CD Duplication using Linux

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Sat, Mar 18, 2006 at 03:37:22PM -0500, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:
> As I understand it, Plextor doesn't make drive mechanisms.  At one
> point, I think that the did make some parts of the electronics.  In
> some cases, only the firmware is different
>   http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?s=61fc9f75de893e18442390b3bfe36b61&t=157393

It looks like the PX750A is one of the first where the drive is simply a
premade drive with different firmware.  It certainly lacks many plextor
features their other drives have.  The PX755 and 760 as well as the
older 740 all have the full qcheck and other plextools features, which
the 750 does not have most of them.  Plextor at least used to make drive
mechanisms.  They may have stopped by now.  Most of the current drives
use sanyo chipsets with plextors own firmware to drive the controller,
and of course their own case design.

> In any case, I would expect that current Plextor drives would
> mechanically survive about the same length of time as the other drives
> with the same mechanism.

Well unless they use different motor quality and bearings and such than
other companies, then yes probably.  Certainly in the past I know a
plextor lasted a lot longer than say a mitsumi drive.

> Since Plextor drives are usually much more expensive, I'd skip them if
> your issue is just phyical lifetime.

I would certainly skip the PX750.  The 740 and 760 are both very nice
drives, and they do have features no one else has.  Maybe they are
starting to use complete drives from other companies with custom
firmware (I hope not, although the 750 is obviously one such drive),  I
am sticking with plextor only for a while at least, but I will certainly
keep my eye out for which models are full plextor style drives, and
which are cheaper feature lacking models.

> The CD and DVD burning world seems to by full of superstition.  Which
> brands & manufacturer of media are good for which drives (at which firmware rev)
> seems to be unclear.  And this seems to matter -- coasters are still
> common.  Not to mention questions about the lifetime of the resulting 
> disks.

Brands change suppliers too.  Just because brand X works great this
time, doesn't mean they won't find a cheaper supplier for the next
batch.  It sucks really. :)

Len Sorensen
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