CD-R and CD-RW drives. Secrets of choosing a CD-ROM for a Benq computer with a dual cooling system

IntroductionModern trends in the optical storage market are such that CD-RW drives are slowly and steadily taking up space in computers, which was reserved by conventional CD-ROM drives a few years ago. The constant decline in prices for products of this kind has led to the fact that more and more buyers prefer to see CD-RW drives as the "initial" optical device in their new computer. Indeed, the difference in price is 15-20 USD. in most cases, it is not critical for the wallet compared to the ability to expand the capacity of stored information by burning CDs. Probably, one can allow one to express a seditious thought - optical drives, designed only to work with ordinary CDs, have come to the apotheosis of their development. Their future looks increasingly bleak in light of the rapidly improving DVD burner and declining cost.
Before it's too late, and testing of CD-RW drives has not yet lost its relevance, we decided to bring to your attention a review of nine similar models, which for various reasons have not been consecrated by us before. All drives considered in this article have an internal design, an ATA interface and are in the price range from 31 to 45 USD.



ASUS CRW-5232AS

The drive from ASUSTeK turned out to be the only model that came to us in a retail version. The design of the drive is typical for the products of this company. All possible controls and indications are located on the front panel. Under the tray, which bears the name of the manufacturer and the speed characteristics of the model, there are two rectangular keys responsible for loading / unloading discs and navigating through audio tracks, two LED indicators that reflect the drive's operating status during read and write operations. To this list, you can add the presence of a headphone output and audio volume control. On the back of the case there are interface and power connectors, digital and analog audio outputs, as well as two sets of pins (for positioning the drive and its factory testing). The shortened length of the drive will allow it to be installed in small system units, in cases where the use of full-sized models is impossible due to their "creeping" on the motherboard.
The technical characteristics of the drive are at the top of the capabilities of devices in this class. The speed of reading CDs reaches 52X, it can also decode music discs. Recording speed is also possible in 52X mode, and for overwriting this value is 32X. The random access time is 100 ms. The buffer size is 2 MB. The drive can be mounted horizontally or vertically.
A special feature of the CRW-5232AS model is that it is a single-chip solution: a digital signal processor and an amplifier are combined in one integrated circuit. This approach is designed to reduce the final weight and dimensions of the device. In future models, ASUSTeK plans to use even more integrated circuitry by adding DRAM memory to this chip.
According to the manufacturer's website, the CRW-5232AS drive belongs to the Quie Track line, which implies the use of a second-generation DDSS II (Double Dynamic Suspension System) stabilization system and AFFM (Airflow Field Modification) airflow modification technology. True, whether this technology was implemented in the copy that came to us remained a mystery, since there were no mentions of Quie Track on the box and the documentation in it. The drive uses the CAV recording strategy, which implies operation at a constant angular velocity.
FlextraLink technology avoids buffer underrun write errors. Another FlextraSpeed ​​technology is designed to determine the optimal write speed.
The drive package includes an IDE cable, user manual, quick installation guide, Nero Burning ROM CD, Cyberlink 3 in 1 software CD (PowerDirector, ASUS DVD, MediaShow), emergency eject pin with instructions , four mounting screws and an audio cable.
The estimated retail price of the drive is $45.

LG GCE-8522B

LG pays quite a lot of attention to CD-RW drives - at least that's the impression one gets from studying the list of models on the Internet. The GCE-8522B drive is made in a "soft" design typical for LG products of this class. On the front panel, rounded lines of the tray are visible, on which the name of the manufacturer, the speed characteristics of the model and the symbol of the device with the possibility of rewritability are applied. The tray control key is made in the form of a round button. Again, the lines of the rectangular light indicator of the operating mode are slightly "smoothed". In addition, the front panel has a headphone output and volume control. On the upper side of the case, stamped recesses are striking, designed to increase the rigidity of the structure. On the reverse side of the drive there are interface and power connectors, digital and analog audio outputs, as well as a set of pins for positioning the device on the cable.
The technical characteristics of the drive allow it to read and write CDs at a speed of 52X, and for rewriting it can work in 24X mode. The access time for this model is 100 ms. The buffer size is 2 MB. The drive can be used both in horizontal and vertical position.



LG GCE-8524B

The LG drive with the GCE-8524B index is made in a very similar design to the previous model. The difference lies in the absence of a headphone jack and volume control, as well as in the appearance of the mode indicator light - in this case it is round. In addition, in a different sequence on the tray, the name of the manufacturer, speed characteristics and symbol of the device category are applied. The tray control button has exactly the same round shape. The drive housing also features stamped recesses for increased rigidity. On the rear side of the drive there are interface and power connectors, digital and analog audio outputs, as well as a set of pins for positioning the device on the cable.
The technical parameters of the GCE-8524B model are slightly higher than those of the previous one. The speed of reading and writing CDs is 52X, and for the rewriting mode this value can reach 32X. The access time has been reduced to 90 ms. The buffer size has a standard size of 2 MB. The drive can be used in a horizontal or vertical position.
The drive incorporates SuperLink technology to prevent write errors caused by buffer underruns and conforms to the Mt. Rainier.
The OEM drive is shipped without accessories.


LITE-ON LTR-40125S

The presented model has clearly obsolete characteristics, but more on that below. The design can be safely called inexpressive - it will please those users who do not like the drives installed in the system unit to attract attention. The front panel looks absolutely colorless due to the absence of any inscriptions, except for the symbol of the device category, "engraved" on the tray. Under the latter is only an oblong tray control button and an operating mode indicator light made in the same style. On the back of the case there are interface and power connectors, digital and analog audio outputs, as well as a set of pins for positioning the device on the cable, and another one designed for factory testing.
Now let's move on to the technical characteristics of the drive. The read speed of the drive reaches 48X. Media can be recorded in 40X mode. The rewriting speed leaves much to be desired today - it is equal to 12X. Typical access time is 80 ms. The buffer size is 2 MB. Declared support for high-capacity CDs (up to 99 minutes). The drive can be used both vertically and horizontally.
The drive implements a large number of technologies, some of them can be distinguished. The SMART BURN innovation allows the drive to automatically detect the quality of the media and limit the write speed if necessary, in order to achieve the best result in this session and save the data later - this feature can be disabled. SMART-X technology enables the drive to decode audio CDs at a maximum speed of 48X and work just as efficiently with VCDs. It is also worth noting the compliance with the Mount Rainier specification. The combination of protection against buffer underruns, automatic write strategy adjustment and OPC (Optimum Power Control) mode, implemented in the drive, allows it to work in a wide variety of "burning" conditions. The special design of the VAS (Vibration Absorber System Mechanism) is designed to reduce vibration and noise during read and write operations.
The OEM drive is shipped without accessories.
The approximate retail price of the drive is $31.

LITE-ON LTR-48126S

The second drive from LITE-ON IT, which got into our review, has only minor differences in characteristics from the previous model, but there are some changes in appearance. A similar effect is achieved due to the presence of a headphone jack and audio signal power control, which the LTR-4812S lacks. In addition, under the tray there is also an inscription indicating the speed characteristics of the drive. Of course, the drive has both a tray control button and an operation mode indicator light, made in an identical style with the previous model of this company. On the back side of the case there are interface and power connectors, digital and analog audio outputs, as well as a set of pins for positioning the device on the cable and another one designed for factory testing.
The drive can read CDs at 48X speed and record in the same mode. The maximum rewriting speed reaches 12X, which is not so much at the current time. Typical access time is 80 ms. The buffer size is 2 MB.
Now, as for the technological features of this drive, they are completely identical to the previous model.
The OEM drive is shipped without accessories.
The approximate retail price of the drive is $33.

MITSUMI CR-485FTE

The Mitsumi drive has a rather strict design, a similar feeling is formed due to the emphasized straight lines of the tray and the button that controls it. There are no inscriptions on the tray itself, with the exception of a symbol indicating the category of the device. The front panel has a headphone jack. The back side of the case is where the interface and power connectors, digital and analog audio outputs, as well as a set of pins for positioning the device on the cable are located.
The stated specifications of the drive immediately make you think of it as a potential leader. The speed of reading and writing CDs is a record for today 54X. The rewriting speed is also equal to the current maximum value for CD-RW drives - 32X. The average access time is 100 ms. The buffer size is 2 MB. The drive can be installed in both horizontal and vertical positions.
The drive features Mitsumi's proprietary Aegis Write technology, which controls and optimizes laser power, speed, and write quality. ExacLink technology is used to prevent buffer underrun errors. According to the manufacturer, the drive fully complies with the Mount Rainier specification.
The OEM drive is shipped without accessories.
The approximate retail price of the drive is $36.

NEC NR-9400A

The front panel of the drive gives it a discreet, but pleasant enough look. On the tray, in addition to the symbol of the category of the device, there is the name of the manufacturer. Under the tray is a rectangular button to control the loading / unloading of discs, the mode indicator light and a headphone jack with volume control. On the back of the case there are interface and power connectors, digital and analog audio outputs, as well as a set of pins for positioning the device.
The drive can record and copy CDs at speeds up to 48X. 32X mode is available for dubbing. The access time is 110 ms. The buffer size is 2 MB. The drive can be installed in a horizontal or vertical position.
The drive uses proprietary technology ACTOPC (Active Optimized Power Control), which constantly checks the quality of the recording, and adjusts the laser power to obtain the best results. The "High Resolution Writing Strategy" technology is also used to increase the reliability of the recorded data due to the increased modulation of the laser. The drive implements buffer underrun error protection.
The OEM drive is shipped without accessories.
The approximate retail price of the drive is $39.

SONY CRX230E

The drive from Sony is made in the style that is already familiar to us. The front panel has a tray control button, an operating mode indicator light, a headphone jack and a volume control. On the tray there is a sign that the drive belongs to the category of writing devices. In the design of the drive, the reduced length of the case immediately catches the eye, which in some cases will allow it to be installed in system units, where the limited internal space becomes an obstacle to this. On the back of the case there are interface and power connectors, digital and analog audio outputs, as well as a set of pins for positioning the device.
The technical capabilities of the drive allow it to read and write CDs at 52X speed. For dubbing, operation in 32X mode is possible. The access time is 100 ms. The buffer size is 2 MB.
The drive features Power-Burn technology to avoid buffer underrun write errors. The drive complies with the Mount Rainier specification. As always for Sony products of this class, it turned out to be difficult to find more complete information. Keeping in mind the results of previous communication with CD-RW drives from this company, we managed to find out that this model supports Turbo Boost technology. The point of this innovation is that the drive reads and writes discs at 40X by default, not 52X. This solution helps to reduce noise and vibration during its operation. If the user needs maximum speed, then for this it is necessary to press the Eject button and hold it in a similar position for more than 5 seconds. After the LED flashes twice, the drive is ready for 52X operation.
The OEM drive is shipped without accessories.
The approximate retail price of the drive is $35.

TEAC W552E

The appearance of the TEAC drive makes it easily recognizable among other models. The tray has the company name and operating speed printed in blue characters. There is also a conventional sign of belonging to writing devices. Under the tray there is a rectangular button for controlling the loading / unloading of discs, two LEDs for the operating mode and a headphone jack and volume control. On the back of the case there are interface and power connectors, digital and analog audio outputs, as well as a set of pins for device positioning and one more for factory testing.
The drive allows you to read and write CDs at 52X speed. 24X mode is provided for dubbing. The access time is 100 ms. The buffer size is 2 MB.
The drive has a buffer underrun error protection system. It fully complies with the Mount Rainier specification. OPC technology allows you to dynamically change the laser power during media recording.
The OEM drive is shipped without accessories.
The approximate retail price of the drive is $43.

Test Methodology

In order to determine the performance of drives, the following programs and utilities were used:

Nero CD-DVD Speed ​​version 2.11;
Nero Info Tool version 2.07;
Nero Burning Rom version 5.5.10.35;
Nero CD DAE version 0.4B;
Nic Wilson DVDINFOPro version 2.28;
SlySoft CloneCD version 4.3.1.9;
Andre Wiethoff Exact Audio Copy (EAC) version 0.95 prebeta 3;
Ziff Davis Media CD WinBench 99.

The test computer configuration was as follows:

Motherboard - Albatron PX865PE Pro;
Central processor - Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz;
Hard disk - IBM DTLA-307015 15 GB;
Graphics adapter - Radeon 7000 32 MB;
RAM - 256 MB;
The operating system is Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1 and DirectX 9.0b installed.

During testing, the Sony CRX230E drive was running at a maximum speed of 52X.

Information and diagnostic utilities

With the help of the Nero Info Tool and DVDINFOPro programs, the main technical characteristics of the drives were found out. The results are shown in the screenshots.
What can you pay attention to? ASUS CRW-5232AS supports almost all possible "desired" functions with the exception of Mount Rainier. The NEC-9400A drive did not report C2 Errors capability. The situation was even worse with the Mitsumi CR-485FTE drive. He did not report his ability to work with C2 Errors and support for Mount Rainier technology. The LITE-ON LTR-48126S and LTR-40125S, Sony CRX230E, TEAC W552E models can be characterized on the most positive side - they informed the utilities about the support of almost all important functions for the end user.

CD WinBench 99

The drives were tested using the CD WinBench 99 program using the original disc and two copies made on CD-R and CD-RW discs.
All results are summarized in the final table.

As can be seen from the CD-ROM WinMark values, the ASUS CRW-5232AS drive turned out to be the most productive - it has the highest performance values ​​on CD-R and CD-RW media and the third result on the original disc. The second place can be given to TEAC W552E, and the third goes to Sony CRX230E. The Mitsumi CR-485FTE drive turned out to be the slowest one - it "stumbled" on a branded disk. His CD-ROM transfer chart shows significant "gaps" in the final stages of reading.

Nero CD-DVD Speed: Basic Tests

In order to conduct basic tests in the CD-DVD Speed ​​program, five media were used: a "stamped" CD that came as an application with a computer magazine, seven hundred megabyte CD-Rs and CD-RWs with data written using the utility itself, an eight hundred megabyte CD-R prepared in the same way, and an audio CD. In this way, it is possible to roughly estimate the behavior of the drives during operation with various types of media.

ASUS CRW-5232AS

CD-ROM



CD-R, 800 MB



CD-R



CD-RW



CD-DA

LG GCE-8522B

CD-ROM



CD-R, 800 MB



CD-R



CD-RW



CD-DA

LG GCE-8524B

CD-ROM



CD-R, 800 MB



CD-R



CD-RW



CD-DA

LITE-ON LTR-48126S

CD-ROM



CD-R, 800 MB



CD-R



CD-RW



CD-DA

LITE-ON LTR-40125S

CD-ROM



CD-R, 800 MB



CD-R



CD-RW



CD-DA

Mitsumi CR-485FTE

CD-ROM



CD-R, 800 MB



CD-R



CD-RW



CD-DA

NEC NR-9400A

CD-ROM



CD-R, 800 MB



CD-R



CD-RW



CD-DA

Sony CRX230E

CD-ROM



CD-R, 800 MB



CD-R



CD-RW



CD-DA

TEAC W552E


The ASUS CRW-5232AS, Mitsumi CR-485FTE, Sony CRX230E, TEAC W552E and LITE-ON devices demonstrated quite confident disk reading. The speed of their work quite fit into the parameters declared by the manufacturers or even somewhat exceeded them. It should be kept in mind here that the "stamped" CD was less than eighty minutes long (73:43.20), which led to somewhat smaller results. The remaining three drives failed to fully show their worth when working with media. This applies primarily to the CD-R disc TDK with a capacity of 800 MB. Both drives from LG and NEC NR-9400A were forced to significantly reduce the speed in order to read the information written to them, especially the last of them. In addition, a similar reaction on the part of LG GCE-8522B was followed by a "stamped" CD. It is possible that these problems are local in nature and can be fixed after using the next firmware version.
From the rest of the test results shown in the table, you can pay attention to the fact that the Mitsumi CR-485FTE drive turned out to have the minimum measured access time. A significant difference in the data transfer rate from drives to the processor (Burst Rate) between drives is due to the fact that models capable of caching data show noticeably higher results.

Nero CD-DVD Speed: Write Transfer Rate

This test was carried out in the recording emulation mode and using four CD-R discs. Three of them were 700 MB (Fujifilm 52X, Digitex 40X and TDK 48X), and one was 800 MB (TDK 40X).

ASUS CRW-5232AS

Digitex 40X



Fujifilm 52X



TDK48X



TDK40X

LG GCE-8522B

Digitex 40X



Fujifilm 52X



TDK48X



TDK40X

LG GCE-8524B

Digitex 40X



Fujifilm 52X



TDK48X



TDK40X

LITE-ON LTR-48126S

Digitex 40X



Fujifilm 52X



TDK48X



TDK40X

LITE-ON LTR-40125S

Digitex 40X



Fujifilm 52X



TDK48X



TDK40X

Mitsumi CR-485FTE

Digitex 40X



Fujifilm 52X



TDK48X



TDK40X

NEC NR-9400A

Digitex 40X



Fujifilm 52X



TDK48X

Sony CRX230E

Digitex 40X



Fujifilm 52X



TDK48X



TDK40X

TEAC W552E

Digitex 40X



Fujifilm 52X



TDK48X



TDK40X

The NEC NR-9400A drive could not work with 800 MB TDK media. Both drives from LG and Mitsumi CR-485FTE, although they were able to “pseudo-write” to this disc, worked at a reduced speed and in CLV mode. In addition, the Mitsumi CR-485FTE also failed to reach full speed on the Digitex carrier. The rest of the drives, with the exception of ASUS CRW-5232AS and Sony CRX230E drives, also experienced certain difficulties when working with individual media - they did not enter the recording mode indicated on the disks. True, again we can assume that some of these problems are solved by flashing a new firmware version.

Nero CD-DVD Speed: Overburning Test

One of the indicators of the "versatility" of drives is their ability to record on discs of information that exceeds its official capacity. In order to evaluate the capabilities of drives in the "overburning" area, we used the same four CD-R discs as in the previous test. The maximum possible burn time set in the program was 99:57.74.

As can be seen from the final table, in which the highest results are highlighted in blue, the Mitsumi CR-485FTE looks better than other models. On two media, he was able to show the maximum possible result. The LG GCE-8522B drive also looks very good in terms of the possibility of reburning - it exceeded the bar of 93 minutes on three out of four media. Owners of LG GCE-8524B, TEAC W552E and, to some extent, NEC NR-9400A drives also have good chances for recording an excess amount of data - you just need to choose the right blanks for this. All other drives demonstrated quite standard possibilities for "reburning" disks.

Nero CD-DVD Speed: CD Quality Check

With the help of a "stamped" data CD with mechanical damage to the working surface, a quality test was performed to indirectly assess the ability of drives to work correctly with low-quality media. In order to more conveniently assess the balance of forces in this test, the most important figures are summarized in a general table.

From a formal point of view, five models showed a 100% result in the test, where the maximum read speed was used, but if we recall that the information utilities of NEC and Mitsumi drives did not reveal the ability to work with C2 pointers, but, therefore, and cannot detect such errors, the list of winners will be shortened by two positions. It is curious that the Sony CRX230E drive, when used in the default mode, where the read speed is 40X, also demonstrates the maximum quality value.

Nero CD-DVD Speed: Advanced DAE Quality Test

In order to determine the ability of drives to extract sound tracks from audio discs with high quality, we conducted the Advanced DAE Quality Test. In fact, the tests in this case took place in two stages. The first of them used a special test disk (CD-R), created with the help of the program itself. This case is typical of the situation when you are working with a normal audio disc that does not have defects.

The test results shown in the table indicate that all drives coped with the task they faced with almost no problems, and all earned the maximum quality value. True, already here you can see some differences between them. Firstly, it concerns the accuracy of their positioning on audio discs, which is reflected in the Offset indicator. The minimum offset from the "specified place" is demonstrated by LITE-ON LTR-48126S, Sony CRX230E and TEAC W552E drives. The Offset indicator is slightly higher for the second LITE-ON drive. All other drives have significantly higher offsets, making it difficult to get accurate audio copies with them. Secondly, the drives have shown a different ability to work with specific overhead information. LITE-ON and Sony CRX230E drives proved to be the best here. The three data drives were able to read lead-in and lead-out information, sub-channel data, and CD text. For other models, these capabilities turned out to be significantly less, which also makes it difficult to obtain accurate audio copies on them.
The second stage of testing the drives was the use of a disk specially prepared with the help of the program itself, which, unlike the previous copy, has artificial scratches on the working surface. With the help of an audio carrier having such defects, the ability of the carriers to achieve maximum quality in operation when the CD has mechanical damage was determined.

From the results shown in the table, it can be seen that there has been a noticeable division among the drives in terms of the real ability to extract sound tracks from an audio disc with high quality. The ASUS CRW-5232AS drive fell into the state of permanent disk reading and, after a long wait, was simply stopped. Not much better was the Mitsumi CR-485FTE, which also showed a very low speed with a lot of data errors and timing errors - its final quality score was very low. At the same time, the Sony CRX230E drive showed itself very well, which looked clearly better than other drives and, as a result, "knocked out" one hundred points out of a hundred possible. A little worse, but, in general, the hard drives from LITE-ON and TEAC W552E coped well with their task - their quality score turned out to be close to a 100% result.

Nero CD-DVD Speed: Advanced DAE Error Correction Test

There is always the potential for errors to occur when drives read data stored on audio CDs. In such cases, it is highly desirable that your drive be able to deal with C2 errors in general and do it as best as possible in particular. The new versions of the CD-DVD Speed ​​test have an option that allows you to use a test audio disc prepared with the help of the program and known to it in order to determine how correctly drives can work with C2 errors. In our case, we used the same substrate with scratches on the work surface as in the previous test. The program determines how many C2 errors should have been found by this drive in general, and how many of them were actually found. In addition, the number of synchronization errors is diagnosed. Further, on the basis of the data obtained, the "quality score" (Quality Score), as well as the accuracy of finding C2 errors (C2 Accuracy) is determined.

The test results show that Mitsumi CR-485FTE and NEC NR-9400A drives are clear outsiders in the fight for getting the most accurate audio copies. These drives were unable to detect any errors and in addition made a significant number of timing errors. The Mitsumi CR-485FTE hard drive, rated by the "donuts" program according to two final quality indicators: C2 Accuracy and Quality Score, looks completely hopeless. The NEC NR-9400A drive, at least, got a "quality score" of 81. At the same time, the Sony CRX230E drive proved to be the best, scoring almost the highest possible results in both main performance indicators. Very close indicators of the quality of work on error correction turned out to be inside each of the two related pairs of drives from LG and LITE-ON.

Exact Audio Copy

Recall that the EAC program differs from other utilities designed to extract audio tracks from audio CDs in that it tries to use the hardware capabilities of a particular drive to the maximum in order to obtain the most correct end result. Using the Drive Options option, we diagnosed the presence of three important features for achieving high-quality audio copies. These include drive support for features such as data caching, "precise flow" and handling C2 error data. The presence of the first function makes it difficult to obtain accurate audio copies, and the other two contribute to this. The results obtained are shown in the table.

As you can see from the specifications of the drives, all tested drives support the "precise flow" feature. LG drives and NEC NR-9400A drives do not cache data. The program was unable to detect the possibility of working with C2 pointers in NEC NR-9400A, Mitsumi CR-485FTE drives and both LG products. For the last two drives, this looks a little strange, since other utilities have found this ability in them.
Further, using the EAC program, we also measured the time required to extract eighteen audio tracks from an audio CD and convert them into Wav files. The procedure was carried out in the exact mode (Secure Mode), which, in contrast to the high-speed mode (Burst Mode), allows achieving the highest possible quality of work. True, the reverse side of the coin in this case is a longer extraction time for tracks.
If you look at the final results in the table, you can see that almost the fastest four drives coped with the work, for which the EAC program could not detect the ability to use information about C2 errors. So in this case, their swiftness has a completely logical explanation - they do not detect C2 errors and do not spend time fixing them. Among the remaining models, the fastest drive was ASUS CRW-5232AS, slightly behind Sony CRX230E. The LITE-ON and TEAC W552E drives took a very long time to extract audio tracks.

Nero CD DAE

Another specialized program, with which we evaluated the speed of drives with audio discs, was CD DAE. The drives were extracting eighteen audio tracks from the audio disc at the fastest possible speed for them.

The data in the final table shows that the ASUS CRW-5232AS drive became the winner - it managed to slightly outperform the TEAC W552E in the fight for the first time. The LG GCE-8522B turned out to be the slowest among all drives, which also made a fairly large number of errors. Another drive that has errors when extracting audio tracks is the NEC NR-9400A.

CloneCD

In order to evaluate the speed of the drives when working with media that store copy-protected information, the disk with the game "Cossacks" was copied to an image file on the disk. The speeds with which these drives were able to carry out this operation are shown in the table.

The trio of two drives from LITE-ON and Sony CRX230E managed to cope with the task set before them the fastest. The Mitsumi CR-485FTE was the slowest to copy.

Nero Burning Rom

Even in the case of nominally the same write speed, all drives in practice show different values ​​of the time required for this. In order to find out the situation with the tested drives using the Nero Burning Rom program, a 693 MB MPEG4 movie was recorded onto CD-RW discs. For drives capable of writing at 24X and 32X, 700 MB Verbatim Data Life Plus 16X-24X media was used. LITE-ON drives worked with a Digitex 4X-12X disc. The nominal write speed in the end for the two groups of devices was 24X and 10X, respectively.

The results shown in the table show that among drives operating in 24X mode, the Sony CRX230E drive required the minimum time to transfer information, followed by Mitsumi CR-485FTE and ASUS CRW-5232AS. The LG GCE-8522B drive took the most time to record a movie in this group. Both drives from LITE-ON spent almost the same time on writing CD-RW media, which, for obvious reasons, turned out to be more than twice as long as that of the drives of the first group.

Summarizing

Let's try, before determining the best drive in our testing, to note the most important positive and negative properties of each model. The only point that should be noted right away in order to avoid unnecessary repetitions is that all drives operating at maximum speed, subjectively, create a fairly high noise level, which manufacturers cannot reduce to acceptable values, despite all their attempts.

ASUS CRW-5232AS

Pros:

nice design

complete set
reduced hull length

Minuses:

not found

LG GCE-8522B

Pros:

good potential for using the drive in overburning mode

Minuses:

not the best choice for quality audio copies
poor work with discs that have mechanical damage to the working surface

LG GCE-8524B

Pros:

high speed characteristics
support for Mount Rainier technology

Minuses:

not the best choice for quality audio copies
poor work with discs that have mechanical damage to the working surface

LITE-ON LTR-48126S

Pros:

support for Mount Rainier technology
confident work with media with mechanical damage to the working surface

Minuses:

no headphone output

LITE-ON LTR-40125S

Pros:

a good choice for quality audio copies
support for Mount Rainier technology

Minuses:

slow rewriting speed today
low “quality score” when reading a CD with damage to the working surface.

Mitsumi CR-485FTE

Pros:

high speed characteristics
great potential for using the drive in overburning mode

Minuses:

poor choice for accurate audio copies
slow in practice with some media

NEC NR-9400A

Pros:

High rewriting speed

Minuses:

inability to work with C2 Errors
not the best choice for accurate audio copies
slow in practice with some media

Sony CRX230E

Pros:

high speed characteristics

reduced hull length

confident work with all types of media
support for Mount Rainier technology
ability to default to low speed operation to reduce noise

Minuses:

no obvious flaws

TEAC W552E

Pros:

a good choice for accurate audio copies
high-quality reading of media with a damaged working surface
confident work with almost all types of media
support for Mount Rainier technology

Minuses:

"Hard Tray"

Here we come to the final. Probably those people who were able to read the article to the end have already formed their own opinion about the quality of this or that drive, but it seems to us that the choice of the winner will not cause controversy - it was the Sony CRX230E, which managed to outperform other models in the vast majority of parameters we tested. Given the not too big price gap with other drives, it seems to us ideal for purchase and use in computers that perform a wide range of tasks.

View from below on the reading head of the drive model NEC1100A

We are primarily interested in small trimming resistors mounted directly on the head. These resistors regulate the current through the laser diode and by changing their value, it is possible to change the brightness of the laser radiation within certain limits. In the figure, they are circled and marked with numbers 1 and 2.

The location of these regulators for different models of drives can vary greatly. For example, this photo shows the optical head of a newer drive:

You need to take a thin screwdriver and add a little brightness to the desired laser. You can find the right regulator by experience. Let's assume that our drive reads CDs well and reads DVDs very badly. We take a marker and make notes on the resistors to remember the position of the engine, which was made at the factory when setting up the head. Then, one of the resistors, for example number 1, is unscrewed to the extreme position counterclockwise. We assemble the drive and check the reading of CDs and DVDs. To do this, it is convenient to use the program Nero CD-DVD Speed. If the reading of CDs, which were previously well read, has deteriorated sharply, then we have turned the laser regulator responsible for reading this format. We return the resistor engine to its previous position. If the quality of reading CD discs has not changed, then we guessed the DVD laser brightness control.

After we have found the desired regulator, we turn it about 5 - 10 degrees clockwise relative to the position that was set at the factory and which we marked with a marker. We assemble the drive again and check the readability of the DVD disc. If it doesn’t help, we twist the resistor again, in the end, achieving the best reading quality.

Bitsetting

The Bitsetting function allows you to change the bit responsible for the media type (ROM, -R, +R), the so-called Book Type. This bit is located in the Lead-in area of ​​the disk and can take one of three values. But you can change it only if DVD+R discs are used, because DVD-R has it by default. If you want the disc to be guaranteed to be read on any even the most ancient player, you need to set the Book Type to DVD-ROM. It is recommended to set Book Type for double-layer (DVD+R9 DL) discs as well. otherwise, they may well not be read even on the most modern DVD players.

Lite-On IT DVD Drive - SOSW-833SX

Specifications of SOSW-833SX:

Interface - USB 2.0

The maximum recording speed of DVD±R discs is 8x;

The maximum recording speed of DVD±RW discs is 4x;

The maximum recording speed for DVD±R DL discs is 2.4x;

The maximum write speed for DVD-RAM discs is 5x;

The maximum recording speed of CD-RW discs is 24x;

The maximum recording speed of CD-R discs is 24x;

Buffer size - 2 MB

Slim form factor

Weight - 362 gr.

DVD burner DRW-1608P2S with support for recording on dual-layer media:

Lite-On IT releases LightScribe drive with 8X DVD+R DL recording.

Features of SHW-16H5S:

• Interface: ATAPI/E-IDE
• Support DVD+R / DVD+RW / DVD-R / DVD-RW / DVD+R9 / DVD-R9 / DVD-ROM / CD-R / CD-RW / CD-ROM
• Recording to DVD+ / - R9
• Buffer underrun protection technology SMART-BURN
• CD-DA/VCD/DVD SMART-X Speed ​​Adjustment Technology
• Noise and vibration suppression system for writing and reading VAS
• Support for Fixed Packet, Variable Packet, TAO, SAO, DAO, Raw Mode Burning & Over-Burn recording modes
• DVD Reading: DVD Single/Dual Layer (PTP/OTP), DVD-R (3.9GB/4.7GB), DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+R Multisession, DVD-RW and DVD+RW
• CD Reading: CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM/XA, Photo-CD, Multisession, Karaoke-CD, Video-CD, CD-I FMV, CD Extra, CD Plus, CD-R and CD-RW
• Support 80 and 120mm CD and DVD
• Communication modes: PIO mode 4, DMA mode 2 and Ultra DMA mode 4
• Lightscribe Support

ASUS CB-5216A1T: SATA DVD/CD-RW drive

The CB-5216A1T supports ASUS FlextraLink, FlextraSpeed ​​and DDSS II proprietary technologies.

FlextraLink technology prevents buffer underrun errors and eliminates the possibility of disc corruption, while FlextraSpeed ​​is designed to increase accuracy and reliability when reading/writing/rewriting media of various formats. In turn, the DDSS II Dual Dynamic Suspension System is designed to minimize the vibration caused by the optical drive's spindle motor and the resonance between the drive and the computer case by stabilizing both vertically and horizontally.

Specifications ASUS CB-5216A1T:

• CD-R Write Speed: 52X
• CD-RW rewriting speed: 32X
• CD-ROM reading speed: 52X
• DVD reading speed: 16X
• FlextraLink Technology
• FlextraSpeed ​​technology
• DDSS II
• AI Auto Speed ​​Adjustment Technology
• Support for accelerated decoding of music CDs (max. speed - 52X) and Video CD
• Mt support. Rainier
• Support for DAO-RAW, TAO, DAO, SAO, Multi-Session, Packet Write and Overburn
• Supports CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, Photo CD, Mixed Mode CD-ROM, CD-I, CD-Extra, CD Text, Video CD, DVCD and Bootable CD
• Vertical and horizontal installation possible
• SATA interface

Hitachi GSA-4166B

Hitachi introduced the drive - GSA-4166B supports all formats, including DVD-RAM.

The main characteristics of the device:

• Super Multi Drive supporting 5x DVD-RAM and 16x DVD±R recording
• Compatible with dual-layer ±R discs
• Speed ​​formula: 16x/6x/5x/16x/8x (DVD-R/RW/RAM/+R/+RW)
• Support for LightScribe technology
• Buffer size - 2 Mb
• Media loading - horizontal, automated
• Interface: IDE/ATAPI/Ultra DMA66
• Power supply: 12V/5V
• Supported OS: Win9X,\Win2K,XP, Media Center Edition

• DVD-R: SL 2x, 4x CLV, 8x ZCLV, 12x PCAV, 16x CAV, DL 2x, 4x CLV
• DVD-RW: 2x, 4x CLV, 6x ZCLV
• DVD-RAM: 2x, 3x, 5x CLV (Ver.2.2)
• DVD+R: SL 2.4x, 4x CLV, 8x ZCLV, 12x PCAV, 16x CAV, DL 2.4x, 4x CLV, 6x ZCLV
• DVD+RW: 2.4x, 4x CLV, 8x ZCLV
• CD-R: 10x, 16x CLV, 24x ZCLV, 32x, 40x, 48x CAV
• CD-RW: 4x, 10x, 16x CLV, 24x, 32x ZCLV

• DVD-R/RW/ROM: 10x/8x/16x max.
• DVD-RAM (Ver.1.0/2.1) : 2x, 3x, 5x CLV
• DVD+R/+RW: SL - 10x max., DL - 8x max./8x max.
• CD-R/RW/ROM: 48x max/32x/48x max

Transfer rate:

• DVD-ROM: 22.16 Mbps
• CD-ROM: 6 Mb/s.

Data access time:

• DVD-ROM: 145ms
• CD-ROM: 120ms

Supported formats (media) and recording methods:

• DVD-RAM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R (SL, DL)/RW, CD-R/RW
• DVD-RAM/+RW: random (any) recording
• DVD-R: Disk-at-once, incremental recording
• DVD-R DL: Sequential Recording
• DVD-RW: Disk-at-once, incremental recording
• DVD+R, +R DL: sequential recording
• CD-R/RW: Disk-at-once, Session-at-once, Track-at-once, Packet Write

Reading discs (formats):

• DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-R(SL,DL), DVD-RW, DVD+R(SL,DL), DVD+RW; CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-DA, CD-I, CD-Extra, CD-Text, Photo CD, Video CD

* SL - single layer (single layer disc), DL - double layer.

Buffalo DVSM-X516FBS and DVSM-X516IU2

Buffalo launches two new DVD drives.

For installation inside, it comes with a SATA-ATAPI adapter and supports both standards. Dimensions: 146 x 170 x 42 mm, and the weight of the product is 760 g. When connected via serial ATA, the DVSM-X516FBS model is only compatible with Win2K/XP.

The external drive DVSM-X516IU2 has IEEE 1394/USB 2.0 interface connectors. Its dimensions are 160 x 279 x 55 mm, weight 1.8 kg. Fully compatible with Win98 SE/Me/2K/XP and WinXP Media Center Edition 2005.

Both models are based on Hitachi DVD super multiple drive GSA-4167B. They provide the following data write speeds: DVD+R DL 6x, DVD-R DL 4x, DVD±R (1-layer) 16x, DVD-RAM 5x, DVD+RW 8x and DVD-RW 6x. Matrix CD-Rs are written at 48x, and CD-RWs at 32x. Reading speeds for DVD are: DVD-ROM 16x, DVD-ROM DL 8x, DVD±R (1-layer) 10x, DVD±R DL 8x, DVD±RW 8x, and for DVD-RAM 5x. CDs are read at 48x for CD-ROM and 40x for CD-RW. The kit comes with a set of software "Easy Media Creator 7 Basic" and "MyDVD 6".

Cost of internal drive DVSM-X516FBS - US$130

External DVSM-X516IU2 - US$160

Plextor starts selling external DVD±R/RW drives. This model does not have a "tray" retractable element, but uses a "slot loading".

USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394 are provided for connecting to a computer. Recording speed on DVD±R matrices is 16x, DVD+RW 8x, DVD±R DL 6x, and DVD-RW 4x. Regular CD-R discs are written at 48x, while CD-RWs are written at 24x. Drive buffer size is 8Mb. The device is equipped with the "Intelligent Recording" function, which automatically selects the optimal recording speed. The products will be released in a limited edition of 500 pieces in white cases. Dimensions 167.1x253.5x53mm, weight 1.7 kg.

Other external DVD±R/RW drive .

The design of the device is similar to the PX-716UFL, but the color of the case is black, and a traditional sliding "tray" is used to receive the disk. There is also a USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394 interface, the write speed for DVD±R is 16x, DVD+RW 8x, DVD+R DL 8x, DVD-R DL 4x and for DVD-RW 6x. Matrix CD-Rs are written at 48x, and CD-RWs at 32x. Buffer size 2MB. Dimensions 167.1 x 253.5 x 53 mm, weight 1.6 kg. All drives are guaranteed to be compatible with WinMe/2K/XP.

NU DDW-164

Specification

• Interface:IDE/ATAPI(UDMA33)
• Reading speed:
  • CD-ROM: 40x Max.
  • DVD-ROM: 16x Max.
• Write speeds:
  • CD-RW: 24x
  • CD-R: 40x
  • DVD-RW: 4x
  • DVD+RW: 4x
  • DVD+R/DVD-R: 16x
  • DVD+R DL: 4x
• Recording formats: CD Disc at Once (DAO), Session at Once (SAO) and Track at Once (TAO) recording, DVD+R Incremental Write, DVD+RW Random Write
• Data buffer size: 2MBytes
• Dimensions: 148mm x 42mm x 170mm
• Weight 0.92kg

On the front panel of the drive there are: a single-color indicator (green), a hole for emergency ejection of disks, an Open / Eject button. The tray of the drive is equipped with a gasket, which is designed to reduce noise and dust penetration into the mechanism of the device. The drive is equipped with Seamless Link buffer underrun control technology. The drive is assembled on a Philips chipset - PNX7860E. Judging by the bios markings, there is every reason to believe that the new company includes remnants from the Cyberdrive company.

The drive is able to work with almost all existing types of DVD media, with the exception of DVD-RAM and DVD-R DL media. Of course, the lack of support for the DVD-R DL format is not yet such a significant minus, but, nevertheless, all modern drives support it.

NU DDW-164 clearly needs to be improved, most of the problems are related to the fact that the manufacturer needs to improve the burning strategies for most discs and rework the list of supported discs. These problems, as a rule, can be solved in the new firmware version, so it remains to be hoped that the developers will promptly make the necessary changes, but for now the drive will suit you only if you mainly use "branded" blanks.

Q. Decided to buy a DVD-RW?

A. NEC-ND3520 Q. NEC DVD-RW ND-2500A stopped reading and writing DVDs (CD-R/RW reads)?

A. Reading and writing a DVD requires more laser power than writing a CD. That is, the most probable cause is a decrease in the radiation power. First, clean your head. If it does not help, then the laser emission is reduced, change the drive.

Q. Combo CD-RW/DVD Samsung 352F (OEM), the drive does not see the disc (it's not the disc), there is also a problem with the 7.9 GB DVD, the computer is very stressed, but it cannot read the files. Mother ECS P6S5AT. Proc Celeron 1.0 GHz, Windows XP Home system?

A. To burn a DVD, you need to install a program for burning discs. As for reading dual-layer DVDs: your drive simply does not support them or a firmware update is required (look at the drive manufacturer's website). In addition, Samsung optical drives have never been of high quality.

Q. Bought 552 TEAC. Was it worth taking instead of NEC 1100A?

A. Instead of NEC - it was not worth it, the reliability and quality of NEC drives have been noticeably higher lately.

The TT-15S1 is a perfectly smooth "milky" surface of the 28 mm thick acrylic base, a belt drive, an aluminum tonearm with an anti-roll system and, of course, no preamps.

Speed ​​33 x 1/3.45 rpm ±0.2%,

Signal to noise ratio - 80 dB,

Frequency response - from 20Hz to 20kHz,

Impedance - 0.66 kOhm,

Power consumption - 5W

The dimensions of the TT-15S1 are typical for its class - w440 mm x t110 mm x d350 mm, weight - 8.9 kg.

The vinyl player is a limited edition priced at ~$2400.

Pioneer DVR-110

Model * burns DL media to 8x DVD+R/-R, regular DVD+R/-R discs are recorded at 16x. Other characteristics of the Pioneer DVR-110 are as follows:

16X CAV DVD-R / +R

8X Zone CLV DVD-R DL (Dual Layer), +R DL (Double Layer)

8x CLV DVD+RW

6X CLV DVD-RW

5X Zone CLV DVD-RAM

40X CAV CD-R

32X Zone CLV CD-RW

Reading:

16X CAV DVD-ROM (Single Layer)

12X CAV DVD-ROM (Dual Layer), DVD-R / +R

8X CAV DVD-RW / +RW, DVD-R DL and +R DL

5X Zone CLV DVD-RAM

40X CAV CD-ROM and CD-R

32X CAV CD-RW

*Unfortunately no support for Blu-ray media.

Vinyl "blanks" CD-R

17/05/2005 The Russian company MIREX launches CD-R MAESTRO blanks with VYNIL type coating and design stylized as vinyl records of past years. MAESTRO is available in five versions, differing only in the color of the inner rings on the surface.

The disks have a capacity of 700MB and a maximum write speed of 52x. According to the manufacturer, the main advantage of vinyl is a double, reinforced protection of the information layer, which is especially relevant for frequent use of the disc and its operation in extreme conditions, such as high humidity or sudden changes in temperature.

Benq Dual Cooling System

Benq introduced the DVD+-R/+-RW burner. The model is called DW1640 and will be released with a black and white front panel. The drive provides recording of dual-layer DVD+R DL discs at 2.4x speed. DVD-R DL support will be implemented via firmware. Other types of discs are recorded at 8x speed, so an 8.5GB disc is written in 16 minutes, only DVD-RW discs are written at 6x speed.

The novelty is equipped with a dual cooling system Dual Cooling System (DCS), which includes the Air Flow Cooling System (AFCS), which enhances the heat transfer of metal parts due to constant air circulation and the Anti-Dust Cooling System (ADCS). The drive has an ATAPI interface and dimensions of 146x178x42 mm.

JVC announced its development in the field of optical media with the development of dual-layer DVD-RW discs with a capacity of 8.5 GB on one side. By using highly sensitive recording layer materials and a new recording technology called N-Strategy, JVC engineers have been able to significantly improve the manufacturing process of rewritable discs and improve the quality of the latter.

The new drive allows you to store up to 8.5 GB of data or up to 11 hours of video on one side of the drive, ie. the novelty has 1.8 times more volume than traditional discs - single-sided and single-layer.

In addition, JVC's recording layer pre-treatment method will allow manufacturers to use existing equipment to produce new-style discs, if, of course, the proposal to standardize and adapt JVC's new-style DVD-RW discs receives a response in the DVD Forum, where JVC has filed a corresponding application.

Unlike conventional dual-layer discs, JVC discs use a new material that improves both the reading quality of the disc [both layers] and improves its erasability and writeability.

In fact, physically, the disk consists of more layers [see. fig.below], but there are exactly two that are recorded - layers L1, L0, which in turn consist of reflective, protective, recordable, protective and the substrate itself.

JVC intends to continue to develop improvements to this technology with a view to future commercialization of this development.

Sony and Nichia demonstrate prototype monolithic read/write block

The presence of several ideologically similar formats for reading (writing) information from optical discs has led to the fact that, starting from a certain moment (since the release of combo drives), first laser heads with two separate diodes (one for CD, the other for DVD), and then heads with a pair of crystals packed in a single diode housing, each of which emitted its own wavelength (such diodes, for example, are produced by Sony). At the same time, the task pursued was quite definite: to replace the scattering of elements with a monolithic block, simplifying and reducing the cost of the design of the laser head, simultaneously increasing its reliability.

The appearance of blue-violet laser-recorded optical discs has become a real challenge for designers of pick-up heads. Indeed, now it was required to include one more diode with its own matrix and its own beam path in the reading unit. In a surge of real enthusiasm, three-in-one puzzling structures began to appear one after another: from prisms, diodes and lenses. This is clear. First you need to make a device from what is, but there were separate diodes and universal heads, and only then simplify this device.

It was about the development of a prototype of such a "brought to mind" universal laser head unit that the tandem from Sony and Nichia announced today. This pair of manufacturers, let me remind you, concluded in April of this year an unlimited cross-licensing agreement on the joint development of blue-violet laser diodes and pick-up heads based on them, which they will sell and produce, however, each separately. The created prototype will be sent to mass production by the end of 2005. By then, presumably, its versatility will only increase. Because at the moment the new laser unit is not quite universal: it emits only waves of 660 nm and 405 nm. In other words, it only works with DVD and Blu-ray discs. Without CD support, the value of this module drops more than noticeably. However, the real advantage of the reader unit is different: its execution is simply striking in its "conciseness":

The design principle is clear from the block diagram, and we will not dwell on it. We only note that such a prism design is as reliable as possible (all three optical sections are enclosed in a monolithic block) and easy to assemble. In addition, such a unit will need only one focusing lens, since the source of blue and red radiation is the same diode.

BenQ is releasing a "Pro" version of its "Dual Layer" DW1620 drive.

BenQ has issued an official press release announcing the release of a "Pro" version of its renowned 16-speed DVD±RW drive that also supports DVD+R DL discs:

Actually, there is only one difference between the DW1620 Pro drive and the DW1620 - the new product writes double-layer DVD+R discs at 4x speed, while its predecessor could do it only at 2.4x speed. That is why the company did not change the drive index, limiting itself to the "Pro" suffix. Also, both drives now come with a proprietary QScan utility that allows the user to quickly check the quality of the disc and determine the optimal speed and recording parameters.

However, if we remember the specs and price of LG's anticipated super-universal GSA-4163B drive, then all of the above is no longer too important. Q. For some time now I have started having problems with DVD and CD playback. When watching a video, listening to audio by any program, "slips" periodically occur. Those. there is a movie, for example, and then immediately jumps a couple of seconds ahead. Same with MP3 when played directly from the drive. The frequency of the phenomenon is 5-20 minutes. Everything reads fine from the hard drive (SATA interface). It is copied from / to the hard drive, discs are written, discs are copied and everything else is normal and at the same speed. When playing an AudioCD, everything is also normal, but at the same time I do not use digital playback, but "analogue", i.e. The sound output does not go through the mother via the IDE cable, but through the digital audio output of the drive directly to the sound card, where it is decoded, while the drive works like a simple CD player. It turns out that the circle closes on the IDE interface. The drives hang on the secondary IDE: Plextor PX-712A (Master) and Plextor PlexWriter Premium (Slave). ASUS P4C800 motherboard, PC3200 512 MB Kingston RAM, P4 Presscott 3GHz processor, WinXP Prof SP1 operating system.

A. Either the discs are scratched a little, or while watching a movie or listening to music, the system wants to access some services, so there is a short-term disappearance and jumps. Maybe the laser head is dusty (clean it). When reading an Audio CD, you don't need such spin-up speeds (max - 4x) as when watching movies. Advice - rewrite films first on a screw (with a DVD, of course, it is more problematic than with a CD), otherwise you will slowly ruin your DVD / CD-Rom.

DVD-RAM (Digital Versatile Disc Random Access Memory)

In July 1997, the DVD Forum approved the DVD-RAM format (Digital Versatile Disc Random Access Memory), which was developed by three Japanese companies: Hitachi, Matsushita and Toshiba. But in the personal computer market, DVD-RAM hasn't really caught on. Perhaps this happened because the two opposing camps, one of which promoted DVD + RW, and the other DVD-RW, were so keen on promoting their own rewritable DVD formats that they simply did not get their hands on a third format. Although the reason why manufacturers began to turn away from DVD-RAM may be different, namely, DVD-RAM discs were supplied both in cartridges and without, which somewhat complicated the work with discs (cartridges could be collapsible or non-collapsible) , and dictated the need to produce drives with a tray for cartridges.

The DVD-RAM format turned out to be more in demand in the corporate sector, when DVD-RAM drives were introduced into robotic libraries for storing data. This format was chosen by corporations because DVD-RAM specifications, in terms of the number of maximum possible rewrite cycles, compare favorably with DVD±RW, promising 100,000 erases and rewrites, which is significantly more than 1,000 for DVD±RW discs. But even the potential possibility of such a huge number of rewrites, as we see, could not help the DVD-RAM standard to gain popularity among ordinary users. After all, perhaps only non-separable cartridges could guarantee the promised number of rewriting cycles at the expense of cost and ease of storage. What the mass market was not ready to go to. In the end, support for DVD-RAM recording in some drives produced today only serves to strengthen the manufacturer's reputation, but by no means a standard.

However, now, according to some indications, the "cartridgeless" DVD-RAM format is beginning to gain momentum. One of its developers, Hitachi, is taking the most active steps to bring DVD-RAM back to the market. According to the Internet resource Clubic, LG-Hitachi currently produces 2 million laser heads per month capable of recording DVD-RAM discs, among other formats. And, most importantly, other manufacturers are also going to master the market of DVD-RAM media and drives! Is it possible that the achievement of the upper limit of the speed of writing DVD±R discs has frightened manufacturers so much that they are ready to bring something new to DVD drives by any means, expanding their functionality, even at the expense of not very popular features? It's like with mobile phones, which from "just call" turned into a kind of "Swiss knives" from, not even communications, but from entertainment or something. Anyway, laser heads for drives compatible with DVD-RAM are going to be manufactured by Sanyo , which owns from 30% to 40% of the laser head market in general. DVD Super Multi heads, according to Clubic, Sanyo will release by the end of this year or early next year. Super Multi chipsets are supplied to the market by Matsushita, Renesas and MediaTek. If for the first two the DVD-RAM format is "native", then MediaTek is its "voluntary" supporter, which indicates an increase in interest in DVD-RAM. Taiwanese companies Lite-On and Accesstek are developing their DVD-RAM-compatible drives, preparing the launch of new products by the second quarter of 2005. But LG Electronics releases such drives regularly. In the spring of 2004, LG announced the Super Multi drive model, which indeed supported all formats, including the latest dual-layer (GSA-4120B drive).

Super Multi drive LG GSA-4160B.

Not so long ago, this model was upgraded to version GSA-4160B. The update affected only the speed of writing DVD+R discs: it has grown from 12x to 16x. All other parameters remained unchanged: DVD-R - 8x, DVD-RAM - 5x, DVD+RW and DVD-RW - 4x, CD-R - 40x, CD-RW - 24x; CD reading speed - 40x, DVD - 16x.

Q.How to format a DVD disc?

A.Nero InCD - format your disc there, you will get the UDF format, and then you can work with it like a large floppy disk (most likely, I mean not formatted, but a blank DVD disc). If we are talking about DVD + / - RW , then when erasing in Nero, select "Complete erasing of a rewritable disc".

Q.DVD-RW drive NEC ND2510A. It turned out that he does not read discs recorded by himself. But, if you just insert a DVD disc, for example with a movie or game, then everything is OK. It seems to be reading images written to disk - that is, if there is an installer, then it will launch it. But, before it gave an error cyclic redundancy check, and now: "Incorrect Function". How do you think this is resolved?

What I tried:

A. Have you tried writing to normal Verbatim? All the NECs I saw were characterized by a frank dislike for the "left" discs. And the cheapest Noname was not even read by Pioneer after recording (although household players BBK somehow played them - albeit not for long: then the recording layer peeled off).

Q. DVD+RW NEC 2510A (new) won't write DVDs

A. DVD+R or DVD-R discs? If you give it the second type, then everything is simple - it doesn’t know how to work with them, but if the first type, go to the warranty. This device is very fastidious, it writes only those disks that it "knows" in its firmware the names of disk manufacturers are hardwired, and those that he recognizes, those he will write, and those that he does not "know", those will not. And you can't fix it by changing the firmware - it's checked!

1. Check if the ASPI driver is installed.

2. Download the new firmware from the manufacturer's website.

3. Are the discs good?

Plextor: PX-740A Dual Layer DVD Drive

Plextor has announced the PX-740A internal dual-layer IDE DVD drive. This is a normal, solid drive i.e. without any special features like the flagship PX-716A.

Recording time for an 8.5 GB disc on a PX-740A drive is ~15 minutes. At the same time, the drive records a single-layer disc in less than 6 minutes.

PX-740A drive features:

• Buffer size 2 Mb
• Buffer Underrun Proof technology
• 16 x DVD±R recording
• 8x DVD+R DL recording
• 4x DVD-R DL recording
• 8x DVD+RW recording
• 6x DVD-RW recording
• 16x DVD-ROM reading
• 48x CD-R recording
• 32x CD-RW dubbing
• 48x CD-ROM reading
• Support direct recording method DVD±VR (Video Recording)

What is a DVD-ROM drive for? The first thing that comes to anyone's mind is to watch a movie. What if I'm not a fan of home theater? Could this device be of any practical use? In this review, I made an attempt to look at the DVD-ROM drive as a device designed to read information from CDs and DVDs, in other words, as a CD-ROM with some additional features, such as watching the same movie or playing something something big and beautiful.

Members

Seven devices took part in testing. The drive specifications shown in the table below are provided by the manufacturers.

	Data transfer rate, MB/s		Average access time, ms		Supported disc types	Possibility of vertical installation	Buffer size
	DVD	CD	DVD	CD
Hitachi GD-2500	2.76-5.52 (4X PCAV DVD)	1.54-3.6 (10.3X - 24X Full CAV)	180	120	DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-DA, Photo-CD, CD-XA, CD-I, CD-Extra	+	512KB
Matsushita SR-8583	2.8-6.76(5X)	2.07-4.8(32X)	140	95		+	512KB
Pioneer DVD-103S (113)	3.35–8.1 (2.5X – 6X)	2.1–4.8 (14X – 32X)	120	90	DVD ROM & Video (Single & Dual Layer); DVD-R, CD-R, CD-R/W, CD-DA (Audio CD); CD-ROM (Mode 1 & 2); CD-ROM XA, Video CD, Photo CD (single or Multi-session); CD-EXTRA, HYBRID CD	+ (Slot)	512KB
Creative Labs DVD2240E	2.7 (2X)	3	170	100	DVD-ROM, CD-Audio, CD-I, CD Extra, CD-ROM, CD-ROM/XA, Photo CD, CD-R, DVD-Video	+	512KB
Creative Labs DVD5240E	6.76 Max (5X)	4.8 Max(32X)	140	90	CD-Audio, CD-I, CD Extra, CD-ROM, CD-ROM/XA, CD-WO, Photo CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-Video	+	512KB
Sony DDU220E	6.75 Max (5X)	4.8 Max(32X)	115	100	DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-R, CD-Digital Audio, CD Extra, CD TEXT, CD-ROM, CD-I Ready, CD-Bridge, Video CD, CD-R, CD-RW	+	512KB
Toshiba SD-M1202	2.7-6.5 (5x)	2.0–4.8 (32X)	105	90	DVD-ROM, DVD Video, CD-ROM XA, CD-I BRIDGE (Photo CD, Video CD), CD-I READY, CD-DA, CD-G and multisession (Photo-CD), CD EXTRA	+	256KB

The first look at the table immediately shows an outsider - Creative Labs DVD2240E is a priori unable to compete with younger competitors. Hitachi GD-2500 occupies the second place (from the end) according to the declared characteristics, and then there is a homogeneous group, in which Pioneer DVD-103S can be singled out (and even then only on DVD). As proudly written on the company's website, this is the world's only six-speed DVD-ROM drive. By the way, it is the only one on the test with a slotted loading (Slot) instead of a tray. True, there is also a twin brother Pioneer DVD-113 with a tray that is more familiar to me personally.

So, let's see what they are in action. For tests, the system was used in the following configuration.

• Asus P2B motherboard
• Processor Pentium II - 400
• 64 MB SEC PC100 SDRAM
• Hard drive IBM DTTA-371440
• Video card Asus V2740 (Intel 740)
• Operating system Windows 98

During the tests, each device was connected as a "master" to the second IDE channel and was the only device on the channel.

DVD-ROM is, firstly, CD-ROM

Since a significant amount of useful information is (and will be for a very long time) on CD-ROM discs, we would like to get acceptable characteristics from the DVD-ROM drive both in terms of CD reading speed and read stability, let's say, not the best ( sawn Chinese) disks. Indeed, putting both a DVD-ROM and a CD-ROM drive in one case is not the best solution. Therefore, the ability of the subjects to read CD-ROM discs was found out quite meticulously in the next set of tests.

• WinBench 98 CD Test
• Measuring the average read speed of different types of disks with the DiskTest utility
• Measuring Half-Life Installation Time

The WinBench 98 CD Test gave the impression that it was also used by the developers when drawing up specifications for their products - all characteristics almost coincided with the declared ones, except for one case - Sony DDU220E. Such low results shown on the test are explained by the fact that this particular device did not read a particular disk with tests well. Since cleaning the disk did not help, and no other participant supported such "unsportsmanlike behavior", it was decided to leave the modest result in force. The CPU load test also brought no surprises - the higher the transfer rate, the higher the processor load, everything is natural. Thus, WinBench 98 CD Test, alas, did not add meaningful information.

	CD-ROM WinMark 98	CD-ROM Transfer Rate (Inside) thousand bytes/sec	CD-ROM Transfer Rate (Outside) thousand bytes/sec	CD-ROM Access Time, ms	CD-ROM CPU Utilization, %
Hitachi GD-2500	1250	1940	3700	127	4%
Matsushita SR-8583	1580	2490	4750	92.6	5.19%
Pioneer DVD-103S	1690	2610	4800	90.9	5.41%
Creative DVD2240E	1070	1620	3090	104	3.35%
Creative DVD5240E	1500	2510	4790	94.3	5.3%
Sony DDU220E	694	812	1550	125	1.54%
Toshiba SD-M1202	1730	2680	4950	91.5	5.57%

The real test began on the next test. The DiskTest utility reads the entire drive or a selected directory and determines, among other things, the average read speed. Three disks were selected for tests.

• Disk1 - disk with software (large files, simple directory structure)
• Disk2 - disk with photos (many small files, complex directory structure)
• Disk3 - a disk in a physically bad state (simple structure)

Each test was performed 3 times (in the case of particularly discouraging results - 5-7 times), the average value was entered in the table. True, it should be noted that the discrepancy in the results did not exceed 20 kb/s.

And here the most interesting began.

Well, with the first disc, everything is simple - read to yourself at the highest possible speed for you, with which all the test subjects coped. It can only be noted that Sony's result is rather low for its group.

But with the second one, problems have already begun. It's not enough to spin fast here. As a result, the leader was determined - Toshiba SD-M1202, and Hitachi GD-2500 with its modest 24X burst into second place, outperforming seemingly faster competitors. The twins Matsushita SR-8583 and Creative DVD5240E made a particularly depressing impression. At the same time, the sounds were heard such that poor devices became even a pity.

A test of reading a disk that is "not in perfect condition" finally fixed the position at the poles. The first place went to Toshiba by a huge margin, on the opposite pole - Creative DVD2240E (which, in general, was expected) and Creative DVD5240E in company with Matsushita SR-8583 (which was not expected at all). I repeated this test ten times for each device - I could not believe everything. Indeed, the scratches on which the rest of the drives shut up, Toshiba slipped without slowing down! And Creative, one might say, inflicted a personal insult on me, because before that I was convinced (and tried to convince others) that these drives read bad discs best of all!

Next, a readability test was planned, that is, finding out the level of "wear" of the disk, at which reading errors begin to occur. Here I suffered a crushing failure. Well, they do not want to admit their mistakes! The reading speed drops to zero, and the drive stubbornly tries to read something there for about ten minutes. All disk drives gave up at once - for example, with deep scratches. Thus, the test was declared invalid. I must say that I didn’t really like this behavior of disk drives - well, you can’t read it, so tell me, why puff up something! Although it should be noted that bringing the disk to the state that I brought it to using sandpaper is an extremely difficult task.

The next test is the Half-Life installation time.

Toshiba was on a horse here too, and the losers of the previous tests were rehabilitated a little. In general, everything is predictable, based on the declared characteristics.

And in conclusion, about the acoustic parameters. This is where outsiders stand out. Who do you think? Right! Creative DVD5240E and Matsushita SR-8583! When the spindle rotates, there is a downright roar, the drive vibrates strongly, and when the lens is positioned, a well-audible creak is heard. And it is shown on all disks. On the other extreme, which is quite obvious, are relatively low-speed devices - Creative DVD2240E and Hitachi GD-2500, and Hitachi is the absolute leader in terms of silence. Very close to them are Toshiba SD-M1202 and Pioneer DVD-103S. A little more noise when the disk rotates is a natural price to pay for increasing the rotation speed. Sony does not make any more noise when the disk is rotated, but when positioning the lens there is an annoying tapping, and when the tray is retracted (whether with or without a disk), a loud knock is heard.

So what happens? Creative DVD2240E is an obvious outsider, as they say, "in life", Hitachi GD-2500 is also not included in the elite group in terms of technical characteristics, although this drive performed very well in tests and I personally liked it very much - as they say, good, smooth middle class. And then the places were distributed as follows:

1. Toshiba SD-M1202
2. Pioneer DVD-103S
3. Sony DDU220E
4. Creative DVD5240E
5. Matsushita SR-8583

Separately, I note that I personally did not like the slot-loading present in the drive from Pioneer. Basically, this, of course, is a subjective opinion, but there is also an objective inconvenience - if you forget a disk inside and turn off the computer, that's it, you won't get it.

Well, all the same, we are testing not CD-ROM drives, but DVD-ROM.

DVD-ROM is not only CD-ROM

So, let's move on to tests of what actually makes a DVD-ROM drive a DVD-ROM drive - the ability to read DVD discs. For this, the following set of tests was used.

• Disc ripping time from Wing Commander IV DVD
• The speed of reading the selected directory from a DVD disc
• Installation time Wing Commander IV DVD
• Expert evaluation of acoustic parameters

So let's get started.

Copying a disk is a long job - after all, more than 4GB. What do we get? And we get another confirmation of the table with technical results. Is that Matsushita and Creative rehabilitated a bit. And it was worth the time!

More meaningful, as in the case of the CD, were tests of average reading speed. True, here we had to measure the average reading speed not of a disk, but of a directory, but the essence of this does not change. Again, in the first case, large files (Directory1) were selected, in the second, small ones (Directory2). The results are in.

In the first test, CD test losers Matsushita SR-8583 and Creative DVD5240E again proved to be good, but in the second one... Unexpected, isn't it? Doesn't it remind you of anything? Personally, it reminds me of the results of measuring the average reading speed of Disk2 in CD tests. Similar situation, similar results, and another reminder that the highest top speed does not always give the best results in a particular case. True, we must make a reservation, explaining the low result of Pioneer DVD-103S, that the situation created in the second test is largely artificial. In real life, it can be created when installing the game, but the total size of these small files is so small (in this case it was 7.5 MB) that the difference in speed will not be felt. The main purpose of DVD discs is to store large files (such as MPEG2 files of more than a hundred megabytes in size), and the same Pioneer DVD-103S copes with the task of quickly reading such files perfectly, which is also confirmed by the next test.

Measuring the total installation time of the Wing Commander IV DVD brought no surprises. Who was supposed to be faster, he became.

As for the acoustics, then everyone behaved quietly and decently, with one exception. For Creative DVD5240E I just got scared. If there was any DVD disc in the drive, such a vibration began that I fixed it in the case away from sin. It wasn't there! The whole body began to vibrate (though not with such force).

Thus, the Pioneer DVD-103S became the winner in the DVD test (which was generally predetermined), with the losers, by definition, everything is also clear, and in the middle group I could not objectively put the drives in their places. Although, if you try subjectively, it would turn out something like this.

1. Matsushita SR-8583
2. Toshiba SD-M1202
3. Sony DDU220E
4. Creative DVD5240E

conclusions

Drawing any conclusions is a thankless task. In principle, all the test results are there - let everyone decide for himself what is more important and necessary for him. But I still can't resist. In my opinion, the best choice today is Toshiba, and for the economical owner - Hitachi.

Information is read using a focused beam of a laser beam.

Now let's see how this DVD Rom works. Today it is still relevant, since many people still use disks as storage media. Therefore, you need to be guided in this matter. But we will not pay attention to other drives for now.

In general, only the advent of high technology made it possible to make such a thing as an optical drive. The disc has a reflective layer on which the laser beam is focused. It must be perfectly accurate and directed. The layer on the disk seems smooth and shiny to us, but there are microscopic depressions there, which are nothing more than recorded information. The laser beam reads the reflected light from these "bumps".

First of all, the order

But, to make it all the same clearer, we will consider everything in order.

Does everyone know what the abbreviations we already know stand for? It seems not. So let's deal with that first.

• CD Rom is short for compact disc. The full name is Compact Disc Read-Only Memory and it is used only for reading.
• Also, a short DVD Rom is a more versatile disc. However, it is also read-only. The full name is Digital Versatile Disc read only memory.
• There is her "blue beam" or Blu-ray. Information is recorded on this disk by a short-wave laser beam, blue-violet in color.

The picture clearly shows what exactly we call a DVD optical drive.

Installing your own DVD Rom is easy. Usually does not cause problems. But it is important that the connection standard matches the device. There are two standards: "SATA" and "IDE".

The first is considered the most modern, and the second is already outdated.

The most important is indicated by numbers in the order from one to three.

• The first is the master/slave section of the jumper on the drive.
• Under the second number is a pin interface for connecting ATA / ATAPI devices. All nineteen holes.
• Molex is connected to the third connector of four pins.

Now let's turn our attention to the back. This is the standard "SATA" DVD Rom drive.

• The first connector connects a power cable consisting of fifteen pins.
• The data cable is installed in the second connector. It is flat and short. The connection is made to the SATA controller located on the motherboard.

It should be noted that not all devices have a DVD Rom drive. For example, a netbook or tablet. In this case, such an optical drive as a USB DVD Rom will help out. After all, there is nowhere to insert a disk, in case of changing the operating system, for example. Then the optical drive is connected via the USB port.

Situations when this kind of optical drive is necessary are not rare. For example, this netbook requires the installation of an operating system, which can be done using this USB drive.

How is information recorded?

Many people are more or less aware of how recording on records takes place. At first, recording on CD discs happened in a similar way. And the name of the records was CD-R (Recordable). Recording something a second time on such a disc was impossible. But then the disks became more and more perfect and it became possible to overwrite the information several times. These are CD-RW (ReWritable) discs. And it's all about the nuances of production. Previously, recording took place directly on a layer of plastic. Now a layer of metal alloy was made. And this layer under the influence of a laser beam is able to change properties. You can even notice dark and light stripes on the surface. This technology allows you to rewrite information many times, maybe even a thousand times.

The disc platter has a layer on which the recording is made. This layer can be seen on all writable and rewritable discs. If the disc cannot be overwritten, then this can be determined by the layer on the plate. If the disc is written, the layer will change color. The process comes from exposure to a laser beam, and it is irreversible.

Rewriting discs are equipped with an alloy layer that can change the reflective layer under the influence of the same laser beam.

All discs have a standard diameter of 120mm. The thickness does not exceed 1.2 mm. In the center, a hole of a small diameter of 15 mm is required. The surface of the disc must not have any scratches in any case. And to prevent this, there is a ledge on the outside of the disk. It is small 0.2 mm, but strictly performs its functions. On a flat surface, the disc will no longer receive any damage.

Any disc is a multi-layered pie. But the cake is a little more than a millimeter thick. However, each layer has its own function and performs it. See what the disk looks like in the diagram and how many layers it has of different materials.

No matter how complex the information is from our point of view, all of it will be recorded in the form of pits and landings. In fact, these are recesses (pit) and surface (lands). In general, a wavy path is obtained. The recesses are pressed into the polycarbonate layer, and the plane remains unchanged. When the beam is focused on the track, the light from the plane and the bulges is reflected differently. And the difference is barely noticeable, but it's all fixed.

In simpler terms, all information looks like a zero - a plane and a unit - a tubercle.

Notice how it looks under high magnification.

Now you see what's on the surface that seems perfectly flat?

DVD Rom writes and reads information using a red laser. The wavelength is measured in nanometers and is 650nm. But the step is only 0.74 micrometers. For comparison, in CD discs, all figures are twice as large. It is clear that the reduction of the laser wave made it possible to “examine” the surface of the disk more accurately and fix all the pits. The constant reduction made the DVD almost dimensionless. At one time, when more than 4 gigabytes of information began to fit there, it looked fantastic!

Here are some numbers for comparison.

In a DVD disc, compared to a CD, the pixel size is 0.4 microns versus 0.83.

A CD has a track width of 1.6 microns, while a DVD has only 0.74.

Some discs can hold just a huge amount of information. For example:

• bilateral,
• two-layer.

Some discs may be double-sided or double-sided. Such a sandwich will hold all 17 gigabytes.

More about each

Double-layer DVD discs are produced by pressing the first layer. Then the second layer is applied by spraying on top. The coating is translucent. The laser beam, when reading information, focuses on each layer, moving from one to another automatically.

If the DVD disc has two layers, then the thickness of each layer reaches 0.6 mm. When gluing the layers, the same 1.2 mm is obtained. It is very similar to a record, after listening to one side you can turn it over.

On the diagram it looks like this:

Disk layout

blue ray

Remember Blu-ray discs? They somehow differ from the usual DVDs and CDs. They are read using a blue-violet laser beam. Its length is less than required for reading DVD Rom and CD Rom (RW) discs. For them, a beam with a length of 650 and 780 nanometers, respectively, is used. And for a Blu-ray disc, the beam is only 405 nm long. And all because the technology using the red laser beam can be said to have reached the limit. But the blue-violet ray is a real leap in development.

For such a beam, the track width is also required less, and therefore the amount of information can be recorded more. However, due to the thinness of the relief on the information layer, it became more difficult to read records at high speed. Therefore, it was necessary to reduce the protective layer of polycarbonate. Previously, it was 0.6, and now it is 0.1 mm. As a result, the speed of work and the accuracy of reading information have increased.

DVD-ROM drive(DVD-ROM drive (DVD-ROM drive, DVD-R / RW drive) - a computer device designed to read high-density optical discs (DVD), as well as play audio, video and CDs. Writer models DVD-RW drives, which by 2006 began to dominate the market, can not only read, but also write / rewrite discs of various formats (DVD and CD).

Data is read/written to DVD in the same way as regular CDs (see CD-ROM drive), but DVD drives use a reduced laser beam (to 0.63-0.65 µm vs. 0.78 µm). in CD-ROM) of a long wavelength, which makes it possible to distinguish smaller pits (0.4 μm versus 0.83 μm in CD-ROM), which, together with a decrease in the distance between the turns of the track and other technological features, significantly increases the recording density on the disc. In addition, the use of a narrower laser beam in DVD drives led to a reduction in the protective layer of the disc by half, which made it possible to create double-layer DVD discs (DB, double layer) and further double the storage capacity. Modern DVD drives are able to change the focus of the laser beam, allowing data to be read from the layers of a single-sided disc located one under the other. To read/write double-sided discs, drives with two independent laser heads can be used. Modern drives are capable of changing the wavelength and radiation power to read / write various formats of compact discs (DVD and CD). Like CD-ROM drives, DVD drives differ in data transfer speed, access speed, buffer capacity, support for certain disc formats (including DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-R/RW) and recording methods, as well as other characteristics.

DVD read/write speeds are denoted by a multiplier (x1, x2, etc.) similar to the corresponding CD-ROM speeds, however, the speed unit here is not 150 Kb/s, but 1.321 Mb/s (video reading speed). ). For DVD movie playback, the maximum possible read speed is not important, since all movies play at the same speed, but the speed of the drive may be important when writing / reading data.

The mass production of these drives began at the end of 1996, but their widespread introduction was delayed for more than a year. This was due, in particular, to the fact that the first versions of the drives did not allow playing regular CD-ROMs. In addition, DVD-ROM recordings had not yet been mass-produced and users did not yet have a sufficient number of recordings. Nevertheless, it was already initially assumed that DVD-drives and discs should, within a relatively short period of time, force out the corresponding products of CD-ROM technology from the market. The beginning of the active production and distribution of drives and disks of this type can be attributed to approximately the second half of 1997. The greatest activity in the use of the new media was shown by American manufacturers of film products and game programs.

At the end of 1997, the second generation technology (DVD-2) appeared. Products based on this technology overcome a number of shortcomings of earlier releases of devices that cannot read CD-R and CD-RW media, which are becoming increasingly popular as their prices drop. In addition, these drives are faster than DVD-1 drives. By the beginning of 1998, a significant number of games and films in MPEG-2 format were released on these media.