Holiday Shopping Roundup: Eight Dual Format Recordable DVD Drives
by Kristopher Kubicki on December 11, 2003 10:54 PM EST- Posted in
- Storage
Sony DRU-530A
Enter the sleeping giant, Sony. We would not be giving Sony enough credit if we didn't say they created effectively the dual format product category with the DRU-510A. Of course, it's easy to say that it was inevitable, as Sony happens to participate officially and unofficially in both the DVD+R and DVD-R forums.In any case, on the heels of the success of the DRU-510A, we present the DRU-530A. Sony's experience in the DVDR market shines in both its software bundle and documentation. Sonic RecordNow, Sonic DLA, Sonic MyDVD, PowerDVD 5 and MusicMatch were all bundled with the drive. Documentation seems to cover everything, but troubleshooting. However, it should be mentioned that Sony has a technical support contact number plastered all over the box art and literature. Hopefully, Sony will also do well in our Technical Support portion of this roundup.
| Sony DRU-530A DVD-/+R Drive | |
| Interface | IDE |
| CD Write Speed | 40X (CAV), 32X, 24X (PCAV) 16X, 12X, 8X, 4X (CLV) |
| CD Rewrite Speed | 24X (PCAV) 16X, 10X, 4X (CLV) |
| CD Read Speed | 40X Max (CAV) |
| DVD-R Write Speed | 4X, 2X, 1X (CLV) |
| DVD-RW Rewrite Speed | 2X, 1X (CLV) |
| DVD+R Write Speed | 8X (Z-CLV) 4X, 2.4X (CLV) |
| DVD+RW Rewrite Speed | 4X, 2.4X (CLV) |
| DVD Read Speed | 12X Max (CAV) |
| Supported Modes | DAO / DAO-RAW 16 & 96 TAO SAO / SAO 16 & 96 Packet Write Multi-Session |
| Supported Formats | DVD+R (incremental) DVD+RW (random) DVD-R (DAO, incremental, multi-border) DVD-RW (restricted overwrite) CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM, CD-DA, CD-ROM XA, Mixed Mode, CD Extra Photo CD, CD Text, Bootable CD, Mount Rainer |
| Access Time | CD: 160ms DVD: 200ms |
| Buffer | 2MB |
The specifications on the DRU-530A look excellent, certainly comparable to the Plextor 708A. We noticed that the DVD read speed is not as quick as the MSI DR4-A, but everything else is a significant improvement over the DRU-510A.
The external design on the DRU-530A is identical to the DRU-510A, but the internal components are similar to that of the Plextor 708A. In true Sony fashion, there is no external headphone jack or volume adjustment. Regrettably, we noticed immediately in preliminary burns that the DRU-530A was not burning some of our 4X media at 8X, including the bundled media. This was very discouraging, particularly since the near-identical 708A burns the same media twice as fast.
Originally, the Sony DRU-530A debuted with a $300 price tag, but has since fallen to under $250 (and also has a $30 mail-in rebate). Still pricey, but competitive in price to the Plextor 708A. With identical chipsets and similar pickups, it's going to be a constant battle of price and support between these two drives.
Special thanks to Sony and Verbatim for providing us with lots of media for our benchmarks.
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nopcbs - Thursday, December 25, 2003 - link
I don't understand the big concern that people have with +/- write compatability. If you get a + camp burner with bitsetting capability that gets you access to virtually all set top players by setting the DVD book type to DVD-ROM on the disk you video create. The + camp recorders still read the - camp disks, too. The only thing you miss is the ability to write to - camp disks, but who cares unless you already have a bunch of them? The + disk are as easy or easier to find and often cheaper. The high speed (8x) - camp format seems to exist only in theory (the NEC 2500 MAY be an exception, no tests available as yet), too,while there are loads of + 8x burners around.Who needs - camp format write ability, in other words? The format should have died a peaceful death except for Pioneer's stubborness.
Is there fault in my reasoning?
- nopcbs
SUOrangeman - Sunday, December 21, 2003 - link
Forgot to mention, I think the NEC ND2500 claims to do 8x DVD-R.http://store.yahoo.com/livewarehouse/frfesashnd8x....
-SUO
SUOrangeman - Sunday, December 21, 2003 - link
Speaking of the NuTech firmware ... did they deliver on the 15th?The NEC ND2500 id now available at LiveWarehouse.
Pioneer A07 is supposed to show next month.
I recently read that the Sony is dropping OptoRite-made drives and will now go with LiteOn units for 8x (DRU-530). I can only presume that the current 530s are equivalent to the DD401 while any forthcoming 530s will be equivalent to the 811.
-SUO
thepriceisright - Friday, December 19, 2003 - link
I like the articles here but sometimes I wonder...The Liteon drive did exceptionally well other than the fact it doesn't burn at 8x like the plextor.
I really *dislike* how you guys do the roundups sometimes its like comparing a 9600 to a 9800xt. No duh the 9800xt will win but sometimes price is a important deciding factor. This was just a example.
Do a review with only top of the line drives either in stats or price ranges. Or if that review would be too short then use the skills that got you this job and add a note saying something along the lines of; “Although the cheaper Liteon drive did not come with the burning software I myself would like to of had the $100+ price tag makes it a tempting buy. If money was of no concern the Plextor drive is the Cadillac of dvd burners and is sure to be worthy of the hefty price tag.” Since I am not a reviewer I am sure you can use those skills to spruce it up.
LoneWolf15 - Monday, December 15, 2003 - link
I would have liked to see the firmware versions Anandtech posted listed under each review. Then we could tell if Nu-Tech has released new firmware for their writer, for example. It is a good reference.Aside from that it was an excellent article. Thanks very much for reviewing something I know we all want to know about.
holymaniac - Monday, December 15, 2003 - link
Anyone know which DVDRW is the quietest?KristopherKubicki - Monday, December 15, 2003 - link
ChefJoe: It turns out the 107 drives probably will not be capable of 8X DVD-R (At least at Computex Taipei and COMDEX Las Vegas they were not). I'm willing to bet the delay in release is NEC and Pioneer working on making those drives 8X DVD-R capable. All our sources say its physically the pickup that is not capable of DVD-R 8X, not the burn strategies/firmware.Kristopher
Boonesmi - Monday, December 15, 2003 - link
i wish you had included the pioneer A06 driveChefJoe - Sunday, December 14, 2003 - link
Any news on the Pioneer A07 ? Back in September's plextor article it was said " Pioneer and NEC are both expected to produce 8X capable DVD+R and DVD-R capable drives in November (DVR-A07 and ND-2300A, respectively), but Plextor has the upper hand with market saturation and aggressive pricing. "I'm really interested in an 8x Pioneer.
DonB - Sunday, December 14, 2003 - link
I'd like to see it commented somewhere in DVD articles which drives (if any) are able to play any region DVDs and which are locked to a certain region.