Plextor PX-800A, Installation And User Manual

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PX-800 Installation and Users Manual
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5. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why do I need an 80-conductor IDE cable for the PX-800A?
Your PX-800A will operate with either the older 40-conductor cable or
the newer 80-conductor IDE/ATA cable. However, the 80-conductor
cable improves performance, and the PX-800A may not be able to write
at maximum speed (18X) without it. Although the new cable has 80
conductors (wires), it still has only 40 connector pins, so it’s compatible
with the connector on your PX-800A. (The extra wires are present to
reduce interference that would slow high-speed transfers.)
Q: Is the PX-800A a DVD Multi Recorder?
Yes. The DVD Multi specification requires that DVD Multi Recorders
read and write DVD-ROM (prerecorded), DVD-R (General), DVD-RW
and DVD-RAM discs. Because the PX-800A conforms to the DVD
Multi specification, it can read and write the formats used by today’s
computers and consumer electronic (CE) DVD devices. (Note that DVD
Multi does not prescribe that devices should accommodate DVD-RAM
cartridges or 8-cm discs.)
Q: Which is better, DVD+R and DVD+RW? Or DVD-R and DVD-
RW?
A: Neither is “better” or “worse.” They’re just different standards, like
English versus metric measurement.
Different manufacturers support different standards. The DVD+R and
DVD+RW formats are supported by Plextor, Philips, Sony, Hewlett-
Packard, Dell, Ricoh, Yamaha and other manufacturers. DVD-R, DVD-
RW and DVD-RAM are also supported by Plextor, as well as Panasonic,
Toshiba, Apple Computer, Hitachi, NEC, Pioneer, Samsung and Sharp.
No matter which format a DVD disc is recorded in, it can be read by
most commercial DVD-ROM players.