MakeMKV drive speed control
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 6:45 pm
Starting from version 1.15.2 MakeMKV has an option for drive speed control. When enabled, MakeMKV will actively change drive speed - lower it down in case of read error or when the program scans the disc, and set the maximum speed when reading a large continuous file.
The extent of the drive speed change depends whether the drive is LibreDrive-enabled or not. Regular drives take the speed change request as a hint. LibreDrive-enabled drives (ones that have "Unrestricted read speed" taint) will obey the requested speed - the drive speed would never go higher than requested, and if possible, the drive speed can go over so-called "riplock limit", enabling truly fast disc read. In no cases drive speed would go over the "media speed" maximum - you can't destroy your drive by setting speed value too high.
Word of warning - forcing a specific read speed on LibreDrive-enabled drive can expose all sort of firmware bugs. For example forcing the minimum speed to 1x on some slim drives causes constant seek errors. Forcing a maximum speed for UHD media on "friendly" drives instantly activates the "sleep" bug. Please be careful when playing with this setting. Generally, setting maximum speed for compatible media on desktop drives or setting a constant 2x speed on slim drives works reliably well.
Given this feature is pretty advanced, as of version 1.15.2 it is not configurable via GUI yet. In order to change this setting one has to edit MakeMKV preferences by hand. Detailed description how to do this is below.
The extent of the drive speed change depends whether the drive is LibreDrive-enabled or not. Regular drives take the speed change request as a hint. LibreDrive-enabled drives (ones that have "Unrestricted read speed" taint) will obey the requested speed - the drive speed would never go higher than requested, and if possible, the drive speed can go over so-called "riplock limit", enabling truly fast disc read. In no cases drive speed would go over the "media speed" maximum - you can't destroy your drive by setting speed value too high.
Word of warning - forcing a specific read speed on LibreDrive-enabled drive can expose all sort of firmware bugs. For example forcing the minimum speed to 1x on some slim drives causes constant seek errors. Forcing a maximum speed for UHD media on "friendly" drives instantly activates the "sleep" bug. Please be careful when playing with this setting. Generally, setting maximum speed for compatible media on desktop drives or setting a constant 2x speed on slim drives works reliably well.
Given this feature is pretty advanced, as of version 1.15.2 it is not configurable via GUI yet. In order to change this setting one has to edit MakeMKV preferences by hand. Detailed description how to do this is below.