZDNET Firmware Search
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/tsearch/firmware+updates.htm