Section 3. Using Your PlexWriter
PlexWriter 52/24/52A Installation and Users Manual
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How the Default VariRec Setting Is Determined
In most cases you don’t have to worry about setting VariRec. The setting is 0 (zero)
by default, and this usually works best. This default setting is determined by a
combination of steps:
1. First, we test many types of CD-R media in our factory to determine the best
write strategy (laser power and other factors) for that media.
2. We include a table of the tested media and their write strategy in your drive’s
flash memory firmware. (This table is updated when you update your drive by
downloading new firmware from the Plextor web site.)
3. When you insert a recordable disc into your drive, Plextor’s PoweRec technology
automatically identifies the manufacturer, model, and special features of the
media, then adjusts the laser power and writing speed so they’re at the optimum
settings for that disc.
4. The drive uses OPC (Optimum Power Control) to further fine-tune the laser
power setting to the specific disc that is in your drive.
5. The combined values of the pre-defined write strategies, along with the OPC test
results, create the default VariRec setting of zero.
Changing the VariRec Setting
VariRec lets you increase or decrease the laser power by up to 2 degrees in either the
positive or negative direction from this default. You can change the laser power to do
comparison testing with your CD player (home, auto, or CD-ROM drives) to find the
power setting that best suits you.
Changing the laser power changes the characteristics of the audio being written. You
can hear these changes during audio playback, although what you hear will depend
on speaker quality, audio settings, and environment.
When You Write with VariRec
VariRec writes in either Track-at-Once (TAO) or Disc-at-Once (DAO) mode. It
writes CD-DA (digital audio) on CD-R media at 4X speed, rather than at the full
speed of the drive. For this reason, audio recording using VariRec takes a bit longer
than a standard audio recording.
