Plextor 708A: First exclusive look at 8X DVD+R
by Kristopher Kubicki on September 12, 2003 11:11 PM EST- Posted in
- Storage
PoweRec
Before we jump right into the write tests, we should take a minute to look at Plextor’s PoweRec feature. Since Plextor jumped the gun on DVD+R 8X, not all DVD+R media is capable (or not capable) of 8X. Our FujiFilm 4X DVD+R disks had no problem burning at 8X, even though they were explicitly rated 4X. At first glance, we dismissed this as “so-what?” technology, but after seeing some of the write tests on the 708A, we were instantly hooked.Rather than just identify the media at the beginning of the burn, and then dismiss what is occurring on the media itself, PowerRec actively monitors the media and the laser during the burn. Thus, if the drive is burning and starts to produce errors, the drive and laser strength decreases the burn speed mid-way. This is particularly neat in Z-CLV burns, as the Philips 8X DVD+R standard mandates Z-CLV anyway.
CAV is done similarly but instead of zones, the drive readjusts the laser and speed every minute. If the thermal circuit inside the 708A gets too hot, the drive also steps down burn speed and laser strength.
Plextor Europe has an excellent document with plenty of pictures on the technology here.
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Moonbeam - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
In the sentence:" As far as performance is concerned, the drive out-performs the ASUS DRW-0402P/D and the Pioneer A06 in virtually every way. Media recognition, compatibility and just raw burn times were all better on the A06."
I got the impression the author meant, instead of that last AO6 to put 7o8A.
KristopherKubicki - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
#6 - Correct I didnt mention Sony, but thats because Sony doesnt make their own drives =). I have an upcoming review to deal with that.Kristopher
tazdevl - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
Couple things... I have a Sony 510A, 510UL and the Plex 708A. Buffer size is pointless. Those comments regarding the buffer size that folks are making and are mentioned in the review don't mean squat. Buffer underrun prevents coasters from happening and based on the review it's obvious it's doing its job. A 8MB buffer is just a way to differentiate a drive from its competitors for ignorant consumers that have "bigger is better" Best Buy logic.-R has greater compatbility at this point with all DVD players. +R has compatibility issues with some older players. That's the nice thing about having a dual format drive. One format doesn't work, try the other.
Lastly the reviewer forgot to comment on Sony as being one of the DVD burning elite. They set the standatd for the industry when they released the Sony 500A/X which was the first dual format burner on the market for months. Also, with firmware 2.0F that enabled 4X burning for both formats (nice free bump for consumers), they started the speed wars in the DVD burning market.
Anonymous User - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
Anyone who buys a dual format drive is foolish. DVD+R only drives allow booktype settings to be set to dvd-rom, increasing compatibility SIGNIFICANTLY. Once the drive becomes dual format however, the feature gets scrapped.Mday - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
2.4x DVD burning is over 3MB ps. obviously 6x or 8x is 2-3 times that, or roughly 6MB to 9MB per second. with a 2 MB buffer, that's less than 1/3 of a second time. in computing terms, 1/3 of a second is a lot of time. however, since when do programs that access disc space only last 1/3 of a second...sony has an 8MB buffer. while burning at 4x, and with certain programs running, it hardly dips below 90%. of course i do implement a hefty disk cache and memory cache for nero as i burn. i would like to see nero have more than just 80 MB max dedicated for buffering in system memory.
Anonymous User - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
I'm waiting for 8X DVD-R burners to come out. DVD+R discs do not work on any of the IBM T20-22 Laptops we use at my office. All of them play DVD-R fine so I consider that a negative towards +R. My friends DVD player from Sony works great with -R but not +R as well.Budman - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
My 2X burner's getting slower. :(AgaBooga - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
Its good to see 8x burners. I want to see how this affects the current 4x burner prices...ekrandegisimi - Thursday, August 1, 2019 - link
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