High-Speed DVD Burner Roundup

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Fast Burn

When the first DVD burners came to market, they were exotic beasts costing hundreds of dollars. On top of the steep price tag, the battle waged between the Recordable DVD Council (which supports a DVD-R/-RW standard) and the DVD+RW Alliance (with its competing DVD+R/+RW standard) only served to stymie users further.

While the two groups never really kissed and made up, hardware manufacturers have stepped up to the plate and are offering universal recorders that handle a variety of formats. Iomega even shipped a drive that would burn the somewhat uncommon DVD-RAM format, as we noted in our previous universal drive roundup.

Now that Sony has shipped the first dual layer DVD burner for the PC, its time to revisit the “old” technology of single layer DVD burning. With the price of high-speed, multiformat, single layer burners dropping precipitously, now may be a good time to take the plunge. If you either dont need dual layer burning, or dont want to pay the cost for new dual layer drives and media, then a low-cost, single layer burner may be just the ticket.

So we took a look at a good cross-section of current DVD burners, ranging from the very inexpensive Lite-On 812S to the fast-burning Plextor PlexWriter 712A. We also look at three burners based on a Pioneer-designed mechanism, a drive from AOpen, and the latest Toshiba 8x burner. We compare all of them to the Sony DRU-530A, one of the earliest 8x burners.

First, well examine the drives performance, then take a look at individual features, including software bundles. Finally, well pick the drive or drives we think are best-suited for different users.

Testbed Setup

We used our standard storage testbed, which consists of a 3GHz Pentium 4 (Northwood) running on an Asus P4C800-E Deluxe motherboard (875P chipset). Heres the complete configuration:

We ran Neros CD/DVD-Speed utility (2.21 version) to test write performance on a variety of different media types. We also tested DVD-ROM performance and digital audio extraction. We tested write performance by actually burning a data disc using DVD-Speeds create data disc capability. (Note: These are not simulated tests. The generated disc is a mix of file sizes.)

DVD-ROM performance was tested using the Microsoft DVD Test Annex disc, which is a 6.44GB, dual layer DVD. Digital audio extraction was tested using a synthetic audio CD generated by Neros DVD/CD-Speed tool.

Performance Results, Analysis

DVD-ROM Read Performance and Digital Audio Extraction

The Microsoft DVD Test Annex disc is a two-layer disc with 6.4GB of data. The typical read pattern consists of a slowly-increasing data rate from inner to outer tracks, then a slowly declining data rate after the layer change.

The Plextors transfer rate is simply stunning across the board, while the Pioneer DVR-A07 drive essentially places second, and the Sony DRU-530A hangs right in there. The DRU-530A wins the seek time honors, however, outpacing the PX-712A by a small margin.

If digital audio extraction is one of your main interests, you might want to avoid the AOpen and Toshiba units. All the others are pretty close performance-wise, though the Plextor takes top honors.

DVD Recorder Performance

As we did with the CD recordable tests, we used Nero CD/DVD speed to create test DVDs. The text matrix is a bit more complex, as we need to account for DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R and DVD+R.

The Plextor drive successfully and correctly burned 8x DVD+R media at very high speeds. However, the Nero DVDSpeed utility crashed just as the test completed (even when burning discs at 8x speeds), so we werent able to record a number. Heres what the burn curve looked like for the Plextor when it burned at 12x speeds.

The Pioneer came in second here, with the other drives based on the Pioneer mechanism were not far behind. The Sony drive also performed well on DVD+R media, but lagged a bit behind the leaders in DVD-R burning. All drives were essentially in a dead heat for DVD+RW and DVD-RW burning.

AOpen DRW8800

While the AOpen drives performance was somewhat lackluster, its software bundle certainly wasnt. The DRW8800 ships with about as rich a software bundle as you could want in a DVD recorder. The familiar Nero suite is included, albeit the older 5.5 version. DVD authoring chores are handled by MedioStreams Neo DVD version 4, while Power DVD 5 lets you watch DVD movies. AOpen even includes an entry-level video editor, Uleads VideoStudio 7.

Some of these (i.e., Neo DVD and Nero) are not the latest versions, but theyll still let you accomplish what youd want a DVD burner to do.

The similar burn curves for DVD+R and –R are typical of most of the drives, although slightly slower. The drive ships with 2MB of buffer RAM.

However, the DVD-ROM test uncovered some odd behavior. Specifically, the drive seems to transfer data very slowly at the inner tracks then pickup speed normally after that.

Also included is the usual set of mounting screws, a CD audio cable and a parallel IDE cable. The documentation is limited to a fold-out sheet with instructions on installing the software. As is typical with all these drives, no paper documentation is included for the software.

Asus DRW

-0804P”>

The Asus DRW-0804P seems to be based on the Pioneer 8x mechanism. Like the Memorex drive, it seems to behave very similarly to the Pioneer DVR-A07, though there are a couple of interesting, if relatively minor, differences in access times. The Asus drive has a 2MB buffer built in.

The Asus drive ships with the OEM version of Nero suite 6.3. Although its tied to the drive, it is the full 6.3 version, with all the goodies, including music ripping, DVD authoring as well as DVD and CD burning. (For a full review of Nero 6.3, check out Don Labriolas review at PCMag.com.)
The usual sketchy install manual is included, as is the standard set of screws, IDE cable and CD audio cable. Given that this is the lowest cost of the Pioneer-based drives, the Asus drive is actually a pretty good deal. If you do buy the DRW-0804P, make sure you download the 1.12 firmware, which adds support for more media.

Lite

-On SOHW-812S”>

The SHOW-812S arrived with a barebones software package consisting only of Sonics MyDVD and PowerDVD XP DVD viewing software. At $85 for the OEM version, this might seem like a good deal, especially if you already own DVD / CD burning software. The 812S ships with a 2MB buffer.

Performance as a DVD-ROM drive is pretty good, too, right up with the Asus and Memorex drives. The Lite-On also had the best DVD-ROM average seek time of all the drives.

However, burn performance turned out to be on the slow side. Even after we upgraded to the latest firmware revision (US0J), the DVD-R burn performance was the slowest of the bunch. If you compare the DVD-R burn curve to the DVD+R burn curve, you can see why.

As you can see, the DVD-R burn curve remains at the mid-plateau for a longer period. Other drives, like the Sony DRU-530A, exhibit something similar, but they still boost the burn rate to 8x speeds sooner than the Lite-On.

On top of the performance issues with burning, the 812S seems fragile – or at least, the unit we tested seemed fragile. We accidentally dropped a handful of drives about a foot onto a tabletop. All survived, except the 812S, whose drawer became jammed. This may simply have been an issue with a single drive and our unintended drop test was certainly not scientific.

The bottom line is that the Lite-On SHOW-812S has relatively slow burn performance and very solid DVD reader performance. If you want a unit that will mostly be used as your primary reader and to burn the occasional DVD, the 812S may be a good choice.

Memorex True8X

The True8X is another Pioneer-based drive. The True8X sports an attractive front bezel thats equally comfortable in bland beige boxes or a PC thats more esthetically interesting. The package contents consist of the usual batch of cables and screws, a thin manual and a full (OEM) copy of Nero Suite 6.3 and a copy of PhotoShow Deluxe.

The average price for the Memorex drive is around $123 on the net. Thats a bit steeper than the Asus drive, but its also more widely available and offers somewhat more pleasing aesthetics. Performance of the Memorex and Asus drives are nearly identical. Overall, it will be easier to find than the Asus 8x drive, but also slightly more expensive, albeit with a slightly better software bundle.

Pioneer DVR

-A07XLB”>

Of the three drives based on the Pioneer A07 mechanism, the Pioneer-branded drive is the most expensive. Pioneer has also opted for a different software bundle, which includes the complete Ulead suite, including the DVD MovieFactory 3 authoring package, Video Studio 7 video editing, a DVD player and Burn.Now disc burning tool. Pioneer also includes a copy of NovaBackup 7.1 for backing up data from your hard drive to the optical disc.

You also get a bit more performance than the Asus and Memorex drives. Although the Pioneer drive was running the same 1.12 firmware, we noticed better DVD read performance and slightly improved burn performance. Still, the only real difference was the higher outer track transfer rate. The drive still only sports a 2MB buffer.

The bottom line is that you get a different software bundle and slightly elevated performance. The black bezel of the unit we tested was certainly more attractive but not particularly exceptional. With a $160 price tag, you end up paying a $20 premium for the Pioneer name.

Plextor PX

-712A”>

Plextor created something of a stir late last year, when they shipped a drive that could burn at 8x speed on certified 4x media. The company returns with the 712A, which can burn at 12x speeds, on certain, certified 8x DVD+R media. The drive is rated at 8x for DVD-R and 4x for DVD-RW/+RW. We tested the ATAPI version of the drive; the company will be shortly shipping a Serial ATA version.

Plextor continues to ship the capable Roxio Easy CD & DVD Creator software, plus PhotoSuite 5, the useful PlexTools utility package and a copy of Dantz Retrospect for data backup. The manual included in the box is easily the best installation guide of any of the drives we reviewed here and includes operational details of the PlexTools software.

PlexTools itself offers some interesting options. You can use it to set different parameters on the drive, including a “silent mode,” which throttles down the drive but enables much quieter operation. You can also use the softwares SecuRec feature to create password-protected discs. Also, the GigaRec feature will let you burn up to 913MB on a standard, 700MB-rated CD.

Overall, the Plextor was the speediest drive in the roundup–although it was edged out slightly by Sony and Lite-On in the average seek time test. Still, the Plextor drive acquitted itself exceptionally well. We did have concerns about the Nero DVDSpeed test crashing when burning DVD+R media, but the discs themselves were burned correctly, so its probably a software issue, not a drive or media problem. The drive also includes an impressive 8MB of buffer.

As we noted in the performance section, the burn curve itself was different–climbing steadily to a single plateau at maximum speed, rather than having a step-function appearance.

All this speed comes at a price; the average street price for the PX-712A is about $190, so youll pay for the performance. Its nearly as expensive as the Sony DRU-700A dual layer drive. But while its not dual layer capable, it is extremely fast. Whether the added performance is worth it is your call. But the PX-712A continues Plextors tradition of building superbly performing, premium quality hardware.

Toshiba SD

-R5272″>

Toshiba has built a reputation for building solid, unassuming drives that arent necessarily top performers, but are well-mannered and long-lived. The SD-R5272 seems to be continuing that tradition.

Like several other drives we reviewed, the Toshiba comes with the full Nero 6.3 OEM software suite. Its a capable, complete suite that should do well for most users. Documentation is on the skimpy side, however.

As for performance, the Toshiba plods along, generally placing in the rear of the pack, but always getting to the finish line. The 2MB buffer kept the burn process moving smoothly, without creating any coasters.

While it certainly cant be called a speedy drive, the price is right, at around $85 on the street. So if you want a low-cost, reliable performer, then this drive may be worth considering.

Final Thoughts

/What to Buy”>

The current crop of single-layer DVD burners runs the gamut from low cost drives with skimpy documentation to the almost over-engineered Plextor PX-712A. Of the drives we tested, we liked the PX-712A for its sheer performance and elegance of operation. But its not a cheap drive, so if you dont need the blistering speed, others are available.

Of the three Pioneer-based drives we tested, the Asus stands out as the price/performance leader. It offers a decent software bundle, great compatibility and is only a few dollars above the $100 mark. The Memorex drive offers an attractive appearance at only a few dollars more.

Of the sub-$100 drives, the Lite-On SOHW-812S stands out as a good performer, but the software bundle is sparse. The Toshiba drive just plods along, but probably will do so solidly for years and it comes with the full Nero 6.3 suite. The AOpen drive seems a little quirky in its behavior, but certainly is capable, although the software bundle seems a little dated.

We should also add that the Sony DRU-530A still acquits itself very well, especially with the new firmware update. Its certainly on our recommended list for single layer burners. At around a $120-125 street price, its a good performer for the price.

So, the bottom line is that if you want raw performance and some terrific amenities–and are willing to pay for them–the PX-712A from Plextor is the right choice. On the other hand, the Asus DRW-0804P offers Pioneers quality mechanism at a fairly low price. We liked the Memorex and Pioneer drives, too, but they do cost a bit more. Lastly, the Sony DRU-530A is still a contender, offering a good blend of price, performance, and aesthetics.