VGN-FW51JF/H - Combo Blu-ray drive doesn't burn CD-R media above 4x

[VaioPMNS]

Hi,
I’m a newbie VAIO user having bought a VGN-FW51JF/H, which has a Blu-ray combo drive.
Only in the last few days have I decided to try out a simple CD-R burning and was quite shocked to notice the drive can only write at 4x, when the specs claim it goes up to 16x for CD-R!
The built-in drive is a Pioneer BD-ROM BDC-TD01 (firmware 1.01) and I tried three different software burners to no avail,(including Nero )all listing 4x as the top speed. Also tried 3 or 4 brands of CD-R…Sony, Memorex, Verbatim and nothing! Not only is the drive picky on the speed (taking 20 mins), but even pickier with the media…some burn well, others don’t (Memorex failed right at beginning, but Sony media pulled through).
I installed all the available updates from the support page, but apparently there is no firmware update, for the drive, to correct these serious issues. I still haven’t tried the normal DVD burning, but inserted one and at least the speed was displayed as expected, 8X, so I assume it’s only behaving like this for CD-R media.
In a store, also made a small test on another PC, exactly the same model, and once again the reported speed was 4x, so this is not exclusive to the one I bought.
Does anybody else have this issue ?
Is there a firmware for this drive ? I tried everything and couldn’t find anything…
I have one day to decide if I should keep the PC or not, as there are no guarentees Sony will acknowledge this bug and release a firmware to correct it L
Thanks in advance

[lemoineyves]

Hello again VAIO lovers,

My VAIO VGN-FW51MF went for the second time to the Sony European repair center.
Back at home (I mean my laptop), a notice was explaining me all the controls done without any further explanation.
At once I simulated a burning process (Nero9 toolkit DiskSpeed) and ... guess what, for the first time in my notebook life : 24x speed (average 16x) was reached with a Verbatim 52x CD-R.
Full of happiness I successfully burned a CD-Audio (Verbatim again)at 16x average speed ....
I tried a second one (same batch of Verbatim CD-R) and guess what ... 4x was there again ...(in French we would use the word "désespoir")
Trying many different experiments I came to the conclusion that 16x was reached once and 4x was the main rule.
Sony (repair center, hot line, ...) phoned me many times to perform a "satisfactory customer investigation" ...
I tried to speak to a technician from their repair center but ... no way, silence is gold.
In conclusion at this stage :
- the Pioneer BD-TD01 (still the 1.01 firmware version) is fully able to burn CD-R at 16X, the problem relies on the recognition of the type of CD-R (I presume through the laser beam, any idea ?) which is totally unpredictible and often failed ;
- the repair center did change something on my machine, as FOR THE FIRST TIME, I was able to burn at 16x speed ;
- now what to do to definitively solve this undescent BD-TD01 behaviour ?? = back to Sony hotline, reopening my 3-months old file, and trying to convince the 2nd level/third level of their hierarchy

Enjoy your w-e and let us keep exchanging information on this mystery (the first who will decipher wins a VAIO notebook !!!), greetings from France

[Thalamus.]

the first time in my notebook life : 24x speed (average 16x) was reached with a Verbatim 52x CD-R

Hi RogerMarie,

could you post what colour your verbatim 52x CD-R was please.?

[lemoineyves]

OK Thalamus let's go : Verbatim AZO CD-R's have a blue chemical layer ... but as I said in my previous message Verbatim CD-R's from the same batch gave 24x (once) immediately thereafter 4x, most often.

Rebooting the laptop may lead to a 24x recovered recognition ....

I think the right track to follow is a "unpredictible recognition" of the CD-R by one of the laser beams (I presume) of the Pioneer BD TD-01.

Now what's the relationship between this physical reading and the firmware of the burner ???

Hope this will help so far.

[Thalamus.]

Thanks RogerMarie,

I noticed that you only burn one disc at 24x speed but at least is was one.

Just trying to gather as much info as we can to assist in solving the problem.

So far we have had..

Sony (CD-R 700MB) light green chemical layer
Verbatim AZO CD-R blue chemical layer

[meister00-01]

Hello again,
today I received a message from an user of another forum and he wrote to me that
his FW-51 was at SONY for repair due to the burning speed problem. Yesterday he got it back and now there is another drive installed (Optiarc BD ROM BC-5500S4). SONY had exchanged the drive and now everything works fine!
It seems to me that it is easier for SONY to exchange the drive instead of writing a new firmware.

Meanwhile I´ve tested some CD´s of JVC (manufacturer: Taiyo Yuden, light green Layer) without success.
I´ve also tested some DVD+R´s of SONY and Taiyo Yuden (both purple layer) with success at burning a video DVD, whereas it wasn`t possible with my DVD-R`s of Verbatim (also purple layer).

Jogi

[VaioPMNS]

Hello everybody,

Have you noticed that a new firmware for our drive has been released ?
It's reported as version 1.3.
I still haven't tested it throughly, but i tried TDK, and some other brand CDR and nothing...but i also tried Verbatim, and it reported 24x as maximum speed.
I still haven't burned, as i had no time to do so, but at least there seems to be a little bit more compatibility.
Please try it and post your experiences.

[Thalamus.]

Sounds promising but no mention as to whether the firmware update solves the burning speed issue..

Some feedback would be welcome please..

[meister00-01]

Hi all,
the firmware update doesn´t solve the problem on my BDC-TD01.
Tested with NERO 10 and CD´s from SONY and JVC!
I hope SONY will release a better firmware which solve the problem finally!

So long
Jogi

[VaioPMNS]

Yes, i agree.
This update still doesn't solve the problem. What i find ridiculous, is that we have been complaining since December and the first firmware that comes out, it's not to fix our problem!
I think it's a miracle that it works for Verbatim. I have tested two other brands, including TDK, and only with Verbatim could i achieve 24x.
Sony, fix our problem please!