Panasonic LF-D311 DVD Writer


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Panasonic LF-D311


OEM:
Panasonic
Chipset:N/A
CDR
CDRW
1xDVD-R CLV
DVD-RW
DVD-RDL
DVD+R
DVD+RW
DVD+RDL
1xDVD-RAM ZCLV
BD-R
BD-RE
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EIDE, 1MB
More info
$400 7.6/10
26 votes
Read 36
comments

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DVD Media comments for this DVD Writer (click on the link to read the comments):
2 Accu 1xDVD-R (LD..........) comments, 0 good, 0 mixed, 0 poor.
2 Bulkpaq 1xDVD-R (PRINCO......) comments, 1 good, 0 mixed, 0 poor.
1 Discrite 2xDVD-R (TDKG02000000) comments, 0 good, 0 mixed, 1 poor.
1 Fujifilm 2xDVD-R (TAIYOYUDEN..) comments, 1 good, 0 mixed, 0 poor.
1 Imation 1xDVD-R (CMC00RG200..) comments, 0 good, 0 mixed, 0 poor.
1 MAM-E 4xDVD-R (MAM4XG02....) comments, 0 good, 0 mixed, 1 poor.
1 Memorex 1xDVD-R (CMC00RG200..) comments, 0 good, 0 mixed, 0 poor.
1 Memorex 1xDVD-RW (ProdiscDVDRW) comments, 0 good, 0 mixed, 0 poor.
2 Optodisc 1xDVD-R (OPTODISC....) comments, 0 good, 0 mixed, 1 poor.
6 Princo 1xDVD-R (PRINCO......) comments, 3 good, 0 mixed, 2 poor.
1 Sony 8xDVD-R (SONY08D1....) comments, 1 good, 0 mixed, 0 poor.
Post your DVD Media comments here
Comments
36 comments, Showing 1 to 25 comments
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I bought an Matshita LF-D310 (equivalent to Panasonic LF-D311) from a technician who doesn't know how to make it burn DVD-R's with S$15. He's selling it as a DVD-ROM drive to me. Indeed the problems with this drive is real. I use Windows XP, It's not recognized as a DVD-writer drive by Windows. It can't burn with Windows default DVD-burning feature. Tweaking registry (good for CD writer only) won't work. Tried 2 free burning softwares, one doesn't work, one burns, but the DVDs burned are unreadable, heard Nero won't work either. Upgraded drivers and firmware, still no help. As a DVD-ROM drive it's very slow (UDMA mode 1 only)

The final solution is to use an Ubuntu Linux live CD (luckily I have a second CD-ROM) and use Ubuntu default nautilus cd recording feature (no multi-session) to burn. Produced solid readable DVD's. I haven't tried with any linux burning software yet, but I think it will work too.

Don't buy it unless you are pro.


Comments posted by kakarukeys from Singapore, June 11, 2007. Rated this writer 3 of 10.





Works great. Slow, but steady, even with Princo media. Now I'm going to upgrade to the Mad Dog 16X Dominator, I hope the new one works half as well.


Comments posted by dap123 from United States, November 21, 2004. Rated this writer 10 of 10.





Att: Steve Worley
If Panasonic Tech Support isn't helpful, try either www.dfwdepot.com or www.esbuy.com. They seem to be the only ones still carrying this drive. Good Luck.


Comments posted by planomann from United States, July 25, 2004. Rated this writer No rating.





Can someone tell me how this drive is SUPPOSED to be seen by PowerDVD and Nero for example ? Mine only shows up as the D: drive (CDROM) not the G: drive (Removable disc and therefore I can't write to it. Also when I double click on the D: drive in My Computer it says 'Please insert disc' when there is already a DVD-RAM disc in it.

Have tried formatting disc to different formats but to no avail. I have latest driver I think from Panasonic site.

Drag and drop to drive G: works fine with disc formatted on my DVD recorder but I dont just want to use it for backups !

Out of ideas so need your help, guys.

Thanks in advance.


Comments posted by Steve Worley from United Kingdom, July 22, 2004. Rated this writer No rating.





I am stuck in 1x and with compability problems. Anyone could tell me where to upgrade firmeare from A128 to a new one? Thanks!!! adelacasa@aol.com


Comments posted by alfredo from United States, February 28, 2004. Rated this writer No rating.





Slow but dependable - I have written more than 1500 DVD-R and 350+ RAM discs with mine and no coasters since I got Nero 5+ and very few before using CDRWin (might have been the discs) I use Princo DVD-R 1x


Comments posted by Randall Siler from United States, January 17, 2004. Rated this writer 10 of 10.





I've had mine for about 8 months now ($170.00 OEM from Tiger Direct). I've burned over 150 DVDs with it with no problems... and I'm using the cheapo Princo media! Yes, faster would be nice and so would -RW but output quality and dependability are the bottom line. I've had absolutely no problems with this drive and would recommend it to anyone.


Comments posted by Bill Hamilton from Other, November 20, 2003. Rated this writer 9 of 10.





This is my second review for this drive.
One day my LF-D311SC stoped recognize DVD-R. Everything works fine but DVD-R writing. I tried five different brands (TDK, SONY, OPTODISK...) nothing. Different firmware didn't help. All i get, error - "Drive is in use by another application" and endless spinning of disk. So i tried another PC with Windows 98, samething. Called to Matsushita technical support. They said it's a problem with callibration. Just to take a look at drive it would be $55.00 and after all it's gonna be replacement of Laser or Mainboard. I burned ~120 disks, maybe it's enough for drive. Besides that drive is very good, i'm looking for another one with DVD-RAM capabilities.


Comments posted by Leo from Other, August 05, 2003. Rated this writer No rating.





Bought mine for $200 OEM version, says it's LF-D310, but Panasonic tech support says it's a LF-D311.
I'm using this drive for a year now with no problem. Made like a 60-70 DVD with just one bad(was atempting to make multisession DVD :().
All media from meritline, works fine in my standalone(Panasonic RA-60)
Slow, yeah, but when you making DVD who cares. Using RAM feature allthe time, it's like removeable hard drive but slower. By the way i have couple of Toshiba SD-M1612 DVD-ROM drives, they read DVD-RAM disks fine, so so it's not useless. DVD-RAM cartridges a little noisy.


Comments posted by Leo from Other, May 07, 2003. Rated this writer 9 of 10.





I have had this drive for 2 weeks now I got a refund for my Sony -/+ writer had Nothing but problems with XP.

This drive really is a good deal. I paid £150.00 here is the bundle

Panasonic Drive
IDE Cable
Firewire Interface Card
Firewire Cable
3X DVD RAM Disc's
3x DVD-R Disc's
Instalation Manual
Instalation Video
DVD RAM Driver Software
Pinnacle DV EXpress
Pinnacle Studio 7SE
Power DVD
Power VCR II
Primo Prazzi Software

I had to download some patches for XP and I have been using Nero Latest version, only because im used to it.

The DVD RAM work a treat so easy to make a back up.

Love it
Value for money
10/10

Garry


Comments posted by garry357 from Other, April 08, 2003. Rated this writer No rating.





Just bought one for 160 GBP (that's pounds sterling) from Ebuyer.com

I immediately upgraded the firmware for compatibility with 4x DVD-R discs.

I downloaded the compatibility checker and it claimed that DVD-RAM mode would not work in DMA mode on my chipset. I ignored it, and it works just fine in Ultra DMA. I am only using DVD-RAM as a backup device.

DVD-R works fine so far, I have burnt three DVD's from original footage and copied my wedding DVD with no problems. All using Nero 5.5.10.0

I had a slight problem with the Nero reporting a "power calibration" error at the start of the burn, but opening the tray and closing it solved it. I suspect that my power supply isn't beefy enough for all of my peripherals.

I know that this drive is soon to be replaced, but I have no use for DVD-RW. The 1x burning speed is not really a problem, as I am never in a hurry to burn a DVD. By the time that DVD-R and DVD-RAM are obsolete, the format war should be over and I should be able to buy a much cheaper new drive.

Very pleased with my purchase.


Comments posted by Steve Gardiner from Other, January 03, 2003. Rated this writer 8 of 10.





I bought this because I needed DVD-RAM capable burner. It's slow but I'm very happy with this drive. It costed 249 euros and came with Pinnacle's firewire card and Studio DV7.

So far I have burned few DVDR movies created with SpruceUp (also burned with it) and so far so good. I used Panasonic's LM-RF120E disc and Imation's "whatever general". Both brands works with my Scott DVD 838i (which is basically 839) w/o troubles.



Comments posted by Sami from Other, December 29, 2002. Rated this writer 9 of 10.





I've only had it less than a week but so far it seems great. I see a lot of comments about problems with unbranded media, but I've used Meritline's "Accu" DVD-Rs (about $1.30 ea) . . . they work fine in my Panasonic DMR E20 standalone and so far work great in the 311. Burned about eight discs so far, no coasters. Only drag is the 1X speed, but I wanted DVD-RAM capablity.


Comments posted by Wayne from Other, December 11, 2002. Rated this writer No rating.





An excellent DVD-R burner for thoes who know what their doing on the computer. I've been reading reports that may have problems with coasters....I'll give a big hint its not the software and sometimes its not even the media..... Its how solid you case is....Thats right, the only thing that causes this drive to make coasters is vibration.(and lack of intelligence... :) ) I live in an older home where the floors don't seem springy but they are.... Hence I mounted my computer to the wall..... All my problems with the burner went away. Do a test by placing a glass of water (wine glass is best) on top of your computer case and walk around as you normally would..... see any Jurassic park waves..???? Theres your problem.... Hope this helps out some people. PS I'm using XP pro with Matrox RT2500, 1800xp cpu, asus a7v266ee mb. This drive is the only acessable drive on the system.


Comments posted by JIM from Other, November 18, 2002. Rated this writer 10 of 10.





A bulletproof burner. Reliable, trustworthy. I have been using the "cheapo" Princo white-top DVD-R blanks and I have yet to get a coaster that "wouldn't burn". Haven't tried DVD-RAM, but my primary purpose for the burner is writing DVDs from VHS MPEG-2 captures. Speed is not an issue, and actually the retention time (in years) is higher when written at 1X because of the energy deposited in the dye.

I highly recommend it.


Comments posted by Kevin from Other, August 21, 2002. Rated this writer 10 of 10.





I bought that drive because I had a LFD201E DVD-RAM drive and I wanted to use the dvd-ram disc I already own, I paid 365$. For DVD-R burning the only bad thing is the speed, but that won't be a problem for someone who don't burn a lot of DVD's. It's a shame that they don't make a SCSI version of that drive also.


Comments posted by Me from Other, August 15, 2002. Rated this writer 9 of 10.





Me again, I couldn't get this thing to work on Win98 SE, a few months later I tried it on a Win XP computer. Miracles of miracles, it works! at least in simulation mode, haven't tried an actual burn yet ...of course, I find this out after I bought an DVR 104 drive, ah well, back up drive I guess, DVD RAM feature is nice.


Comments posted by Naga from Other, August 10, 2002. Rated this writer No rating.





The drive works fine for me. I bought an OEM version from here:
http://corporate.auctionworks.com/store/itemDetail.asp?sid=200203212112400000000000174569&sfid=18891&id=50429975
For $200. The silver front panel looks nice with my aluminum case, too.


Comments posted by parkan from Other, August 02, 2002. Rated this writer 8 of 10.





I had nothing but problems with this burner. Most recording sessions would crash (take your pick of burning software: Nero, Stomp, Neo all crashed in the same spot.). Those that didn't usually would not even load in my Pioneer DV-440. Any media I tried had the same issue. Poor support from Panasonic. As long as my DVD's were under 3.5GB, it would burn. Anything over that and CRASH! (1.2 Gb wasted)


Dumped the Panasonic and got an HP200i. Love it! Not one coaster yet, and every one plays flawlessly on my Pioneer.


Comments posted by Bruce Van Buskirk from Other, July 30, 2002. Rated this writer 1 of 10.





This drive suits my need just fine. I am mainly interested in transfering video from VHS, so the 1X burning is the easy part of the process. Mine was packaged as the Que! drive and came bundled with NeoDVD burning software, which is OK. The Ulead software also works well with it. I found some low cost media that is working OK for me. If you check www.meritline.com and get the Meritline media now in the $2.00 range it should work. Watch out for their DvdPro media - this drive doesn't like it at all. I also had good luck with Compusa's 5 pack for $15.00. The fact that it can't write -RW media has cost me a few coasters while trying to get some projects right.


Comments posted by tvtuna from Other, May 26, 2002. Rated this writer 7 of 10.





this drive is good since it has buffer underrun protection and i hope that it really does read dvd-a but on the flip side, i don't like paying $6 for a good blank, since i bought 65 unbranded only one worked and i re-installed from scratch and many many many hours of fussin' with it, and now realize that only branded media works, kinda sux...cuz i saw it for $2, which would be great if it worked. and 1x does stink ...40min or so just to find out it didn't work...lol


Comments posted by pinky from Other, May 25, 2002. Rated this writer 7 of 10.





I really like the drive alot. Besides the 1x writting, it has worked very well for me, and I suggest this drive to anyone. Works fine on my P3 800mhz 256mb RAM! It does what I want it to do! Burnt 10 discs, no coasters yet. Its worth it for 300$!


Comments posted by Dave from Other, May 22, 2002. Rated this writer 9 of 10.





AFTER READING THE REVIEW HERE http://www.dvdwriters.co.uk/reviews/Panasonic/Lfd311p1.htm

I BOUGHT ONE, ITS DA BOMB.. BUT ITS SLOW !!! STILL FOR $250.00 IM COOL.


Comments posted by magicjj from Other, May 17, 2002. Rated this writer 6 of 10.





I have had no problems with this drive at all - including reading older DVD-RAM 2.6GB disks.

I didn't use the bundled Panasonic drivers but used the VOB Instant Write ones - seems far more stable.


Comments posted by Ian from Other, May 10, 2002. Rated this writer No rating.





Drive is great, but unfortunately, can NOT read DVD-RW discs.


Comments posted by Miklos Nemeth from Other, May 09, 2002. Rated this writer No rating.




36 comments, Showing 1 to 25 comments
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1 DVD Writer hits, Showing 1 to 1 DVD Writers
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Column Explanation:

Click on this for more technical information.

New comments= New comments since your last visit.
New Writer = New DVD Writer since your last vist.

OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer.


Chipset

The manufacturer of the main chipset the DVD writer/recorder is based on.


Write support / Read support
DVD-R
= Works
DVD-R = Is not supported
DVD-R? = Not tested


Single Layer(4.7GB) write speeds
1x (CLV) = about 58 minutes
2x (CLV) = about 29 minutes
2.4x (CLV) = about 24 minutes
4x (CLV) = about 14.5 minutes
6x (CLV/ZCLV) = about 10-12 minutes
8x (PCAV/ZCLV) = about 8-10 minutes
12x (PCAV/ZCLV) = about 6.5-7.5 minutes
16x (CAV/ZCLV) = about 6-7 minutes

Dual/Double Layer(8.5GB) write speeds
1x CLV = about 105 minutes
2.4x CLV = about 44 minutes
4x CLV = about 27 minutes

Single Layer (4.7GB) read speeds
1x read speed is 1.321MB/s = ~56 minutes
6x CAV (avg. ~4x) read speed is max 7.93MB/s = ~14 minutes
8x CAV (avg. ~6x) read speed is max 10.57MB/s = ~10 minutes
12x CAV (avg. ~8x) read speed is max 15.85MB/s = ~7 minutes
16x CAV (avg. ~12x) read speed is max 21.13MB/s = ~5 minutes


DVD Write types
CAV = Constant Angular Velocity, the DVD is written at a constantly increasing speed.
CLV = Constant Linear Velocity, the DVD is written at a constant speed.
ZCLV = Zone Constant Linear Velocity, the DVD is divided into zones. After each zone the write speed is increased.
PCAV = Partial Constant Angular Velocity, the DVD is being written at an increasing speed until a certain speed. After this speed it will not increase anymore.


Connection
Desktop = Standalone desktop DVD Recorder
EIDE = Computer DVD Writer with EIDE/IDE connection
SCSI = Computer DVD Writer with SCSI connection
USB = Computer desktop DVD Writer with USB 2.0 or/and 1.1 connection
FireWire = Computer desktop DVD Writer with IEEE 1394/FireWire/i.Link connection (some standalone desktop dvd recorder supports this also but then it is usually to connect your DV camera to the recorder)


Rating
The first rating is based on a weighted rank (the true Bayesian), it requires at least 5 votes to get a weighted rating.
The second rating between the ( ) is a normal average rating.


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