i've just got some ridisc dl 8x discs and tried burning them with my pioneer dvr-111d writer but I can only write at 2.4x even though they are 8x discs. I have the latest firmware on my writer. Please can anyone tell me which other writers will burn these discs at 8x and that are as good as pioneer dvr-111. I know ridisc are cheaper than other discs but I thought I would give them a try. I usually use verbatims.

I find that discs burnt at slower speeds work better anyhow

Take a look at the first link in my sig. Scroll down to the bit about E-net products and I think you will find your answer. Consider yourself lucky to have a working disc at 2.4x.

i tried those same (ridata s04) discs myself and eventhough i got good burn/read results with my rebadged liteon 1673 burner, i was not able to find a firmware that would allow me to burn them any faster than 2.4x

my next batch of discs were memorex(ridata d01) rated at 2.4x and for some reason they burn at 4x with the same firmware

i assume this means our firmwares are not updared for the media codes of the ridata s04 discs

Big difference between Ridisc and Ridata. Ridata is an official Ritek label while Ridisc are a shoddy budget media label that has absolutely no connection with Ritek/Ridata other than the fact that some of their media carries the Ritek media ID code. Either way neither of the discs are the most reliable to use but if I was forced to choose between the two I would be picking Ridata.

i read your dl media thread, but i guess my brain was fogging up by the time i finished it the first time

Given your user id that doesn't surprise me.